Light Wheat Sourdough Poppy Seed Rolls

These Sourdough Poppy Seed Rolls are made with a mixture of all-purpose and white whole wheat flour and leavened with wild yeast.  I made these light wheat rolls for an all-American luncheon. I thought about bringing dessert, but rolls are always in fashion and definitely all-American.

The menu was Southern fare for sure. We had fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, potato salads, pasta salads, green salads, and desserts galore, including classic banana pudding and chess pie, oh my!

Biscuits are usually the bread of choice with fried chicken, but these sourdough rolls were a nice change and went well with the other menu items. I made the rolls the day before which helped with my schedule. I’m glad I opted to make them instead of dessert. Now, I don’t have leftover dessert in my kitchen tempting me every time I go in there. I have a few rolls for a tuna or egg salad sandwich for lunch. Or, I might just eat them drizzled with orange butter.

 

Light Wheat Sourdough Poppy Seed Rolls

Adapted from Classic Sourdoughs by Ed Wood and Jean Wood

Makes: ~18 Rolls

Ingredients:

Rolls:

• 3 cups culture (720 mL) culture proof (see process)
• 3/8 cup (90 mL) oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white whole wheat flour (I used home-milled flour)
• 3 T water (if you’re not using home-milled flour, you might not need the extra water)

Glaze:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons milk (I used almond milk)
• Poppy seeds

 

Process:

Step 1: Activate the culture (sourdough starter):

I used my original starter for these rolls. It hadn’t been fed in awhile so it needed some attention.

Step 2: Create a Culture Proof

Refer to the Easy Sourdough Bread in a Pot post for the process of activating the culture and creating a culture proof.

After proofing for 6 hours at 80 degrees F. my culture proof was ready for the next step.

 

Step 3: Mix the Dough

Pour the culture in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the oil, salt, sugar, and egg.

Add the flour a cup at a time until the dough is too stiff to mix.   Home-milled grains soak up more liquid so I added about 3 tablespoons of water.

 

Step 4: Knead the Dough

I finished mixing the dough in the bowl with my hands, then let it rest for about 10 minutes before kneading.  It soaked up the water during the (autolyse) process.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and supple.

 

Step 5: Shape the Rolls

Divide the dough into 18 equal balls, place on a greased baking sheet and flatten slightly.  The dough balls weighed about 75 grams each with a little left over for a small roll for the baker.

 

Step 6: Proof the Rolls

Cover with plastic wrap and proof for 1 to 2 hours at 85 degrees F.

 

Step 7: Prepare Rolls for Baking

Beat the egg together with the milk and brush the tops of the rolls with the mixture.  Sprinkle with poppy seeds.  Make a cross slash in the tops of the rolls.

 

Step 8: Bake the Rolls

Bake the rolls in a preheated over at 425 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until brown.

 

Step 9: Cool on Wire Rack

 

Step 10: Enjoy

I served these rolls with the Orange butter from the April 2012 issue of Cooking Light. See below.

 

Orange Butter

• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon of grated orange rind

Combine butter, honey, and orange rind and stir well. Spread about 1/2 teaspoon of the butter mixture on each roll. This amount serves 4.  I increased it to serve 18.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy