Rye Dinner Rolls

Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls

By Cat, May 2010 (Photo, right, from Better Homes & Gardens, Nov 2009 Issue)

Includes: 1. Buttermilk Dinner Rolls; 2. Buttermilk Dinner Rolls, with Potato Flour

See also: 1. Bread Basics (Yeast-Leavened Breads); 2. Dinner Roll Variations: Shaping & Baking; 3. Bread & Rolls Menu

There’s just nothing that smells and tastes of home, like freshly baked dinner rolls with fresh butter.

Dough for rolls should be fairly soft. There are many shapes for dinner rolls; buns or cloverleaf are the best shape for these Rye Rolls.

Rye Rolls

This recipe is adapted from Bob’s Red Mill (1). It uses Light Rye flour, which is not a whole grain flour, but rather has had most of the bran and germ removed, and has wheat gluten added.

Unbleached white flour is also used. My preference is to use whole grain white wheat, or whole grain barley, instead of unbleached white, or a mix of the two, as I indicate in this adaptation.

If you don’t want wheat gluten in the rolls, use regular rye flour and whole grain barley or malted barley. You could also use white spelt for part of the mix.

Rolls will keep for several days and can be reheated. They also freeze well, baked or unbaked. IDEA: bake half of the rolls and freeze the other half unbaked for future use.

Makes 18 rolls. Not yet tested.

Ingredients & Equipment:

• 1 cup warm filtered water
• 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 1 cup Light Rye Flour
• 1 ½ cup whole grain white wheat flour
• ½ – 1 cup unbleached white flour, plus more for shaping
• 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing bowl
• 2 Tbsp Rapadura sugar
• 1 ½ tsp Unrefined sea salt
• 1 Tbsp caraway seeds (optional)
• water for brushing rolls

Equipment

• glass measuring cup for proofing yeast
• large bowl
• kneading surface
• 2 baking sheets
• shallow pan (for water)

Method

1. Sift all flours together; set aside.
2. Proof yeast in warm water, then pour into large bowl. Add oil, egg, sugar and half of the flour mixture. Mix thoroughly – 100 strokes – then add remaining flour mix and mix until dough forms and comes away from sides of the bowl.
3. Turn out onto floured board and knead in seeds (if using), adding small amounts of flour as needed to keep from sticking. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).
4. Rising: Shape dough into a ball on kneading surface. Oil bowl, then roll ball of dough in bowl to coat entire surface of dough. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk. Punch out all the air, cut dough in half, sprinkle with additional caraway and form each half into a ball. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
5. Shaping: Shape each ball into 3 ropes, then cut each rope in 6 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball. Or see Dinner Roll Variations: Shaping & Baking for other shapes; the method for Buns is an alternative method for making the ball shape.
6. Space on two buttered baking sheets. Keep in warm, draft free spot, covered with damp cloth, until doubled in size. Brush lightly with water.
7. Baking: Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake with steam (place a shallow pan of hot water on the lowest rack of oven). Bake rolls until hard to touch and colored on the bottom, about 15 – 20 minutes.

References

1. Bob’s Red Mill recipe #519 (link removed at their request)