Adventures with Rye Part 8: Rye Rolls

Before I say anything about these freshly baked rye rolls, I must first wish myself a Happy Blogoversary! Three years ago, on a blazing hot summer day in Bar Ilan, this blog was born. It's been so much fun baking and keeping it up. I hope to even with the army ahead of me. Here's to three more! Once more in Jerusalem for Shabbat, I knew for certain that I wanted a caraway flavored bread. At once a total stranger to the flavor of caraway, I now love its hard-to-pinpoint flavor. I searched all of my books for a simple caraway bread but didn't come up with much. It looked to me like if I wanted caraway, I was going to have to take rye with it. Which was fine by me. Having bought a kilo of rye flour, it was time to start putting it to use, anyway. Greenstein's Secrets of a Jewish Baker had the perfect recipe for Rye Rolls. Simple, easy and full of caraway. Bingo! I made the dough last night, allowed it to ferment overnight in the fridge and baked them this morning. I couldn't resist having a couple for lunch today and my were they divine. Perfect sandwich bread texture, soft but with a good chew and great flavor. I made 9 large rolls instead of 18 small ones because I like to be able to use them in a sandwich. These rolls are off to Yeastspotting. Check it out!

Rye Rolls
from Secrets of a Jewish Baker

1 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp oil
1 egg
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup rye flour
2 to 2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp caraway seeds

Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.

Mix on low until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Switch to the dough hook and knead on second speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Make adjustments to the dough.

Finish kneading by hand, if desired. Shape into a ball. Place into a greased bowl, turn to coat, cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Here is my risen dough. Scale the dough and shape as desired.

Place the shaped rolls on to a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Allow to proof until doubled. Towards the end of proofing, preheat the oven to 350.

Here are my proofed rolls.

Bake for around 15 to 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 190. Remove from the oven and allow rolls to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!