Seeded granary rolls

My childhood memories of convenience-led comfort food come back to haunt me as adult guilty indulgences. Some days I love a bowl of piping hot alphabet spaghetti with lots of strong cheddar grated over the top. Or a bowl of steaming hot sweet and thick tomato soup. For me, both of these edible comfort blankets are best with a crusty seeded roll spread with salted butter. These freeze incredibly well so make a batch and freeze as lone soldiers, ready for when in need of comfort.

INGREDIENTS

250g granary flour, plus extra for dusting

250g strong wholemeal spelt flour

1 teaspoon fast action dried yeast

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1 tablespoon groundnut oil, plus extra for greasing

350ml water, lukewarm

75g butter, softened

60g mixed seeds

30g oats

1 egg

METHOD

Mix both types of flour with the yeast, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the sugar, oil and water in a large bowl using a metal spoon. Set aside for 10 minutes. Knead the dough on an oiled work surface then leave to prove in a large bowl covered in cling film. Don’t worry if the dough looks too wet, it is meant to be – just keep your hands well-oiled and remember, with bread dough, the wetter the better!

When the dough has doubled in size (this is dependent on the warmth of the room, the warmer it is the quicker it will be) and a finger pushed into the dough by about 2 cm pings back up and leaves only a slightly depressed mark, it’s ready to knock back. Push the dough down and flip it over, then add the butter, seeds, and all but 1 tablespoon of the oats and massage into the dough. It might feel like the butter won’t absorb at first as it will slide about the surface, but keep going. It will.

Roll the dough out on an oiled surface into a thick sausage shape. Cut into thirds using a serrated knife, then cut each third into 4 equal pieces so you have 12 lumps in all. Sprinkle some flour onto a large baking tray. Flatten each piece of dough in your palm. Take the edges of the dough and fold into the centre until you have a smaller sphere. Turn it over and put the folded, slightly pinched looking end down on the baking tray so they are 3 cm apart. Sprinkle over some flour and cover loosely with cling film. Leave the rolls to double in size; in a hot kitchen this takes about 30 minutes, in a cold one as long as 2 hours. Don’t worry if the rolls spread and look flat; this is due to using spelt flour and does not affect the taste.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Beat the egg with the remaining salt and brush each of the rolls with the egg wash. Scatter over the remaining oats. Top with egg wash to help them stick and slash a 1 cm-deep cut into the tops. I use a very sharp serrated knife for this. Bake for 10–15 minutes until the rolls are well browned and can easily be removed from the tray. They should sound hollow when you tap them underneath. Place on a wire rack to cool.

#normalmum #granary #rolls #seeds