Wheat-Oat-Flax Buns
Ingredients
Buns
- 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats)
- 1 cup King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour or Premium Whole Wheat Flour
- 1/2 cup whole flax meal
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup canola oil or melted butter
- 1 large egg yolk, white reserved for topping
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup orange juice*
- 3/4 to 7/8 cup lukewarm water**
- *Orange juice won't add its own flavor to the rolls, but will mellow any potential bitterness in the whole wheat.
- **Use the greater amount of liquid in winter or in drier climates; the lesser amount in summer, or in a humid environment.
Topping
- 1 large egg white, reserved from dough, whisked with 2 tablespoons cold water
- rolled oats and/or flax seeds, for topping
Directions
1) Combine all of the ingredients, and mix until cohesive. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rest for 20 minutes, to give the whole grains a chance to absorb some of the liquid. Then knead — by hand, stand mixer, or bread machine — to make a smooth, soft, elastic dough.
2) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, or in an 8-cup measure (so you can track its progress as it rises), and let it rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until it's risen noticeably. It won't necessarily double in bulk.
3) Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 12 pieces (about 70g each). Shape each piece into a round ball; use your fingers to pull and flatten each ball into a circle about 3" across.
4) Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about 90 minutes, until noticeably puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
5) Brush the buns with the egg white/water mixture. Sprinkle with oats and/or flax seeds.
6) Bake the buns for 21 to 25 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool.
7) Wrap completely cooled buns airtight, and store at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.
Yield: 12 buns.
Reviews
02/18/2012- The wheat-oat flax bun came out perfectly, just like the pictures on the blog site! They were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Very pleased with the results.
- 01/04/2012
- 12/28/2011
- I used a whole grain white wheat flour rather than the unbleached flour - delicious rolls! They are hamburger roll size though.
- 07/07/2011
- I used all wheat flour & yeast I had on hand so I let the dough go for a slightly longer rising time. the results were fantastic! best bun recipe I've ever made. will definitely make it again.
- 06/09/2011
- This recipe was perfect tonight. I used fresh-ground white-wheat flour, no all-purpose flour, and 1/2 cup semolina in place of some of the flour. I garnished the egg wash with black sesame seeds. It was delicious. I even made a few hot dog buns, and thought 85 grams each was perfect. I did 78 grams each for the hamburger buns and felt they could have been better a bit bigger. They also didn't rise as much due to using all wheat flour, but were still light and a great texture for slicing and loading up with burger fixings. They even stayed together the whole time while eating! Next time I might try boosting the yeast to a full Tablespoon. Thanks for a lovely whole-grain option!
