Spelt Dinner Rolls
Spelt flour is one of my favorites for making yeast breads and rolls. Spelt is a whole grain flour, with all the fiber and nutrition of whole wheat flour. Spelt has a softer texture than whole wheat flour. It is easy to work with and rises light and tender.
Spelt also doesn’t require as much kneading as other flours.
For this recipe, I just divided the dough into 12 pieces for pretty good sized rolls. You could divide the dough into up to 18 pieces if you prefer smaller dinner rolls. If you have family members who aren’t crazy about the heavier texture of whole wheat you might want to give spelt flour a try.
Spelt Dinner Rolls
3 ¼ c. whole spelt flour
1 pkt. Active dry yeast
1 c. water
¼ c. honey
¼ c. oil
1 t. salt
1 egg
Place 2 c. flour, yeast and salt in a medium bowl. Heat together water, honey and oil until warm (120-130 degrees) Add water mixture to spelt mixture and beat on low speed of electric mixer for 30 seconds, or until moistened. Add egg and beat on high 3 minutes. Stir in enough spelt to make a soft dough. Cover bowl with a towel and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Grease a baking sheet and set aside. Use a rubber scraper to transfer dough onto floured surface. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Shape each piece into dinner roll shapes, using extra flour to prevent sticking. Place on baking sheet and cover with a towel. Allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Cover and let rise until doubled, another hour. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes or until rolls are light brown on top. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Makes 12 rolls.
Challah Rolls
Challah Rolls
When I needed hamburger buns for a dinner I decided to use the recipe for my Challah bread and just reshape them into rolls. These rolls are crusty on the outside and tender inside. They can be used for burgers, sandwiches or as dinner rolls. The recipe makes 24, but you can make them even bigger, if you like. Because the are lightly brushed with an egg wash they also have a pretty shine to them. If you never made your own hamburger buns before you might want to try them. They really aren’t that difficult and taste so good.
Challah Rolls
2 c. hot water
1 T. each sugar, salt and oil
1 package active dry yeast
¼ c. warm water
About 8 cups flour
2 beaten eggs
Poppy or sesame seeds, optional
In large bowl combine hot water, salt, sugar and oil. Dissolve yeast in warm water in small bowl and add to oil/water mix. Stir in 1 cup of the flour and eggs, reserving 2 tablespoons of the eggs for later. Gradually stir in enough of the flour to make soft dough. When dough pulls away from sides of bowl remove to floured surface. Knead dough, adding flour as necessary about 8-10 minutes. Dough should be smooth and elastic. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to grease top, cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down and divide into 2 equal pieces. Divide each piece into 12 equal pieces- 8 if you want bigger rolls. Depending on the size you cut the dough you will end up with 16-24 pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball and place on a lightly greased baking sheet- leaving a couple of inches between the rolls. You will probably need 2 baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover with a towel and let dough rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush rolls with reserved eggs and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, if desired. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. When done, rolls will be nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Makes 16-24 rolls.
