100% whole wheat rolls

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sam on 25 Mar 2012 at 16:57

Hello,

This time I decided to try out 100% whole wheat rolls, and added more butter + honey + milk than my previous white rolls.  The home-milled whole-wheat is pretty thirsty, so I increased hydration.  I estimated this around 78% hydration.  The dough was a little bit sticky, but easily manageable.   Overall, I am happy with the outcome, these are quite tasty w.w. sweet rolls.   :-)

Yields about 1200 grams of dough.

Milk poolish:

222g ww flour

308g milk

0.4g instant yeast

Final:

All Poolish

452g ww flour

135g eggs

101g butter

101g unfiltered honey

67g whole cane sugar

88g milk

30g instant yeast

13g salt

Procedure:

1) Make the poolish, ferment until ripe.

2) Cream the butter + sugar

3)  Mix everything except for salt+yeast, let rest/autolyse for 30 mins.

4)  Add salt+yeast, mix in thoroughly, then develop to near-full gluten development.

5)  Bulk ferment 1 - 1.5 hrs

6)  Shape, final ferment of 1 - 1.5 hrs

7)  Brush with standard eggwash (water+egg), bake at 350F for 30-40 mins.

 

Started with the hard red spring wheat berries..

 

Milled it on the finest setting..

  

 

The ripened poolish:

 

Get all the goodies ready!

 

The dough after mixing/development:

 

A diversion..  

Spring has arrived in my corner of the world, and while it's been raining a lot lately, today the sun peeked out for a couple hours this afternoon.  While the dough was fermenting, I checked out some of the new sprouts in the backyard.

 

After the ferment, I shaped the rolls, and had some leftover for a small loaf:

Here are the happy rolls, ready to bake!

 

The result.  Yum!

Tears off easily..

 

Happy baking!

 

(edited to correct milk weight for poolish)

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Janetcook on 25 Mar 2012 at 19:43

gvz,

These look great!  Texture looks similar to the Buttermilk Cluster loaves that are posted here somewhere.

Your photos are very nice too.  I love it when people show pictures of how things look at different stages...helps take the guess work out when I am in one of my experimental moods :-)

Take Care,

Janet

Hi Phil,

Coming from you w/your excellent photography, thanks!    Both yours and many other posters' photo's inspired me to get a halfway-decent camera, not just for food photography but lots of things.   A good side effect:  I find myself noticing things more in the day-to-day of life.   Potential shots.   Paying more attention to the small things, even if I'm not actively taking any pictures.  In a way, it slows you down a little bit -- look around at the beautiful world around us!  From the kitchen, to outside nature, to the concrete jungles -- everything can be beautiful if you look at it right.    Thanks for the inspiration!

Beautiful crumb!  And as some've already said, great photography, too.

  Never used milk to make poolish before.  How is it different from water-based poolish? Does it take longer? 

Hi lumos,

Thanks!   After having done a few milk poolishes, I haven't noticed any different in fermentation durations.   Initially I was a little worried about 'spoilage', but I haven't encountered that doing the fermentation in the low 70'sF / 20'sC.   There is a slight more 'earthy' scent but it smells great to me.   The reason why I opted for milk in the poolish, instead of water is...    for heavily enriched doughs, the way I look at it is, if you're gonna do it, then go all the way.   The past few enriched doughs I've made have had no 'water ingredient' at all except for what the other stuff brings.   So it's been a test / challenge to a) get my hydration estimates correct for the enrichments (as close as possible), and b) factor them correctly in a formula to make a dough that is not too dry, not too wet, just the right amount of tacky.   Of course, the flour is a big factor as well, how much it will absorb, etc.  But now I feel pretty confident that with the current ingredients I've been using, I can easily fine-tune a formula to match a particular preference.   For example, if I want a more buttery dough, then it means I need to back off something else (honey or eggs) by some amount to keep the same overall hydration.   A spreadsheet helps a lot for this.

 

gvz,

I can't recall if you have a copy of PR's  'Whole Grain Breads'  or not but I will assume you do since you bake with fresh whole grains.

The adjustment he recommends when substituting milk, yogurt or buttermilk for water is to increase the amount you would use by 12.5%. (pg 79)

Having a figure helps take some of the guess work out for me but there are always a few extra adjustments to make too depending on flour used and how finely it is ground etc....which I am sure you are well versed in :-)

Janet

 

Thanks Janet.    Yes, I do have a copy, haven't opened it up in months though.   (I should revisit!).

