Soft Whole Wheat Rolls

Ready for the oven.



Ready for the table.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have, for the longest time, been looking for a recipe that would produce a soft whole wheat roll that was as delicious as it was healthy. To that end, I tested three new recipes this week and I'm happy to report that, while not yet there, I'm gaining ground. I'm featuring the best of the lot tonight and I think you'll really enjoy it. The recipe originally appeared in Eating Well Magazine. It's a bit unusual in that it uses low gluten cake flour to help make a soft dough. If you do not keep cake flour in your pantry and don't want to purchase it just to try this recipe, all-purpose flour can be substituted. Just remove 2 tablespoons from each cup of flour that you measure and you'll be fine. While this works well with bread, the results are less satisfactory when making a cake, so be careful where you use this substitution. I wanted a hint of molasses in my rolls, so I used turbinado rather than granulated sugar in my version of the recipe. Turbinado is just another name for raw sugar, that still has its molasses content intact. It's made from sugar cane juice that is heated and crystallized. Some consider it to be more healthy because it is less processed than granulated sugar. I use it when a want a hint of molasses flavor in a dish and I usually keep it on hand because the Silver Fox likes it in his coffee. It is not a key ingredient here and you can use granulated or brown sugar if you prefer. I know those of you who try these rolls will love them. Here's the recipe.

Soft Whole Wheat Rolls...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Eating Well Magazine

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups warm low-fat milk
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup canola oil
3 large eggs, divided
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 cups whole-wheat flour
2 cups cake flour, divided, plus more for dusting
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons wheat germ

Directions:
1. Whisk milk, sugar, butter, oil and 2 eggs in a large bowl. Whisk yeast, whole-wheat flour, 1-1/2 cups cake flour and salt in a medium bowl. Gradually stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a wooden spoon. The dough will be very sticky.
2) Sprinkle 1/2 cup cake flour on a work surface. Turn dough onto it and knead until all flour is incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Transfer dough to bowl, coat top with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature (about 70°F) until doubled in volume, 1-1/4 to 2 hours.
3) Coat a 10-inch round pan with cooking spray. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 12 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Arrange balls in pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size, about 1-1/4 hours.
4) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Whisk remaining egg in a small bowl, and brush tops of rolls with it (you'll have some left over); sprinkle with wheat germ. Bake the rolls until light brown on top, about 20 minutes.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Buttered Rosemary Rolls - A Feast for the Eyes
90 Minute Dinner Rolls - Drick's Rambling Cafe
Sweet Potato Bread Dinner Rolls - Pham Fatale
Sour Dough Dinner Rolls - Phoo-d
Potato Dinner Rolls - Sweet and Savory Tooth
Parker House Rolls - The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Soft Garlic Knots - Annie's Eats
Anadama Rolls - One Perfect Bite

This post is being linked to:
Wild Yeast - Yeast Spotting