Honey Wheat Rolls

Today marks my first foray in the land of yeast breads. The honorary recipe? Honey Wheat Bread from the King Arthur website.

That's about as close to "round and smooth" as I could knead it...

This was one of the times that I sorely wished I had a teacher to teach me the basics of bread making. I made do with the knowledge I stocked up from reading and watching online videos. Kneading the dough was a big challenge. In a rare show of masochism, I decided to do everything by hand (I figured it would help to have a 'feel' for the dough). The dough was wet and sticky and unwieldy for a looong time. I set the timer and even after 20 minutes, the dough was nowhere near "round and smooth." But I'm glad I persevered because at about the 40 minute mark, the dough started coming together. Then I started scraping the sides and I think that messed up the consistency of the dough and it started getting sticky again. I must've been kneading for about an hour when I gave up and told myself "that's the best I could do." The dough wasn't a perfect ball, but at least it could hold itself together.

On the tray for the 2nd rise.

Since the original recipe called for 1 cup King Arthur AP flour which I knew had a high protein percentage, I approximated that with 1/2 Gold Medal AP flour and 1/2 Bread Flour.

I'm sorry I wasn't able to take a photo of the first rise. I fell asleep and even though I set the alarm for 1 hour, I overslept..not sure how many minutes more but when I checked, the dough had indeed doubled in size. I deflated it slowly. The dough consistency was surprisingly very soft and airy. But at least it wasn't falling apart and I could cut it up and shape it into balls for the 2nd rise.

After the 2nd rise.

About halfway through shaping the dough, I figured I should vigorously roll the dough with medium pressure using the heel of my hand to get a good round shape. The later rolls definitely had better shape and form than the first ones.

Close-up of the risen dough.

I put egg wash and oatmeal on top to create interest. Unfortunately, I think my silicone brush is too rough on the doughs and they did deflate a little after I put the egg wash on them. I think I'll invest in a better (softer) pastry brush next time.

Into the oven they go...

When they were done, I brushed some butter on top to keep them moist. They were definitely best freshly-baked. Nice and soft and chewy. I ate a piece with strawberry jam ane one with peanut butter. It doesn't have the deep flavor of sourdough, but it was much better than what I expected for my first try. With strawberry jam, I found the taste strongly wheaty, but the funny thing is, I like the taste better when eaten by itself. I think I'll use proper orange juice next time (the one on the box). I have a hunch the natural OJ I used (from Navel Oranges) lacked tartness that could hide the tannic flavor of whole wheat.

Done!

All in all, I'm very happy with my first attempt at bread. The dough smelled wonderful throughout, from the time I was mixing it to when I was proofing it, and especially when they were baking. Daddy asked me to make the same recipe next time. I'm not sure if it's what I'll bake next time, but I'll definitely be making these Honey Wheat Rolls again. They make great wholesome dinner rolls.

The rolls were kept warm using kitchen paper and a towel.

Now the question is if they'll still taste great after they cool down the next day. I'm looking forward to eating some for breakfast!