The bread recipe of the week are these lovely buttermilk dinner rolls.  They are light, solidly formed, and subtly flavored by honey and lemon zest.  I added some sprouted wheat flour to the mix for some additional protein, but, if you do not have any on hand, feel free to use regular flour, or substitute in another whole grain flour.  Keep in mind that the density of the flour will effect the lightness of the rolls.

Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

This recipe makes 16 rolls, and was adapted from The Bread Bible.

Ingredients:

•  3 tsp Yeast
• pinch of Sugar
• 1/4 cup warm Water
• 1 cup warm Buttermilk
• 2 tbsp Honey
• zest from 1 Lemon
• 4 tbsp melted Butter
• 1 Egg (room temp)
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 cups Sprouted Wheat Flour
• 2 1/2 – 3 cups Flour
• Egg wash (1 egg + 1 tbsp Milk)
• Poppy seeds for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Combine the yeast, sugar, and water, and let it sit for about 10 minutes, until frothy.
2.  Beat together the buttermilk, honey, lemon zest, butter, egg, and salt.
3. Add in the sprouted wheat and yeast mixture.
4. Beat for 2 minutes.
5. Add in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
6. Using a dough hook or by hand, knead the dough for 3 minutes (7 minutes if kneading by hand).
7. Place the dough in a greased container, and allow it to rise for 1 – 2 hours.
8. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and use a sharp knife to divide the dough into 16 equal pieces.
9. Cover half of the pieces so that they do not dry out while you are forming the rest.  I usually stash them under the inverted container that I used during the rising process.
10. Take each piece of dough and smooth it into a ball, pinching the seams together at the bottom of the ball.
11. Place the ball of dough pinched seams side down onto your rolling surface or counter, and lightly press/roll the dough into the surface.  You should create a tension between the bottom of the roll and the rolling surface that will seal the seams together.  This process is a little hard to explain, and takes a bit of practice.
12. Place the finished rolls on a parchment lined or greased baking sheet.
13. Cover and leave the rolls to rise for another hour or two.
14. Preheat the oven to 375 F (~191 C).
15. Brush each roll with the egg wash, and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
16. Score the top of each roll with a sharp knife or razor blade.
17. Bake for 15-18 minutes.