Sesame Whole-Wheat Rolls

Before I begin let me first say I am sorry to my Gluten-Free Diet friends, this might not be a fun read. Because in keeping with my desire to reduce our waist lines as well as our budget I have turned to baking all of our bread. It was so frustrating going to the store and sifting through all of the bread to find something that not only had ingredients that I could understand but was also healthy. While I am blessed to have a store with a fresh bakery to help with that selection I was still very much out of control over what ingredients were used. Bread is one of the number one issues I hear people complain about when dieting so i knew that if I could find a way to control it for us it would aid in the weight loss goals. It was a bit of a challenge at first as I really hadn't really done much baking. I had always considered it a time-consuming, difficult task that just wasn't going to work in my daily life.

It started with the introduction of a bread maker last year, courtesy of my wonderful mother-in-law Sue. Working with the bread maker was so simple that it began to take away some of my fears of baking. As time went on I grew braver in my experimenting and ventured into baguettes and rolls and am even working on making homemade pasta. Not only did I find it easier then I thought it would be, I found ways to incorporate it into my routine without draining too much time. I do my recipe research before hand and make sure that I have all the ingredients I need for either two different styles of bread or two loaves. I choose a baking day and then devote a few hours of my day to baking at least two loaves/rolls, by doing this I am able to make enough bread to last my husband and I almost a month, making in bulk and freezing it. Aside from being cheaper in the long run, as well as healthier, I can attest to it being an absolutely delicious change in my diet.



This recipe isn't the healthiest I have come across but it was too good to pass up.

Sesame Whole-Wheat Rolls:

Yield: 16 rolls

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 Tbs active dry yeast (1 1/2 packages)--use a little less with instant yeast
2 Tbs honey
3/4 cup warm milk
4 Tbs butter, melted
1 Tbs salt
2 Tbs raw sesame seeds
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
4 cups bread flour

Egg glaze: 1 large egg mixed with 1 Tbs milk

Pour the water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and just a pinch of sugar over the surface of the water. Stir to combine and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 10 min.

In a large bowl, using a whisk, combine the milk, butter, honey, salt, seeds, and whole-wheat flour. Beat hard until smooth, about 3 min. Add yeast mixture and the bread flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 5 min., dusting with flour only as needed, to make a smooth, soft, slightly sticky dough. Place the dough in a greased deep bowl. and cover the plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in bulk, 45 min. to 1 hour.

Gently deflate the dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Grease or parchment-line 2 baking sheets. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions and shape each into an oblong oval. Place the rolls 2 inches apart on the baking sheet, cover, and let rest until puffy and almost double, about 30 minutes.

Brush with the egg glaze.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake rolls for 20-25 min. or until lightly browned.