Monday, May 16, 2011

Oaty Buns

Yeah, okay, whole grains are good for you. I get it. White bread is ... fluffy filler.

But after a while whole wheat - even white whole wheat - gets just a teeny bit ... boring. It's the same flavor. You can add herbs or cheese or anything you like, but it's the same basic flavor. Wheat and more wheat.

Now, don't get me wrong. I like wheat. But there are plenty of other whole grains out there. If you're buying bread in the grocery store, your choices for whole grains are probably whole wheat or rye. But if you're making your own bread, you can play a bit. Find other grains and experiment with other flavors.

I'm not saying that this is the ultimate whole grain recipe because realistically it's not ALL whole grain. It's mostly white flour with a small percentage of oat flour. But it's probably better than a lot of product at the grocery store that scream "Whole Grains!!!" at you when they've got a small percentage of whole grains.

My theory when it come to dietary fiber (and a whole lot of other things, as well) is that as long as you get enough during the day, you don't have to stuff the maximum amount of fiber into each bite you take. I eat plenty of vegetables, so I don't feel guilty about the bread I eat.

Oaty Buns

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup (1 5/8 ounces) oat flour
3 cups (13 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine the water, yeast, sugar, and oat flour in the bowl of your stand mixer. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add the bread flour and knead with the dough hook until smooth and elastic. Add the salt and olive oil and continue kneading until completely incorporated.

Flour your work surface lightly and knead the dough briefly, then form it into a ball. Drizzle with olive oil and return it to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until it has doubled in size, about an hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Flour your work surface lightly and sprinkle some cornmeal on a baking sheet. Divide the dough into 16 pieces. Form each piece into a tight ball and place the balls on the baking sheet, seam side down, leaving room between them to rise. (If you prefer that the rolls don't touch when they're baking, use 2 baking sheets and put 8 buns on each.

Cover the buns with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees until browned, about 25 minutes. Cool on a rack. If you prefer softer buns, cover them with a clean kitchen towel while they are cooling.

This has been submitted to Yeastspotting.
Yum

1 comment:

burntloafer said...

Hurrah! I have been waiting for a recipe for oat flour.

Almost always it is oatmeal; seldom Oat Flour.

Thanks again for a great blog.

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