Vollkornbrötchen

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Bench scraper
• •Kitchen scale
• •Baking sheet
• •Cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the grain

   Mix the cracked rye, sunflower seeds, linseeds, oats, boiling water, and salt in a bowl, then cover it and leave it overnight at room temperature. The boiling water swells the bran and seeds before they enter the dough, so they don't steal water from the crumb during baking. This is the difference between moist Vollkornbrötchen and a roll that eats like sawdust.

   Put the salt in the soaker, not only in the dough. It seasons the grain from the inside and keeps the mixture steady overnight.
2. 2

   Mix the dough

   In the morning, mix the whole wheat, spelt, rye flour, yeast, lukewarm water, beet syrup, oil, and the whole soaker until no dry flour remains. Knead 6 to 8 minutes by machine or about 10 minutes by hand. The dough should be tacky and a little heavy, not stiff; whole grain needs more water because the bran keeps drinking long after mixing.

3. 3

   Rest and fold

   Cover the dough and leave it 45 minutes, then fold it over itself four times in the bowl. Rest another 30 to 45 minutes, until it looks slightly puffed. The rest lets the flour finish taking up water, and the fold gives structure without forcing a tight white-bread dough out of whole grain.

4. 4

   Shape the rolls

   Turn the dough onto a lightly wet worktop, divide it into 10 pieces of about 105g each, and shape each into a tight round or short oval. Use wet hands instead of extra flour, because loose flour dries the crust and leaves pale patches. Dip the tops in pumpkin and sesame seeds, pressing gently so they hold.

5. 5

   Proof the dough

   Set the rolls on a lined baking sheet, cover them, and let them rise 35 to 50 minutes, until they feel lighter and a fingertip dent fills back slowly. Don't wait for them to double like pale wheat rolls. Wholegrain dough carries more bran and less open gluten, so it rises more modestly and then finishes in the oven.

6. 6

   Bake dark

   Heat the oven to 230C with a tray on the lower shelf. Slash each roll once, slide them in, and pour a cup of hot water into the lower tray, then close the door. Bake 10 minutes, reduce to 210C, and bake 10 to 12 minutes more, until the crust is deep brown and the bases sound hollow. Runter mit der Temperatur after the first blast: the heat sets the crust, then the lower heat cooks the dense crumb through.

7. 7

   Cool before cutting

   Move the rolls to a rack and leave them at least 30 minutes before splitting. The crumb is still setting when they come out, and cutting too soon tears it gummy. Eat them with butter, cheese, smoked ham, or jam. Schön ist, was schmeckt.

Chef Tips

• •Use fresh wholegrain flour if you can. The germ carries oil, and old wholemeal flour turns flat and bitter faster than white flour.
• •Don't fix tacky dough with handfuls of flour. Whole grain dough feels wetter because it must; that water is what keeps tomorrow's roll edible.
• •For a northern lean, replace 100g of the whole wheat with whole rye and add 30g more water. For a softer southern-style roll, use more whole spelt and shape gently, because spelt tears if bullied.
• •Freeze the baked rolls once cool. Reheat from frozen at 180C for 10 to 12 minutes, and the crust comes back cleanly.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the soaker 12 to 18 hours ahead. Longer than that, refrigerate it, because wet grain should not sit around warm for days.
• •Shape the rolls the night before and proof them covered in the refrigerator. Bake straight from cold, adding a few minutes if needed.
• •Baked rolls keep one day wrapped in a cloth, then want the toaster or oven. Weggeworfen wird nichts: stale rolls become breadcrumbs or Semmelknödel, bread dumplings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 115g)