You would think that after being married to me for four years Jason would be completely accustomed to eating whole grains by now. Not so, my friends! I’ve won some small battles here and there (we only eat brown or black rice at home) but Jason still loves and prefers his white flour products. Instead of shoving things down his throat, I’m constantly on the quest to find new ways of using whole grains that taste even better. I picked up a package of spelt flour for the first time and was thrilled at the results when I made dinner rolls with them! I had to share it with you!
I immediately noticed that the rolls were more tender than they are when I made them with whole wheat, and Jason concurred that they were definitely “softer” than my whole wheat breads usually are. And for what you gain in texture and taste, you aren’t missing out on any nutrition by using spelt flour. In fact, spelt is an ancient grain that’s packed with nutrients and higher in protein and B complex vitamins than wheat! #winning
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 c. warm water
- 2 t. lemon juice
- 1/4 c. vegetable oil
- 3 T. honey
- 1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 c. spelt flour
- 2 t. salt
- 2/3 c. instant mashed potato flakes
- 1/4 c. dry milk powder
- 1 egg (optional)
- 1/4 c. oats (optional)
- Pour all ingredients (except for the oats and egg) into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture forms a smooth and elastic dough. The dough should be sticky, that’s how you want it!
- Form the dough into a ball (use a spatula to help you if the dough is really sticky) and coat it in oil. Cover and let rest in a draft-free place until it doubles in bulk, about 90 minutes.
- Gently knead the air out of the dough and cut it into 16 even pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball and place onto a greased cookie sheet or round pie pan, spacing the rolls about 1 inch apart.
- Cover and let rest again at room temperature until the rolls have almost doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- If you want to garnish your rolls, whisk together the egg with a splash of cold water and brush the egg wash over the rolls with a pastry brush. Sprinkle oats over top of the rolls.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, covering loosely with aluminum foil if the tops of the rolls start to brown too quickly.
- Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving.
The honey in the dough is a perfect compliment to the slightly nutty flavor of the spelt. I think I ate about 6 of these before putting half of them in the freezer for later!
I don’t know what took me so long to try spelt flour, but I can’t wait to try it in all sorts of baked goods! I feel pancakes in our future.
-Lauren
3 Responses
Rachel
Lauren, you read my mind. My husband and I have the same struggle, though I doubt I will ever win the rice debate. I have found that whole wheat pastry flour is more tolerable than whole wheat flour for the non-whole grain eater. Also, in most recipes I can sub half of the white flour for wheat and he won’t notice.
I need to try this recipe out on him immediately. Please follow up with your future spelt successes!
Lauren @ Dash of Soul
We are on the same page! I do the exact same thing with half white flour all the time! 😀
Amy | Club Narwhal
Lauren, we are totally in the same boat with sneaking whole grains into things/making them taste better. These spelt rolls look gorgeous–fluffy and perfect 🙂