Does this look ok
I have been practising and tweaking bread roll recipes for my husbands packed lunch and am now happy with the results after some absolute shockers lol. I usually make the dough, knead for 10 mins and then do the first rise then shape and put them in the fridge overnight and bake in the morning. I have had some weird shapes doing this as sometimes they collapse but perk up when taken out of the fridge for 30 mins. If I bake them straight away I shape them and let them rise for a further hour before baking.I have not done my current recipe overnight yet but they are keeping well until the next day as is. Am now wondering where to go from here?
I would like to start making wholemeal and seeded rolls but am not sure whether to adapt the recipe I have or to find a different recipe completely? This is my current recipe for white rolls:
87g bread flour 14% (35)
163g all purpose flour 12% (65)
1 tsp salt (3.2)
7g active yeast (2.8)
57g warm water (22.8)
108g warm milk (43.2)
17g butter (6.8)
You've got a lovely crumb there. Not dense but not cotton wool either. They rose well. Absolutely nothing wrong with these. In fact there's an awful lot right with them.
Seems like you got a good mix with the bread and AP flours for that excellent crumb.
If I were you I'd build on this recipe. Start swapping some of the bread flour with whole-wheat and slowly increase to a percentage you like. You're going to have to go by feel a bit as whole-wheat will absorb more water so the more whole-wheat you add the more you're going to have to up the hydration.
P.s. as you begin to get into the high percentage of whole-wheat you won't get as soft a crumb as you are able to get with the bread/AP flour. If that's what you're after then you can begin to think about adding a tangzhong. A tangzhong is making a starchy gel with some of the flour and water which gives the bread a softer crumb. The formula is simple:
1. Take 5% of the flour and 5x it's weight from the water.
2. Mix the flour in the water while on a low heat and continuously stir till it begins to gel. Should only take a few minutes. Do not boil.
3. Take off the heat and transfer to a bowl/container and allow to cool. Either use when cooled or it can be refrigerated for up to 3 days (after cooled). Just make sure to cover with clingfilm. Cover so it is directly on the gel and keeping air out.
4. Now simply add this back into the recipe making up the dough with the remainder of the ingredients.
Congrats on job well done.
How many rolls do you get from that recipe?
hester
This makes 4 rolls :)
They look lovely! More importantly, you say your chief customer likes them! Good job!
Where to go from here? Wow-the world is your oyster! Old saying where I come from. So many possibilities. So here are a few ideas:
For this dough (it seems to work well for you so just enhance without changing the dough)
Appearance
-eggwash for sheen
-darker bake
-turmeric in dough for bright yellow color.
-seed inside or on top-sesame,poppy,sunflower,ground flax, corn meal
Flavor- soak dried onions, use soaking water as part of liquid and incorporate onions into dough or on top.
-herbs-chives, green herbs like rosemary or tarragon, poultry seasoning,
-cheese in chunks or grated
-dried fruit like raisins, apricots, cherries, apples,etc
-sweetness-a little honey,agave or sugar
-orange juice instead of water- add grated rind for flavor
Texture- soaked whole grains (or the bits are too hard to chew), crunchy nuts and seeds, leftover rice, chopped trail mix or granola
-incorporate boiled potatoes (white or sweet) and use the potato water for the dough. Makes SOFT rolls
-Use colored, cooked pureed vegetables-squash, beets (actually bakes brown unless loaf very acidic) and adjust water.
-Leftover hot cereal
Some of these ideas might necessitate a change in the liquids as they add to the moisture of the dough. Surprisingly, honey can hydrate a dough so watch the water amount if adding honey to a recipe with a hydration you already like.
I like the idea of going towards whole wheat BUT converting to whole wheat is trickier than you'd think. It is not a direct substitution-different flours behave differently. The major change between WW and AP/bread flour is that WW ( in almost any amount added) needs time for those tiny branny bits to absorb moisture fully or they will absorb moisture from the crumb after it is baked and at the first bite, hubby will have crumbled sandwich pieces and fixings in his lap. They really don't like that.
So experiment a little and use the "search" box to look for "fluffy" or "soft" whole wheat. It can be done. Or search my name-I have done many posts on it. Don't be intimidated if a lot of sourdough recipes come back-sourdough is just another (and more complicated) way of leavening bread. The concepts will be the same.
Generally-WW needs a bit more hydration-75-80%- and the time to absorb it. I often mix my WW dough in the evening, knead to windowpane, rise overnight in refrigerator in covered container (goes in sticky to touch and comes out tacky next am), rise to completion on counter and then finish the pan/proof/bake. This gives it plenty of time to "soak". Tang zhong works for softness but the remainder of the WW flour still needs soak time-as little as 30 minutes.
Have fun and welcome!
Wow. Some amazing replies with enough ideas to keep me going for the foreseeable future! Thank you very much. I am going to try with adding some wholemeal and my new favourite ingredient is dried onions so going to give that a go as well :)