Cottage Cheese Rolled Oat Rolls & Mini Baguettes

My first intention was to make some hamburger and hot dog buns, but as usual I couldn't resist the temptation to be more creative.  These rolls really didn't turn out ideal for its original purpose, but they do taste real good none the less.

I usually don't use yeast anymore in most of my baking since I prefer to use my sourdough starter, but in this case my starter was not ready for duty so I used instant yeast and a long cold slumber in the refrigerator to develop some nice flavors.

The end result was nice semi-soft roll with a nice crumb and simple clean flavor.  These rolls make great sandwiches and go well with a smear of cream cheese or butter!

Ingredients

453 grams Bread Flour (KAF is my brand of choice)

200 grams Whole Wheat Flour (KAF Organic)

80 grams Rolled Oats

155 grams Cottage Cheese Drained (I used 2%)

11 grams Olive Oil

55 grams Egg Yolks (about 3 yolks depending on your egg size)

405 grams Water (90 degrees F.)

7 grams Instant Yeast (If you have Active Yeast you need to convert from Instant and increase the amount.  You will also need to activate the yeast in the water first if you don't use Instant Yeast.  Instant Yeast does not require any activation and can be mixed with the dry or wet ingredients)

11 grams Blue Agave sweetener (Feel free to substitute honey or molasses if desired)

14 grams Table salt or sea salt

Directions

Mix the flours and oats with the water for 1 minute in your mixer or by hand in your work bowl.  Let it sit covered for 1 hour to autolyse.

After an hour mix in the cottage cheese, eggs, oil, yeast, agave and salt and mix on speed 2 on your mixer for 4 minutes or by hand.

Take the dough out of the bowl and place on your work surface.  Knead it by hand for 1 minute and form it into a ball.  Let it rest for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes do a stretch and fold from all sides and form it into a ball again.  Let it rest another 10 minutes and then do 1 additional stretch and fold and immediately put it in a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover the bowl and put it in your refrigerator for 1-3 days.

When you are ready to make your rolls take the dough out of the refrigerator and keep it in its bowl at room temperature for 1.5 -  2 hours.  After its rest it is time to shape the rolls or baguettes or Boules, etc.  I decided to make rolls and mini baguettes.    Cut the dough into 3 oz. pieces and form round rolls making sure each roll is nice and tight. or form into small rectangle and roll into mini baguettes.  Place rolls on cookie sheet and cover the rolls with a clean lint free towel sprayed with water or a piece of plastic wrap lightly sprayed with cooking spray.  Let the rolls rest at room temperature for 2 hours or until they are at least 1.5 the size.

I was going to use an egg wash which would have been a nice idea had I not been trying to cook dinner and prepare another dough for today, so unfortunately that step was omitted.  Feel free to use an egg wash and add some seeds or bran flakes etc. for that nice finishing touch.

Around 30 minutes before baking the rolls, prepare your oven and pre-heat at 425 degrees.  I used my usual set-up for steam and added 1 cup of boiling water to a pan on the bottom shelf but for rolls you could omit this step and you will get softer rolls if that is what you desire.

It should take around 20-25 minutes to bake the rolls and they should be nice and brown on the bottom and top.  When done, let them cool on a wire rack and enjoy.This post has been submitted to Yeast Spotting at http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting.

Enjoy!