When I lived in Germany last year, I shared an apartment with three other girls, two from Sweden, and one from China.
They were three of the best roommates I’ve ever had. We would make Chinese Hot Pot one night, have delicacy cheese and crackers another night, and study German together whenever we felt like it.
Lovely sourdough rolls filled with oat bran, oat flour and rolled oats.
Thanks to us three Swedes, our Chinese roommate probably still believes that every Swede has oatmeal for breakfast. Because that’s what we had. Every single day. We didn’t have the same kind of oatmeal of course, but we all had oatmeal. I had mine with chopped cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts and cinnamon. My other roommate had hers with milk and bananas. Our third Swede sometimes made hers with quinoa.
Flavored with anise seeds, caraway seeds and fennel seeds. Whoever came up with that combination is a genius.
We tried to assure our Chinese friend that not all Swedes have oatmeal for breakfast. If I could make a guess, I would say most Swedes don’t (but I’m also not a big fan of making general assumptions, so take that with a pinch of salt).
I have absolutely no idea why I’m so into oatmeal. Most kids hate oatmeal growing up. I guess I didn’t loathe it growing up, but I for sure wasn’t crazy about it. Maybe it’s because I like cross country skiing. In my mind, they just seem to belong together. If you’re going cross country skiing – you need to have oatmeal for breakfast, that’s just the way it is. Where else would you get all the energy for all the exercising you’re about to do? It all makes sense, right?
Just break off one piece at a time…
I guess one of these rolls is as close as you can get to an oatmeal substitute. I put in everything in my cupboard that had the word “oat” in it – oat bran, oat flour AND rolled oats. You can see why an oatmeal fan would be into these rolls. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. And did I mention that they have fennel, caraway and anise seeds in them? Sourdough rolls at its best, that is.
Oat bread dinner rolls
Total time: 20 hours to let the pre-dough get active. Then another 5-6 hours to let the dough rise and bake the bread. Makes 12 oat bread dinner rolls.
Ingredients
Day 1
- 110 g (3.9 oz) rye starter
- 442 g (15.6 oz, not fluid!) filtered water
- 271 g (9.6 oz) bread flour
Day 2
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp honey
- ½ tbsp anise seeds
- ½ tbsp fennel seeds
- ½ tbsp caraway seeds
- 68 g (2.4 oz) oat bran
- 114 g (4 oz) oat flour
- 85 g (3 oz) rolled oats
- 275 g (9.7 oz) bread flour
Toppings
wheat germ
rolled oats
…or break off all of them at once.
Instructions
Mix rye starter, water and bread flour in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in room temperature for 20 hours, until the pre-dough is active and full of bubbles.
Mix in sea salt, honey, caraway seeds, fennel seeds, anise seeds, oat bran, oat flour, rolled oats and bread flour. Knead to a firm dough and let rise in a bowl covered with a kitchen towel for ca. 2.5 hours.
The wheat germs gets toasted on top.
Take out the dough on a floured surface and divide it into 12 pieces. Roll each piece to a round ball and roll them in wheat germ. Grease a spring form pan and sprinkle some rolled oats in it. Place the balls in the spring form pan, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise until double its size, about 2 hours.
Making bread in a spring form pan is one of my favorite ways to make bread – so easy and convenient.
Preheat the oven to 460°F. Spray some water on the bottom of the oven and bake the rolls for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 390°F and bake further for 30-35 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown and thoroughly cooked (should have an inner temperature of 97°C or 206.6°F). Take the loaf out of the pan and let cool on a rack.
Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin and all that…
This post has been submitted to YeastSpotting.
Gorgeous rolls! I love that they are made in a springform pan
Thanks Jennifer! Yeah, me too, it’s so convenient!
Oatmeal is good stuff. I ate it for breakfast for years. At the moment I’m more into fresh fruit and a hard-boiled egg, but who knows what the future will bring? I do love oats in baked goods, though – they bring something special, I think. Really nice rolls – thanks so much.
