Whole Grain Einkorn Dinner Rolls

We are very pleased to share a new einkorn bread recipe, and it’s 100% whole grain. These whole grain breads are exactly what we all love about a classic dinner roll- soft, chewy and lightly sweetened. Whether you’re grinding your own flour from wheat berries or using our new whole grain flour, you’ll love the delicious flavor of the whole grain. The recipe is offered in two ways- made with dry active yeast and a shorter proofing time or with a sourdough levain and a longer fermentation.

This is a fairly large recipe, so you’ll have lots of warm bread for dinner guests. If you are not making these for company, you can also freeze sections of the rolls in a sealed plastic bag for up to a month, and let the rolls defrost at room temperature when you need them.

You’ll bake the rolls in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish, because they will spread and flatten if you bake them on a cookie sheet. As always, einkorn bread dough will be wet and sticky, but have patience and trust the flour measurements, even if the dough seems more like a thick batter at first.

Whole Grain Einkorn Dinner Rolls (made with yeast)

makes 20 rolls

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• ⅓ cup (100 g) maple syrup
• 2 cups (488 g) warm milk at 100°F
• 2½ teaspoons dry active yeast
• 9 cups (864 g) whole grain einkorn flour or 4⅓ cups (860 g) wheat berries ground to flour, plus more for dusting
• 2½ teaspoons salt
• 6 tablespoons (83 g) butter, melted and cooled, plus more for brushing

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, milk, and yeast.
2. Add the flour and then sprinkle the salt on top.
3. With the einkorn kneading tool or a stiff spatula, mix the dough until the dry ingredients are almost completely absorbed. You should have a thick batter, but not a firm bread dough.
4. Add the butter and continue to mix by hand until the butter is absorbed.
5. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let proof at room temperature for 60 minutes.
6. Butter a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
7. With the help of a bowl scrape, transfer the dough to a work surface that has been generously dusted with flour. Gently knead the dough, adding a little bit more flour if necessary, until the dough is smooth but still wet and sticky.
8. Divide the dough in 4 pieces, then divide each piece in 5 pieces of equal weight.
9. Dust your hands and the work surface with flour. Roll the dough into a ball. It will be sticky, but with the help of a little flour, you will be able to shape the rolls.
10. Position 4 rolls crosswise and 5 lengthwise. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let rolls rise again for 30 minutes.
11. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
12. Brush the tops of the rolls with butter. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top.
13. Place the baking dish on a cooling rack for 15 minutes, then invert the pan on the rack to remove the rolls.
14. Let the rolls cool upside down on the rack for 1 hour. Gently pull the rolls apart and serve.

 Whole Grain Einkorn Dinner Rolls (made with sourdough)

makes 20 rolls

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• ⅓ cup (100 g) maple syrup
• 1½ cups (366 g) warm milk at 100°F
• Batch of sourdough levain
• 8 cups (768 g) whole grain einkorn flour or 3¾ cups + 2 tablespoons (768 g) wheat berries ground to flour, plus more for dusting
• 2½ teaspoons salt
• 6 tablespoons (83 g) butter, melted and cooled, plus more for brushing

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, milk, and the levain.
2. Add the flour and then sprinkle the salt on top.
3. With the einkorn kneading tool or a stiff spatula, mix the dough until the dry ingredients are almost completely absorbed. You should have a thick batter, but not a firm bread dough.
4. Add the butter and continue to mix by hand until the butter is absorbed.
5. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let proof at room temperature for 3 to 5 hours.
6. Butter a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
7. With the help of a bowl scrape, transfer the dough to a work surface that has been generously dusted with flour. Knead the dough, adding a little bit more flour if necessary, until the dough is smooth.
8. Divide the dough in 4 pieces, then divide each piece in 5 pieces of equal weight.
9. Dust your hands and the work surface with flour. Roll the dough into a ball. It will be sticky, but with the help of a little flour, you will be able to shape the rolls.
10. Position 4 rolls crosswise and 5 lengthwise. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and the rolls rise for 1 hour.
11. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
12. Brush the tops of the rolls with butter. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top.
13. Place the baking dish on a cooling rack for 15 minutes, then invert the pan on the rack to remove the rolls.
14. Let the rolls cool upside down on the rack for 1 hour. Gently pull the rolls apart and serve.