Flaxseed, Sunflower, Pumpkin Seeds and Raisins Bread

Life hasn't been too smooth sailing for me the past 2 weeks.

Last week, DD3 was down with high fever for no reasons. No runny nose, no cough, no nothing. She just had a fever. It took her 5 days to recover.

2 days ago, we brought DD1 for her Otolaryngology (ENT) appointment. We have been to KK Women's and Children Hospital (KKH) for the past 6 months and did 3 hearing tests. All results show fluid in her right middle ear. DD1 is diagnosed with Otitis Media with Effusion (OME) and is scheduled for Examination under anesthetic (EUA) and KIV ear tube surgery. I'm also looking at alternatives ie seeking 2nd opinion with private practice.

Just when I thought this is enough to keep me busy, I received a call from SIL D and she told me my bro K got into some kind of trouble. OMG, why is this man always getting himself into some kind of shitty stuff?? I called/smsed friends to seek some advice and praying things won't turn too nasty for him.

It never occur to me that bread is my comfort food. I remember when I was a young girl, I never like bread. I'm typically a very Asian girl who loves rice/noodle. Bread to me is not staple food as they can't fill my "bottomless pit" stomach. With so much for me to handle, I decided to bake some bread. Instead of using the machine, I kneaded by hand. To me, kneading by hand is very therapeutic. I get the luxury to hand knead the dough as my 2 elder ones went over to my inlaws.


Instead of the usual plain white bread, I added some white sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and raisins. I should have thrown in some black sesame seeds but I was keeping that for my black sesame ice cream which was on my To-Do list for the longest time. Let's hope I get my hands to make it soon, else may procrastinate again.

Flaxseed, Sunflower, Pumpkin Seeds and Raisins Bread
Ingredients
2 cups cold water
6 cups bread flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp (60ml) olive oil/vegetable oil/melted butter
2 tsp yeast

Optional - as desire
Flaxseeds
White Sesame Seeds
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Raisins

Method

1. Place the dry ingredients (except Sunflower and Pumpkin seeds) into a big bowl and mix well.
2. Add in the wet ingredients to form a dough.
3. Knead dough until dough is elastic and smooth.
4. Place it in a large greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or cling-wrap and leave it to proof in a warm place till double in size (about 1-1.5 hrs).
5. When proofing is completed, punch down the bread dough to release the air. Knead in sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and raisins.
6. Shape into balls and leave it to rest for abt 10 mins. Shape as required and let it proof on lined or greased baking tray for another 50-60 mins or until dough is double in size (about 1 hr).
7. Bake in preheated oven at 170C for 15-20 minutes. If the top has browned, you can cover the top with an aluminium foil to continue baking.
8. Remove bread from loaf pan to cool completely.