I brought a brioche pan with me from vacation a few years back; a round fluted tin with sharp edges that I am yet to use. I envisioned a lot of bread making that year, and there was this brioche recipe I wanted to try so badly, it justified getting the pan.
Years earlier, I got a bread machine, it felt like an adult thing to do; I baked a few loaves, which made me so very proud to be making my own bread.
I weave in and out of this bread making cycle; lately it looks like I’m back on the wagon. I’ve been baking a lot of bread recently, averaging one a week in the last month or so.
I reserve my Sunday evenings for this – I love the slow pace of measuring, prepping, kneading and waiting… I end my day with the comforting smell of freshly baked bread, and a meditative heart. It sets a gentle mood for the rest of my week.

These whole wheat cardamom rolls are an adaptation of that brioche recipe from long ago. A generous dash of cardamom gives the rolls a spicy sweet flavour, and there’s a little bit of almond essence, which I think adds a nice rich balance. It’s a little like Pulla, the buttery brioche-y cardamom Finnish bread.

I make the dough in my bread machine. It’s minimal work this way. Then it’s portioned into pieces afterwards, rolled into balls, and transferred into a deep baking pan for the second rise.
The rolls come out fragrant, fluffy and soft with tender crumbs; excellent and hearty textured from the whole wheat. These are great at dinner; with salads, stews and soups. We love them at breakfast too, lunch or as a snack, split open and slathered in butter.

Whole Wheat Cardamom Rolls

2016-05-04 02:06:16

Fluffy hearty whole-wheat rolls generously spiced with cardamom; buttery, fragrant and delicious!

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INGREDIENTS

1. 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds + 3 tablespoons water
2. 3/4 cup almond milk, warmed to 110 degrees f.
3. 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
4. 1/3 cup sugar, divided
5. 3oz (85 ml) coconut oil, melted
6. 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
7. 3 cups whole-wheat flour, or white whole-wheat flour
8. 1 teaspoons ground cardamom
9. 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
10. 1 teaspoon sea salt
11. Olive oil for brushing

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix ground flax seed and water in a small cup or bowl, set aside and let mixture thicken for at least 5 minutes
2. Mix 1 tablespoon sugar and yeast in warmed milk, stir and let mixture sit and proof for 5 – 10 minutes, until it gets foamy and fragrant
3. Add flax, coconut oil and almond extract, mix well to combine
4. Combine remaining sugar, flour, cardamom, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl and mix
5. Make a hole in flour mixture and pour in yeast mixture, use a wooden spoon to mix until dough becomes wet and shaggy
6. Knead dough in the bowl until it comes together roughly
7. Turn dough on to a lightly floured work-surface and knead dough until it comes together completely, and becomes smooth and elastic
8. Dough is ready if it bounces back when you stick a finger in it
9. Form dough into a smooth ball and place in a lightly oiled large bowl; cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour
10. Meanwhile, butter a large baking pan (eg.13×9-inch pan), set aside.
11. Punch dough down and turn it back on to the flour dusted work-surface, roll dough into a ball and use a knife to cut and divide dough into 12 – 16 equal pieces, and shape into balls
12. Place the balls of dough into prepared baking dish, rolls should touch barely.
13. Cover loosely with a clean towel or plastic wrap and allow dough to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour, until it doubles in size
14. Brush rolls with olive oil and bake in a preheated 375 degrees f. oven for 17 to 20 minutes, until crust is golden brown and rolls are baked though
15. Let rolls cool in pan for about 5 – 10 minutes before removing by gently turning it onto a cooling rack (you may need to gently loosen the edges with a table knife)
16. Let them cool completely before serving, enjoy!

NOTES

1. Alternatively, you can use your bread machine or stand mixer (using dough hook) to prepare and knead the dough
2. 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.

By Elsa Brobbey | the whinery

the Whinery by Elsa Brobbey https://elsbro.com/blog/

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