These whole wheat rolls are wonderful dipped in soups and stews. They also are great for making mini sandwiches and sliders.
These rolls, despite being loaded with whole wheat flour, are amazingly light and airy, and they have a pretty complex flavor. They are faintly sweet, and also have a hint of sourdough.
Ingredients in These Whole Wheat Rolls:
Flours: This recipe calls for both whole wheat and bread flour, with slightly more than half of the flour being whole wheat. For the white flour, you can also use unbleached all-purpose flour.
Salt.
Instant Yeast.
Whole Milk.
Molasses: For sweetness and color.
Biga: Biga is a firm starter/pre-ferment. You will need a small amount of sourdough starter to prepare it. Prepare it at least 24 hours in advance. While the recipe includes instant yeast, the reason for the biga is to develop flavor. If you don't have a sourdough starter, you can prepare a biga with the same ingredients along with "old dough." See below.
To Make These Whole Wheat Rolls:
First, make the biga. Mix together a tablespoon of active liquid starter, water, all-purpose flour, and a super tiny bit of salt. Let the mixture ferment for about 24 hours. It should double in size, mostly at the end of the rising time. You will have enough biga for two recipes. You can also make a biga by using 5 grams of dough from a loaf of bread you just made.
Next, boil the milk for the final dough and then mix it with water and the molasses. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Skip the salt in the big because your "old dough" will already have it.
After that, prepare the final dough by mixing the flours, salt, instant yeast, and milk mixture. Beat everything in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. You will have a very soft and loose dough but it will come together. Let it rise until it's doubled.
Then, divide and shape the dough into 12 balls and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Let the shaped rolls rise until puffy, one to two hours, and then brush them with milk.
Finally, bake the rolls for 15 minutes in a 450 degree F. oven.
Equipment You May Need:
Stand mixer with a paddle attachment: You will need a stand mixer for mixing the dough. It will quickly bring the very loose dough together. If you want to attempt to mix the dough by hand, use the slap and fold method, where you quickly slap the dough onto your work surface and then fold it. Do this in rapid succession until your dough becomes smooth.
Half Sheet Pan: For baking the rolls.
Tip for Success:
The dough will seem very loose and sticky but resist the urge to add more flour directly to the dough. For the first rise, place the dough into an oiled bowl or straight-sided bucket and turn it to coat. When you are ready to turn it out of the container, it should easily fall out.
When cutting and shaping the dough, flour your work surface and then turn the dough over to lightly coat both sides. Amazingly, the dough will hold together and be fairly easy to shape without sticking to your hands.
Storage:
Keep these rolls in an airtight container for up to three days. You can also freeze them for up to 30 days. Reheat them in a 350 degree F oven for a few minutes. They also refresh nicely with a 15 second turn in the microwave.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve these rolls with your favorite soups or stews such as Italian wedding soup, baked potato soup, or beef and beer soup. You can also use these rolls to make little ham, cheese, and mustard sandwiches to go with your favorite bowl of soup.
This month the Bread Bakers are baking breads that go with soup!
- Artisan Bread Bowls from Food Lust People Love
- Brazilian Cheese Bread from Passion Kneaded
- How to Make a Crusty French Baguette from The Wimpy Vegetarian
- No Knead Bread from Making Miracles
- Pao de Milho from A Messy Kitchen
- Skillet Corn Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Soft Bread Rolls for Soup from Sneha's Recipe
- Sourdough Breadsticks from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
- Whole Wheat Rolls for Soups and Sandwiches from Karen's Kitchen Stories
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.
Whole Wheat Rolls for Soups and Sandwiches
These whole wheat rolls are wonderful dipped in soups and stews. They also are great for making mini sandwiches and sliders.
Ingredients
- 70 grams (scant 1/3 cup) water
- 10 grams (scant 1 tablespoon) refreshed sourdough starter or old dough/biga
- 100 grams (1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons) unbleached all purpose flour
- Tiny pinch fine sea salt
- 225 grams (1 1/2 cups) whole wheat flour
- 175 grams (1 cup plus three tablespoons) bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 6 grams (1 teaspoon) fine sea salt
- 5 grams (1 1/2 teaspoons) instant yeast
- 180 grams (3/4 cup) whole milk, plus more for brushing
- 180 grams (3/4 cup) water
- 40 grams (2 tablespoons) molasses
- 40 grams biga
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients together by hand and place them in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let ferment for 24 hours, until doubled.
- Whisk together the flours, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- In a saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the water and the molasses. Let the mixture cool to about 80 degrees F.
- Add the milk mixture and the biga to the stand mixer and mix everything with the paddle attachment and beat on medium for about five minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. The dough should come together into a loose ball.
- Add the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until just doubled, about 45 minutes to an hour.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and form each into a ball. Place each onto the baking sheet, about 1 1/2 inch apart. Cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let rise for one to two hours, until puffy.
- Brush the tops of the rolls with milk and then bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
168Fat (grams)
1 gSat. Fat (grams)
0 gCarbs (grams)
34 gFiber (grams)
3 gNet carbs
31 gSugar (grams)
3 gProtein (grams)
6 gCholesterol (grams)
2 mgRecipe adapted from Sullivan Bakery Cookbook.
