Semolina Spelt Egg Rolls (sorry not the Chinese kind!)

I am going to my Mother's house for lunch tomorrow to visit with some of my relatives and wanted to bring some nice rolls for lunch.  I decided to start off with a basic Challah recipe and made some modifications to make it interesting.  I used durum semolina flour along with bread flour, spelt flour and barley flakes.  I also used some agave nectar instead of white sugar to add some sweetness.

I also used several different toppings including toasted onions, poppy seeds and a toasted garlic and herbs mix I had in the pantry.

The end results were a tasty soft roll with a more complex flavor profile than the standard Challah.  I do have to admit I didn't do the best job shaping the rolls and next time I would use the egg yolk for the egg wash instead of the egg white.

Ingredients

Dough

6 oz. Egg yolks

18 oz. Water, 90 degrees F.

1 1/2 Tbs Instant yeast

4 1/2 Tbs Agave nector (you can substitute sugar or honey)

4 1/2 Tbs Vegetable Oil

12 oz. Durum Flour (King Arthur Flour or similar)

15 oz. Bread Flour (King Arthur Flour or similar)

4 oz. Spelt Flour

3 oz. Barley flakes

2.5 Tsp. Salt, .63 oz. (Sea salt or table salt)

1-2 Egg whites for glaze

Toppings of your choice

Directions

Combine the water with the yeast in your mixing bowl.  Next add the egg yolks, oil, and sugar and whisk to break up the egg yolks.  Now add the flours and mix using your stand mixer on low-speed for 2 minutes.  Let the dough rest for 5 minutes and then mix on medium speed for 4 minutes.  If necessary add some additional liquid or flour until the dough comes together in a nice silky and smooth ball.

Take the dough out of the bowl and place on your work surface.  Knead it by hand for 1-2  minutes and form it into a ball. Immediately place the dough in a lightly greased covered bowl and place in the refrigerator overnight up to 4 days.

When you are ready to make your rolls take the dough out of the refrigerator and cut the dough into pieces and form into balls or other shapes as desired.  Place the rolls on either parchment paper or baking sheets and brush each roll with an egg wash mix containing 1 egg white or whole egg and 2 tablespoons of water.   Let the rolls rise for around 1 hour uncovered.  After an hour brush the egg wash on the  rolls again and add your toppings.  Let the rolls rest for 30-60 minutes longer until they are 1 1/2 times the size.  In the meantime warm your oven to 350 degrees F.   When the rolls are properly risen, bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes until nice and brown on the top and bottom.

When done, let them cool on a wire rack and enjoy.This post has been submitted to Yeast Spotting at http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting.