Roll with it

“Operation: get people inspired to bake stuff from scratch” is in full swing, in case you hadn’t noticed! We’ve gone through muffins, strawberry rhubarb cobbler, crisp bread – and now it’s time for whole grain rolls 🙂

I’m so excited to share this recipe, because every single time I’ve made these rolls people have commented on how incredibly good they are! They are also, of course, very good for you and if I can get 10 people to swap sugary cereal for these bread rolls, I will be a very happy camper.

I have to confess that when I first started making these I wasn’t really getting the technique with “cold rise” right. I kinda thought the recipe I first followed was wrong, and I wanted to add lots more yeast. I also wanted to use lukewarm water and I couldn’t possibly see the point of having to prepare the dough the night before I planned to eat the rolls. (I love it when I’m completely convinced that the Internet is wrong, and I am right. Stubborn, much?)

Thankfully, I’m a curious little cook so I googled this subject until I was put half to sleep, and I get it now. Allow me to share some valuable info, guys:

What is “cold rise”?

The intention is to slow down the fermenting process, allowing the yeast and bacterias grow slowly and deepen in flavor. It’s very common in Italy as well as in Asia, and it is used a lot for making pizza dough. I, along with the rest of the world, kinda thought heat was the whole key to baking with yeast, but it turns out that using cold water and cold temperature doesn’t kill the yeast. It just makes it grow slower. The important thing is to not skip the honey because the yeast needs something sweet to eat while hanging out in the cold 😉 Also, for cold rise you need less yeast than you think. Don’t even think about putting more yeast in there. I know 3/4 tbsp sounds like it couldn’t possibly be enough, but it is. If you have a really, really, really good excuse for not letting it rise overnight and want to do the standard 1-1.5 hour warm rise, you can double the amount of yeast and use lukewarm water. But I’m warning you: it won’t taste as good. Better to find another recipe that calls for a warm rise.

Wholegrain breakfast rolls

8 dl wholegrain spelt flour
2.5 dl grain mix *
4.7 dl cold water
3/4 tbsp dry active yeast
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
Sesame seeds for garnish

*Sure, you can buy grain mix at the store, but I like to make my own using pumpkin seeds (my absolute favourite!), sunflower kernels, rye kernels, ground flax seeds, and rolled oats. Just eyeball it and mix it all together. Make a batch so you don’t have to do it every single time you bake these awesome rolls *wink wink*

Dissolve yeast in cold water and add the honey
Mix dry ingredients
Mix in the water and olive oil with a spoon.
Add a wee bit of olive oil to slightly coat the dough with your hands. This keeps it from developing a crust while rising. Cover it with a tea towel if you want to let it sit in room temperature, or with plastic if you have room to put it in the fridge. Let it rise overnight.
The next morning, line a baking tray with parchment paper and spoon the dough onto it. I like to make them quite large and rectangular, but you can make them any size you’d like. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes in 200 C

Try ’em out and let me know in the comments how it goes! They’re really easy to throw together, and it takes no time at all. It takes me 10-15 minutes to make the night before and then I let them bake in the oven in the morning while I’m getting ready for the day. Remember, it’s always worth it when you take a bite out of something healthy and nourishing that was cooked with love! You can’t get that at the store 😉

(This is what it looks like when you smother them with eggs and avocado. Yum!)