So far I've been using 90% as my water estimate for whole milk.   

gvz,

I figured you had a copy.  I read it when I first started baking and didn't understand 3/4ths of what a lot of it meant.  Now when I read it I pick up all sorts of neat stuff AND I understand it :-)

Janet

 

The biggest thing I got from PR's Whole Grains book was his discussion on the subject of enzymes, and his 'epoxy' method.   And then his chapter on mashes too.   Both Hamelman and PR are great, great inspirations.   

Toast

sam on 27 Mar 2012 at 18:58

Janet.   Thanks for your reply.  You got me thinking, to double-check something, and I realized I made a mistake in my Milk Poolish.  I was aiming for a 125% hydration poolish, and at 90% water, it should have been 308 grams milk, not 300 grams.  So I was a little off.   Oops.   Will add to my official "Errata" publication, volume 682.   :)

Ooops allowed :-)

Here is something else to ponder that throws a glitch into using whole grains....adjusting the hydration based on the weight of the bread flour replaced with ww flour......

I will leave you to puzzle over that one.  HINT:  Answer is in WGB's too.

Converting recipes turns into mathamatical gymnastics somedays but I love the challenge and hope that it is keeping my brain limber....doesn't do much for my memory so hopefully it is helping some other brain function unbeknown-st to me...

Take Care,

Janet

Agreed, without a doubt.   Whole grain flours are much, much more thirstier than retail white flours.

Unfortunately I have no comparison from retail whole-grain flours vs. home-milled whole grain flours, because when I began baking breads -- honestly, I began the adventure with a Komo and berries right off the bat.  I've never used anything else except for KA whites and my own home-milled.

For white or mostly-white breads, I usually stay in the 68-70% hydration range.  With high percentage whole-flour breads, I need to be in the 75%-80% range.

 

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Janetcook on 27 Mar 2012 at 23:37

gvz,

I have never baked with store bought flour either....Where I ran into trouble was when I began baking formulas posted here, most of which are made with BF or AP.  

The yard stick I go by now when converting recipes is that of adding 1-2 tsp. of water for every ounce of AP or BF replaced with ww. Mostly I go by the feel of the dough and I tend to keep my doughs on the 'firm' side as you do.  I do overnight bulk ferments a lot and lean doughs will always loosen up by morning.  

Janet

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Mebake on 26 Mar 2012 at 03:54

Superb, gvz! They look super yummy, and healthy. i'd love to get my hands on some spring wheat...

Freshly milled excellent wheat, high quality enrichments, and a talented baker.... makes those rolls unmatched.

well done!

 

Thanks for your very generous and kind words, Mebake.  

I wouldn't call it talent, more like dumb luck!   :)

The past few breads in the gvz house has come out pretty well, which means I am due for an epic failure.  :)

 

 

Hi gvz,
For some reason when I looked at your post yesterday, the photos wouldn't display.
I sure am glad I can see them now - these photos capture the goodness and beauty of these rolls so well!
And it is good to see buds and new leaves in your garden - Happy Spring!
:^) breadsong

 

with some sesame seeds these would end my search for a hamburger bun.  Very nice WW rolls indeed.  Just beautiful.

Thanks for sharing your recipe.

Hi dabrownman,

thanks!    Yes, these would make great burger buns, or sliders, but I'm not sure it would be the end of the search.  So much to try, so little time.   (Certainly better than store-bought, though!  :-) )

Cheers!

Took 3 slices of the mini-loaf for my version of french toast w/peanut butter.

It probably contains enough calories to last a couple of days.  :-) 

 

 

Cheers!

What is that combination?  Did you say peanut butter and french toast?  My wife would love that... what's your procedure for putting that together?

 

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sam on 29 Mar 2012 at 22:28

Hi dwhitener,

Pretty simple french toast.  Just soak the honey butter bread into and egg+milk solution (I just eyeballed it), lather each slice with peanut butter, and douse with a healthy amount of maple syrup.   Delicious.   :-)   When I said, "this will last a couple days",  I didn't mean the actual food will last that long, but the calories you ingest, you don't need to eat for another day or two.   (joking..).