Food Pusher: Multi Grain Rolls

Perfectly fluffy and chewy multi grain rolls

Looks like somebody has already eaten one of the rolls.

Although I'd never label myself as fan of multi-grain anything, I can't get enough of these rolls. I may actually like these as much as I like the French batards that I learned to make at the King Arthur Flour Baking Education Center.
When I made these in the Bread: Principles and Practice class, I forgot to add the yeast and salt. I know, kind of dumb considering there's only a handful of ingredients in these rolls. My excuse is that we were using weight measures for the first time that day, and I got all flustered when I forgot to press "tare" on my scale...at any rate, I didn't realize my mistake until after the first rise when my dough didn't smell yeasty at all and just had an odd texture.
My "rolls" ended up like little beige hockey pucks, so they all got tossed into the compost bucket. Sigh. I did get to try the rolls that my teacher and my baking buddy Diane made, though, and that made me even sadder about my mistake, because I loved them.
I enjoy all of the textures in this roll, as well as the flavor and salt level. They are chewy, but light, and each of the grains and seeds provide their own flavors and textures that make each bite different. I like them fresh and warm with a bit of butter, but they are also fabulous with a little mayo and deli roast beef. Mmm.
Believe it or not, it took me three tries (well, four if we count the one in my baking class) to get these right. At first I just used all purpose flour because it's what I had and I'd forgotten we used bread flour in class (and that the recipe called for it--duh). So my first two batches at home just did not have the fabulous fluffy, open crumb texture that instructor Amber's had.
Then I remembered the bread flour. Not four hours passed between that realization and my trip to Target to pick up the bread flour. And yes, the bread flour makes a BIG difference. The bread flour rolls are softer and fluffier, with bigger air pockets on the inside and a chewier, more pliable exterior.
Even though I switched to a half-recipe for the last two tries, I still have many of these in my freezer. I need to curb this bread baking frenzy I'm on. Maybe this week I'll take a break. Maybe.

Multi Grain Rolls

Ingredients

Grain Soaker:

1/2 cup multi grain mix (KAF Harvest Grain Blend or mix noted at the end of this post)
1 cup water

Dough:

6 cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 1/2 cups water

Instructions
About 8-16 hours before you plan to mix up the rolls, place grain mix in a large bowl and cover with water. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 8-16 hours.

After grains have soaked, add the remaining ingredients. With a bowl scraper or a spoon, mix 5 1/2 cups of the flour and the rest of the ingredients until the dough comes together and flour is completely incorporated. Using the remaining half cup of flour a little at a time to lightly dust a kneading surface, gently knead the dough until elastic and springy, dusting only with as much flour as necessary to keep dough from sticking to surface. Remember not to knead too aggressively.
Return dough to the mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise at room temperature for 45 to 90 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Turn risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut in half. Pull the edges of each half together to form two pouches. Flatten slightly and cut each half into 8 equal portions.
Take each piece of dough and pre-form it into a pouch. Then roll each pouch into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover dough balls with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Allow rolls to rise for 45 to 60 minutes, until well puffed.
Bake at 400 degrees for 17-20 minutes, or until nicely golden brown in color. Remove rolls to a cooling rack and allow to cool for a few minutes before enjoying.
Freeze any uneaten rolls in a zip-top freezer bag.
Makes 16 rolls

Note: In class we made one small boule and 8 rolls. I like the rolls, so that's the recipe I'm giving you. You can also divide dough in half and form two loaves. Slash before baking and bake 28-32 minutes at 400 degrees F.