Whole Grain Spelt and Wheat Bread Rolls

If you are lucky and have a good artisan bakery* around a corner you SHOULD read this recipe (in case you will move out and won't be so lucky at next place). If you are not lucky ( and here we can shake hands) and have got only shoemaker around the corner, but you love smell and taste of freshly baked rolls, and  additionally you have a little bit of interest in quality of ingredients you feed yourself and your beloved ones - you MUST read this recipe:)
Why? Because with this recipe you can make your own bread rolls which are not only very easy to make, but also are healthy and delicious. And they make your kitchen smell like the best bakery on the world.

My love affair with baking started over two years ago. As you surely know, good and real bread should be made from a few simple ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast.Sometimes seeds are added.And you can add a little bit of good quality oil and sweetener like honey to achieve gentle texture and richer flavour. But nothing more. When I started to read lists of ingredients on bread labels sold in supermarkets I was amazed why they are so long. Actually - I was terrified . I asked myself if I wanted to eat preservatives, emulsifiers and caramelised sugar which is added to give bread brown color (and make it pretending that is whole grain). No, I didn't want. So, I started to bake my own bread and rolls. Beginnings weren't easy and there were a few failures. But I was patient and persistent.

Now I want share with you this recipe, which is an effect of many experiments. I wanted wholemeal rolls but with light and soft crumb therefore I mixed wholemeal and plain flour and used mostly spelt flour that gives them nice nutty flavour and sweetness. They are easy to make and it takes you only 2, 5 hour (including rising time during which you can read a book;).If you want fresh and warm rolls for your breakfast, you can make a dough the night before, refrigerate it and bake rolls in the morning. They are not sweet and taste great with jam or honey as well as with cheese. I like eat them warm with butter only. On the next day they are great toasted.

Whole grain Spelt and Wheat Bread Rolls:

(in case of wheat intolerance you can substitute wheat flour for spelt flour)

Yields: 10-12 rolls

225 gram (approx. 8 oz) whole grain spelt flour

225 gram (approx. 8 oz) white spelt flour

112 gram (approx. 4 oz) plain wheat flour

112 gram (approx. 4 oz) whole grain wheat flour fine

4 Tbsp. olive oil

3 Tbsp. light honey or brown sugar

400-410 ml warm water ( approx.1 3/4 cup or slightly less) - amount of water needed can vary depending of type of flour used -  add water gradually. Water should be just hot enough to hold your finger in

9 g (3 small tsp.) quick yeast

1 1/2 tsp. salt (I used sea salt)

1 Tbsp milk

2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Place the flours in a mixing bowl. Add the yeast, salt, olive oil and honey or sugar. Add the water. Mix on a first speed (with a dough hook) in a mixer or by hand until ingredients are incorporated. Check a consistency of the dough -  add a little more water if the dough seems dry. Mix on a medium speed for 5 min or by hand for 10 min.The dough should be elastic and not stick too much to the bowl.
Cover the bowl with a cling film. At this moment you can leave the bowl in a fridge overnight and bake rolls in the morning. If you want to bake them on the same day leave the bowl in warm place, free of draughts, for 1-1,5 hour. The dough should double in size.

If you bake rolls on the next morning, remove the dough from a fridge and leave for about an hour at room temperature. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 10-12 pieces (about 100 -110 gram each) and form little balls. If the dough seems sticky resist the temptation to add more flour - lightly oil your hands instead. Place balls on sheets pans (seam-side down) leaving about 10 cm between them (they will rise more). Cover with a slightly oil cling film and leave for half an hour - they should rise in size by half.

In the meantime, heat the oven to 200 C. (392 F)

5 min.before the end of rising time place a heatproof dish with approx. a cup of boiling water on the bottom.**

In the meantime, brush rolls with milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. After 5 minutes open the oven door (be careful - there may be an outrush of hot steam) and place sheets pan in the oven making sure there is enough space around each pan for the steam to circulate. After 10 min. remove the dish with water wearing the oven mitts (once again be very careful - there will be an cloud of very hot steam). Bake for another 15 - 20 min. for crusty rolls. They should sound hollow when upturned and tapped. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack  before eating .

Enjoy!

**NOTE: you can skip the step with a dish with hot water but it gives moisture to the oven which helps bread to achieve better volume

*I adore people who follow their passion and bring happiness to their and others lives. Just like Chad Robertson - owner of famous Tartine Bakery. He is wonderful example how with passion and determination you can make your dreams come true. Watch this video.