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Whole Wheat Success! Rolls and a loaf

okieinalaska's picture
okieinalaska

Whole Wheat Success! Rolls and a loaf

whole wheat bread

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 Whole Wheat RollsWhole Wheat Rolls

 I tried Kippercat's whole wheat roll recipe she posted a few days ago.  I LOVE IT!  The dough was lovely to work with and I even managed to shape the rolls so that they looked as good as they tasted.  I took the photos above, it was hard not to slice that loaf as soon as I could though!  But right after pictures, we cut it, LOL.

I didn't have instant yeast so I tried to add just a bit extra of active yeast.  I also added a little extra water to proof it (both times).  Also I let the biga and soaker sit for 4 hours on the counter while I went drove to town and shopped and took longer than I thought I would.  When I was making the main dough  and I added the yeast I forgot to add the extra though. I think it could have used it. 

I only had one small loaf pan so I weighed out a pound of dough for it and the rolls were 5 oz each (I got a dozen rolls).  The loaf was too small and the rolls were too big, LOL.  The rolls rose wonderfuly but I baked them after the loaf so they had a little longer to rise.  The loaf I should have let rise a little longer but I was still amazed at how light it was.  We ate half of it still warm with butter and honey.  I had some for toast this morning and as it is toasting you can smell the honey in the recipe. Yumm... my 7 year old dd loved it. My son ate it on a sandwich and had toast but he says he doesn't like it.  But he did eat it which is something he normally won't do if he doesn't like it.

I think this will be the recipe I use all the time now.   It will be interesting when the instant yeast gets here to see if and how the bread changes.  Next time I will make a bigger loaf and rolls about 3 oz in size.

Thanks KipperCat for posting the recipe.   

Comments

KipperCat's picture
KipperCat

Great job!  I'm glad they turned out so well for you.  :~)

browndog's picture
browndog

Very pretty, Amy, Must have been something in the air last night, cus I made this recipe too!

I'm curious what the loaf was like with the pastry flour. Did you notice it paricularly affect the texture? 

okieinalaska's picture
okieinalaska

Thank you. : ) 

Hmmm.... affect the texture how? To be honest I haven't made that much bread, I don't know that I would be a good bread analyst, LOL.  But I thought it was delicious and the rolls were even better than the loaf.  (they rose a little bit longer) I didn't notice anything strange or different.

I had actually been wondering about pastry flour. How is it different than regular flour and does it cause any changes in using it in bread?  But I didn't notice anything strange myself. I shared some rolls with a friend and she loved them, and asked for the recipe.

Sorry I wasn't much help, I can take a pic of the inside of one of the rolls if that would help. Do you want it cut or torn? 

Amy in Alaska

browndog's picture
browndog

Amy, pastry flour is usually made from a softer wheat than ap or bread flour, so it has a lower protein content and less gluten, therefore more tender baked goods. (Cake flour is even lower.) I didn't expect it to make the loaf strange, but I wondered if it would make the bread at all 'cake-like' or perhaps too tender to hold up for a sandwich. It makes sense that you would want it in a nice, soft textured roll.

If you posted a picture of a sliced roll that would be interesting, thanks.

So it sounds like you have a delicious bread at any rate. I plan to be making it frequently.

okieinalaska's picture
okieinalaska

Ok, I see, I wasn't sure what you were looking for.  Well, the loaf could have rose for a little longer and while it was tender, I don't think it was too soft. My son ate a peanut butter sandwich on it and it held up really well. 

As for cake like... the rolls were def. not.  The loaf did have a soft texture...I don't know if that counts for cake like.

My hubby is in the kitchen making english muffin bread in the bread machine for his hot beef dip.  When he is done I will take a pic of the roll. : )

 Amy in Alaska

browndog's picture
browndog

Well, I'm not that sure myself, ha.

My loaves were really soft and tender, too. Really impressive in a hundred percent whole wheat bread. My son loved it (so did my dog(s) apparently.)

 I have in the past used pastry flour in pizza crust and don't remember any big difference. 

How's the weather in Alaska these days? Alaska is a place that just fascinates me but don't think I could never manage living there. I hear you get to be a native if you manage to make it through one winter--true?

 

charbono's picture
charbono

Softness is at one end of a continuum with firmness and hardness.  It expresses the ease of compressibility of the food.  Rolls and sandwich bread are often soft.

 

Tenderness is at one end of a continuum with chewiness and toughness.  It expresses the cohesiveness of the food.  Cakes are often tender.

 

A bread with a lot of pastry flour may or may not be soft, but it will probably be tender.

 
browndog's picture
browndog

So lamb on your plate is tender but not soft, and cotton balls are soft but not tender?

 

charbono's picture
charbono
okieinalaska's picture
okieinalaska

Well, I am from Oklahoma originally.  We moved to Seward in 1998 and were there 2 years, then moved to Juneau and we were there for 7  years and now we have moved to Eagle River (near Anchorage) and plan to be here forver we hope.  -my hubby is coast guard. So I have survived 9 winters, LOL.  My kids were both born in Alaska.

Right now we have had a warm spell and all of our beautiful snow has melted away.   I had thought winter was here to stay. We already had a foot of snow (probably more), been sledding, been cold, had a little mini blizzard one night for about 3 hours that caused massive chaos so the warm spell surprised us all. Now I am wondering if we are going to have a white Christmas, LOL.

It really depends on where you are in Alaska. It's a HUGE state, 2 1/2 Texas' could fit in our state (sorry Texas, it's true).   We are in Eagle River now and it gets cold and there is snow here.  (We moved here in March) But not as bad as further north, LOL.  It's all relative. : )

The summers are marvelous and really make it worth while to live here. Long, long days of sunlight...you can go hiking at midnight, LOL.  We really love it although I miss Oklahoma.  : )

Amy in Alaska

browndog's picture
browndog

Have you ever read John MacPhee's 'Coming in to the Country'? It's the book that made Alaska magic in my eyes. I wouldn't mind the winter, but it seems an unlikely place for a vegetarian. Hiking at midnight sounds awesome.

I'm trying 'our' recipe with sweet potato at present. I'll let you know how it turns out. 

okieinalaska's picture
okieinalaska

No, I haven't read it although I have heard of it.  It really is amazing to live here.

Right now there is a bull moose wandering downtown anchorage. It got tangled in Christmas lights which are wrapped around his antlers then got drunk off of fermented crab apples.  -they are keeping an eye on him and they are calling him...Buzzwinkle, LOL.

Here is an article about it.  http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/moose/story/9484450p-9394676c.html

Amy in Alaska

Paddyscake's picture
Paddyscake

was the topic of one of my favorite afternoon radio talk shows here in OR. Poor guy, hope he didn't feel too bad in the morning! 

browndog's picture
browndog

 Is there an epilogue, Amy? What a story!

Moose have relatively recently become reestablished in Vermont. Only occasionally does one end up in town (shopping? looking for decoratins? a drink?)

This is the only 'famous' one I can think of here, twenty years ago now.

I couldn't find any pictures. If you really want to see the charming couple, take a look at the cover of A Moose For Jessica.

My sweet potato whole wheat turned out just as nice. This time I used maple syrup instead of honey. I actually made half a dozen rolls with a little extra dough from the loaves.