There’s this quote I love and think about whenever I’m making bread. I found it on the back on a book, as part of its blurb; it said, “bread rises, pain fades, the heart heals, and the future beckons.” I thought about that quote again recently when friend told me how bread making helps her get through tough times. Apparently, the act of mixing, kneading, shaping and watching dough rise is therapeutic.
With this in mind, we made bread this past weekend, after a bizarre drama-fraught few days.
I guess a bit of gloom is expected in the dreary days of January, but that was last week, we decided we’ll start a week anew with some stress-relieving baking.
Sitting down to tea afterwards felt more therapeutic for me, but there was that calm to the process of baking that I’ve always enjoyed.
Although, we all agreed that it’s quite possible that the aroma of bread when it’s baking, and freshly baked bread has healing properties; it does something warm for the soul.
Therapy aside, these whole wheat crescent rolls are light and buttery, and make the perfect accompaniment to many meals; it’s not just for breakfast. It goes well with soups, salads, etc. and it can be made sweet or savoury.
Sometimes I make the dough the night or a few days before and bake them when I’m ready. For these I used white whole-wheat flour; I put some dark chocolate squares in a few of the rolls, just because I had some around.
This past weekend, we brewed a large pot of our favourite tea, and I slathered my rolls in almond butter and marmite, and devoured them!
- 1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water
- 3 cups whole wheat flour, plus more for rolling (I used white whole-wheat flour)
- 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup water, (warmed to 110 degrees f.)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon regular sugar
- 3/4 cup almond milk, warmed (or other type of milk)
- 2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated plant-based butter, melted
- A few dark chocolate squares (or chocolate chips), optional
- Olive oil for brushing
- Mix ground flax seed and water in a small cup or bowl, set aside and let mixture thicken for at least 5 minutes
- Combine flour, sugar, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl
- In another bowl, add warm water, yeast and sugar together and mix
- Let mixture sit and proof for about 5 – 10 minutes, until foamy and fragrant
- Add warmed milk, melted butter and flax mixture to yeast mixture and combine
- Pour mixture into flour and use a wooden spoon to stir until dough comes together roughly (dough might seem sticky)
- Turn dough out onto a flour dusted work-surface and knead until it comes together completely, and a smooth, elastic dough forms
- Dough is ready if it bounces back when you stick a finger in it.
- Knead dough into a smooth ball, place in a lightly oiled large bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour
- Punch dough down and turn dough back on to dusted work-surface and roll dough into rectangular shape, about 1/4 inch thick.
- Use a sharp knife (or pizza cutter) cut the dough in half lengthwise, and then cut dough into triangles
- Roll the cut triangles, starting from the wider end towards the tip to form a crescent.
- If using dark chocolate squares, enclose a piece in each triangular dough and roll up tightly
- You may need to stretch the dough while rolling, to ensure that the tip goes underneath
- Arrange crescents on a parchment lined baking sheets, about 2 – 3 inches apart and cover with a towel, place in a warm place and allow crescents to rise again, about 30 – 45 minutes
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Brush crescents with olive oil and sprinkle with turbinado sugar
- Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown
- Serve warm with plenty of butter and enjoy!
- Alternatively, you can use your bread machine or stand mixer (using dough hook) to prepare dough.
- For bread machine, follow the machine’s instruction, and add ingredients in the suggested order per the instruction e.g. wet ingredients first then dry ingredients or vice versa.
[Tweet “Light & buttery homemade whole-wheat crescent rolls, a delightful treat for teatime! #vegan”]
9 Comments
I love the chocolate inside 😀
27 January, 2016 at 3:24 pmI do too! It was an afterthought, but now I wish I had filled them all with chocolate. I guess I just have to make more. 🙂
29 January, 2016 at 4:29 pmthe first time i made a proper crescent roll not from a can, i was so proud of myself! i love your more healthful version (and the NOT optional surprise!).
28 January, 2016 at 8:12 amI know! I was proud of myself the first time I made them too, although I rolled them horribly, I still do 🙂
29 January, 2016 at 4:31 pmThese rolls look fantastic! I love that you used whole wheat flour and almond milk and threw in some flax seeds. I am definitely going to have to try these -yum!
3 February, 2016 at 2:03 pmOh thanks for your kind words:-) I’m glad you like them, I’d love to hear what you think of them if you try them. 🙂
11 February, 2016 at 6:57 pmBeautiful! Just pinned this.
3 February, 2016 at 5:49 pmThank you so much Michelle!
11 February, 2016 at 6:57 pm