Yeah, I agree, oatmeal’s great. Eggs and fruits are great breakfast foods! During the summer months I usually do fruits and homemade granola, and then during the winter months (when it’s cross country skiing season) I go back to my oatmeal
Cheers John!
oh-oh-oh-oatmel! I can almost taste the somewhat coarse texture of these bran-loaded rolls! It’s so cool, they look like a portion of good old 4-cereal porridge I’m eating in the morning! (oats, rye, barley and wheat) Will definitely try these. And you’re absolutely right – what else can give you energy well beyond anything else you can have for breakfast?
I’m so happy you like them Georgia! Mmm, oats, rye, barley and wheat sounds delicious! (Maybe I should put that combination in a bun next time!) Cheers
Your cashew-hazelnut-walnut-cinnamon oatmeal combo sounds pretty delicious. I love oatmeal for breakfast in the winter – something so cozy about it. These buns look terrific!
It really was super delicious, I was looking forward to my breakfast every day! You’re so right, it’s almost like hot chocolate on a cold and rainy fall day. Thanks Korena!
Oooo I eat oatmeal a lot! It’d be great to change it up with this recipe, thank you!
Oh perfect, you’ll love these then!
I was also thinking to bake some bread with fennel seeds and using all that oats makes of these rolls the perfect way to make me eat oats for breakfast!
I think that sounds like a great idea! Oats worked out to be a perfect companion for fennel
My husband eats oatmeal whenever he has breakfast. I love it, too but more in the winter. But this bread looks phenomenal! And your photos are fabulous!
Thanks so much Abbe! Yeah, I have oatmeal more in the winter time too, summer time I usually have fruits and granola (but then again, it makes the oatmeal taste so much better when you haven’t had it for a while!).
I´ve been into oatmeal since I´m a kid too, and I´m just dying to try the mix of seeds! A fantastic recipe!
Thank you so much Paula! Oatmeal sure is a great thing!
And you’ll love the combination of spices, it’s my favorite.
Honey oatmeal bread is my absolute favorite!!! Your rolls look outrageously delicious!!!
Thanks so much Liz!!
Such delightful & tender sourdough rolls, the spices give such wonderful depth to these healthy baked treats, we would love to have some hot out of the oven…enjoyed reading your fun time with roommates
HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!
Oh thanks so much!! I appreciate it
Cheers, and I hope you have a great day too! 
I lived in Germany too for a short while and I had one of the best breads over there. I love German bread, wholesome and full of taste. It really is proper bread. Very nice these rolls I am tempted to try them to revive old good memories
Thanks Alida! Where in Germany did you use to live? I lived in Düsseldorf, kind of miss over there – there’s something special about the atmosphere! And the bread of course
Our German teachers used to tell us that Germans eat more bread per person and year than any other country in Europe. Doesn’t surprise me with all the bakeries in every street corner!
It sounds like you and your flat-mates must have had the best time. Your rolls look amazing and there’s just nothing better than home-baked bread xx
We really did have a great time, I miss living with them! Thanks so much!
I only eat oatmeal for breakfast a few times a year, but bake it into bread or cookies, and I’ll eat it everyday! I’m a huge fan of sourdough as well, so this dinner roll is definitely a winner. They look delicious! Also, I’m loving that you used a spring form pan. Such a great idea!
That’s the way to go! If you like sourdough you’ll absolutely love these ones! I only have like two rolls left in my freezer, so I feel like I have to make a new batch soon
Yes, breads in spring form pans is my new favorites, it’s so easy, and looks kind of neat too! 
Totally in love with these delicious rolls!! All baked in a springform pan — so chic and rustic
Ooo, I like those adjectives to describe them – they do look kind of chic and rustic at the same time – thanks!!
Ohmygoodness. These look absolutely delicious and so pillowy and soft! I just need to get some rye flour, hmm.
Thanks Arianna!! Yup, that should do it!
I would love to bake these, but I do not know what a rye starter is??? Excuse my ignorance.
Hey Karen! A rye starter is a sourdough starter basically – here’s how you can make your own: http://bitterbaker.com/how-to-make-your-own-rye-sourdough-starter/
You can also buy sourdough starters in most grocery store if you wanna start baking right away!
(sorry for the delay in replying…)
Pingback: Ochered and Buterbrod, Two Essentials of Soviet Life | hep-i-book'a