The 107th Bake: Rye & Spelt Rolls

It’s funny when you go to the shops for one thing and come away with an eclectic array of items you didn’t go in for. Happened to me at the hardware store the other day, I came away with a washing basket, yoga mat and a pink hibiscus, after going in for a paint brush! Keeps life interesting I guess, as does homemade bread making, so much fun. And this one was made by hand. I felt like the concrete man, my hands were so covered in cement like mixture but it was worth it aside from the fact I’d had a particularly had gym work out the day before so sore muscles didn’t mix well with kneading for 15 minutes.

These Rye & Spelt rolls gave off a decadent maple syrup/honey aroma when cooked and have that special flavour as well. It’s due to the four tablespoons of runny honey in the mixture! To make the bread I

put rye flour, spelt flour and white flour in a large mixing bowl and added salt and yeast, (on opposite sides of the bowl). I made a well in the centre and added honey, lemon zest. poppy seeds and olive oil.

Then added enough water to form a rough-looking (no kidding!!) slightly soft dough. Well the slightly soft dough took some work to combine but I got there in the end. Then I oiled the worktop and kneaded for 15 minutes until it was smooth and shiny.

I left it to rise in a nice warm spot for an hour. Then punched it down and divided the mixture into 12 equal portions. I shaped each into a neat ball and sprinkled them polenta, then arranged them on a baking sheet and left them to rise in a plastic bag for another hour.

Once they had risen I cut a deep cross into the tops and placed in the oven at 220˚C. Then baked for 25 minutes until the rolls were golden and sounded hollow when tapped on the underside. Love the smell of fresh bread cooking. It fills the house. 🙂

In addition I made butter, it was part of the recipe so I poured 300ml of cream into a jar and sat on the couch that evening and while watching TV, I shook. That was a mini work out in itself. But it was successful, the cream did separate into lumpy curds of butter and watery buttermilk and it didn’t take as long as I’d thought it would. I drained the buttermilk off, then I rinsed the butter in cold water. It’s fun to give it a go. It’s amazing what you can get out of a jar of cream with a little exertion.