Prep Time: 20 minutes total + resting
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Keywords: bake bread soy-free vegetarian flour egg chocolate walnuts millet
Ingredients (10 rolls)
- 3/4 cup / 180 ml water
- 2 grams (slightly more than 1/2 teaspoon) instant yeast
- 100 grams King Arthur Flour all-purpose flour
- 15 grams sprouted whole-wheat flour (I use stone-ground from Capay Mills or King Arthur Flour)
- 10 grams Ultragrain all-purpose flour (or King Arthur Flour all-purpose flour)
- 25 grams millet
- 20 grams hemp hearts
- 35 grams walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 large egg, possibly from pastured poultry, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons / 30 ml olive oil
- 70 grams whole-spelt flour (I use stone-ground from Capay Mills)
- 150 grams whole-wheat flour (I use stone-ground, hard red whole-wheat flour from Beck's Bakery)
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
- 55 grams extra-dark chocolate, finely chopped (I use 88% cacao, but I am used to eating 100%, so it tastes sweet enough; if you are not used to unsweetened chocolate, I suggest you use 70-72% cacao)
- 1 teaspoon / 5 grams sea salt
- a bit more all-purpose flour to dust your work surface
Instructions
The spongePour the water into a mixing bowl, add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Whisk in the flours to make a batter. Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature for about 30 minutes, at the end of which you should see tiny bubbles (yeast at work).
The soakerIn the meantime, put the millet, hemp hearts and walnuts in a small bowl and cover with boiling water (1/2 cup / 120 ml). Leave to soak for 30 minutes, then drain the liquid (some will remain in the mix and that is fine). Stir the mixture into the sponge.
The bread doughAdd to the sponge and millet mixture the egg, the olive oil, the spelt and whole-wheat flours, the cocoa and chocolate. Mix well with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together in a shaggy mass. Sprinkle the salt on the surface and let the dough rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes
Lightly oil your work surface. Transfer the dough on it and knead with wet hands until smoother (a minute or two). The dough will be a bit sticky: use a dough cutter to help you knead. Avoid adding flour: during fermentation the flours will absorb water and by the time you cut it and shape it into rolls, the dough will be easy to handle.
Fold the dough and place it into a clean, oiled bowl. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. Better still, make the dough in the morning and bake the rolls the following morning or later in the day. The slow rise in the refrigerator allows a more complex flavor to develop.
Shape the rollsWhen ready to cut and shape, prepare a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, and also a small bowl with water and another bowl with poppy seeds. Take the bowl with the dough out of the refrigerator, uncover it and flip it onto a lightly floured work surface. Scrape all the dough from the bowl. Cut the dough into 10 pieces, each weighing 77-80 grams.
Shape each roll as follows: Flatten the piece of dough then fold the corners towards the center, then fold again inward into a small bundle. Flip it seam side down on a piece of clean work surface and roll it with lightly flour hand to shape it into a tight ball. [This short video shows my hands rolling a larger piece of dough, but should still give an idea.]
Place the roll on the lined baking sheet, seeded side up, about 2 inches / 5 cm apart from the others.
Repeat until all the rolls are shaped. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap and place the baking sheet in a warm place until the rolls have doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hour, depending on the ambient temperature. Check the rolls' progress and when they are 15-20 minutes from being ready to be baked, turn on the oven to 375 F / 190 C.
Home stretchBake the rolls for 15 minutes, or until nicely browned. The internal temperature will be close to 210 F / 99 C (bake a minute or two longer, if needed). Take the baking sheet out of the oven then transfer the rolls onto a rack. Let cool completely. Enjoy!
