Purple Straw is a soft white wheat that is not normally used for bread. It is called a Colonial Era honeyed wheat and hasn’t been around for over 50 years. I combined the fresh-milled Purple Straw with KAF high-gluten flour, and it worked perfectly. The Purple Straw is not easy to find right now. I bought mine at Barton Springs Mill a while ago. If you can find any, make sure to give it a try.
I used roughly mashed potatoes, skins and all, along with some honey in the starter and main dough. These were brought to my family’s Rosh Hashanah dinner along with some SD Durum pretzel rolls. Both were enjoyed with the delicious meal.
The fresh milled flour was sifted once with a #30 drum sieve and re-milled at the finest setting.
I applied an egg wash with a little salt added and used a few different seeds for toppings, with a few plain as well.
The crumb came out nice and soft, and the flavor was perfect.
Formula
Levain Directions
Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.
Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. I used my proofer set at 76 degrees so it took around 5 hours for me. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.
Main Dough Procedure
Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer, so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all your liquid to your mixing bowl except 50-80 grams. Add the levain in pieces and mix for a few seconds to break it up. Next, add all your flour to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes. Next, add the salt, potatoes, honey, softened butter, and remaining water as needed and mix on medium (about speed 4) for 12- 24 minutes. The dough should pass the windowpane test.
Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, and do several stretch and folds. Make sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container, and measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough as well. Based on the chart from the Sourdough Journey.com, determine what % rise you need and make a note. If you have a proofer, decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed, you don’t need to do any stretch and folds, but if it’s not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.
Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, shape it into rolls around 135 – 150 grams each, depending on how big you want them. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cover them using plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. I also put a moist tea towel over the tray a well. Place the cookie sheet in your refrigerator for around 12 hours or longer. The dough will continue to ferment, so if you are using fresh milled flour, you have to be careful not to leave it too long, or it may over-ferment.
When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 445°F and prepare for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone above the pan and one on the top shelf. I pour 1 cup of boiling water into the pan right after I place the dough in the oven. Remove your dough from the refrigerator and, using a scrambled egg yolk with a pinch of salt, coat the rolls and top with seeds, toasted onions, cheese, or whatever you desire.
Bake for around 20-25 minutes or until the rolls are nice and brown and have an internal temperature of around 195-200°F.
Take the rolls out of the oven when done and let them cool on a baker’s rack for as long as you can resist.
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