Harvest Rolls and another Give-Away

"The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest"

                                                            William Blake

Fall is full of beauty and color, but when I was younger, I remember it as also being a time of harvest.  My mother's family were farmers; it was my great, great grandfather, John Jacob Sellner, who came from Germany (Silesia) and cleared the land to farm in Maryland.  So, his granddaughter, my Grandma Gladys, taught my grandfather how to farm after he retired from the Marine Corps (the second time) and they bought a farm in Brandywine.

Kelly had our "farm gene" and loved growing vegetables in raised beds in her back yard

As kids, we'd help get the last tomatoes, corn, and green beans picked, then also harvest butternut and acorn squash.  Green tomatoes were wrapped in a single layer of newspaper and laid on crates in the root cellar; we'd have fresh tomatoes for Thanksgiving!  Additionally, both my grandmother's and then, my mother's kitchen would be busy with canning tomatoes, green beans, and corn relish to fill the pantry.  I learned, not only how to preserve food, but moreover, how to stretch the food budget.

The weather was blustery today and memories of those days came back and what this time meant to me.  The Harvest Rolls are my tribute to all the farmers and their families, who after a long day in the fields, deserve a wonderful meal awaiting them.

Harvest Rolls
1/2 cup milk
4 T unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 T molasses
1 large egg
1 tsp. Kosher salt
2 pkg. (2T) dry yeast
5 cup King Arthur Bread Flour
2/3 cup Whole Wheat Flour

additional unsalted butter
sunflower seeds (optional)

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the sugar, molasses, egg, and salt.  Microwave the butter and milk together in a 2-cup glass measure on high for 40 seconds.  You may have to "nuke" it a little longer to completely melt the butter, but do it 20 seconds at a time.  Add cool water to bring the liquid up to the 2-cup measurement, then, add 2 tablespoons more.  While the mixer is running on low, slowly add the milk/butter/water and mix together.  Still with the mixer running, add the dry yeast and once it has combined, stop and allow the yeast to "bloom"...about 5-7 minutes.

Add 3 cups of bread flour and mix together.  Remove the paddle attachment, scraping it with a spatula, and place the dough hook on the mixer.  Add the remaining dough and knead until the sides of the dough are clean.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth.

Spray a large bowl with baking spray or brush with melted butter and place dough, first upside down, then flip the dough over to right-side up.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise about 45 minutes or until doubled.

Punch down the dough and turn it out again onto the board.  Divide dough into 12 pieces and knead into round rolls.

Place on a buttered baking sheet, brush melted butter on top of the rolls and cover with plastic wrap.  At this point, preheat oven to 375F-degrees.

  When the oven comes up to temperature (about 20-30 minutes) the rolls should be doubled in size.

 I also sprayed the tops with Quick Shine and sprinkled a few sunflower seeds on top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown.  Whether you're having a big meal, or just soup and a salad, these rolls will be the perfect addition. Enjoy!

...oh yeah, I do have another Give-Away.  I made this Sunflower necklace to symbolize the harvest and of course, Kelly's love of them.  Just post a comment if you'd like a chance to be chosen. XOXO


  

Whole-grain Challah & Devil's Food Cake with Hazelnut Crunch

In a few weeks (September 16th), my hubby and I will celebrate 44 years of marriage:-)  Not bad for literally love at first sight!  He proposed on our second date and two weeks later we got married because he was going into the navy after being deferred while in college.  I never really got to be a navy wife like my mom--hubby was home in a month after discovering a broken bone in his arm had fused when he was a kid and he couldn't rotate his hand 180-degrees; something necessary for handling a rifle.  However, I've lived in more states than my mother and never regretted saying Yes!

The reason I bring up my anniversary is that I have bought myself something I've wanted for awhile--a grain mill for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  (I actually would rather have a kitchen gadget than jewerly!)

I can now grind my own flours, which is something I've wanted to do to add to the freshness of my baking.  Today, I ground 100% Organic Emmer Wheat, also known has farro  It's an ancient grain which has a distinctive flavor that is sweet, nutty, and a little gritty.  You might have had it in salads or soups, but it's best in flour form.

The grain mill attaches to the Kitchen Aid and you set the dial for how fine you want the flour; I set it on the lowest for the most fine grind.

Add the wheat to the top, turn on the machine and place a bowl or a canister underneath to catch the flour.

In less than 10 minutes, I had about 3 cups of flour for wonderful whole-grain baked goods.

Whole-grain Challah
3 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 cup Emmer Wheat flour
1 1/2 T dry yeast
2 T granulated sugar
2 T shortening
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
3/4 - 1 cup warm water

In a 1 cup measure, proof the yeast.  Sprinkle the dry yeast over 1/2 cup warm water (105F-degrees).  Add about 1 tsp. of sugar and whisk.  Set aside to proof, about 7 minutes.

In a stand mixer, using the dough hook attachment, measure the flours, sugar, salt, and shortening and mix to combine.  Add the proofed yeast and 3/4 to 1 cup of water.  Mix on Speed #2 until the dough comes together and the sides are "clean."

Transfer dough to a lightly floured board and knead until the dough is smooth. Form into a ball.

 Place the dough into a bowl, lightly sprayed with cooking spray, turn once.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, (I use a plastic "bucket"). 

When doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Turn dough out on a lightly floured board and divide into 6 pieces.  Roll each piece into a 15"-18" rope.

Refer to this video on King Arthur flour's site for braiding. 

I'm still working on that 6 section braid:-)

I sprayed the dough with Bread Shine and sprinkled with Sesame Seeds.

Cover again with plastic wrap and let rise another 30 to 40 minutes.  In the meantime, preheat oven to 375F-degrees.

When doubled, baked for 40 to 45 minutes until a golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190F-degrees

The loaf had a wonderful crust with a soft middle.  It was perfect with a bowl of soup, which I also made today since it looked a little grey outside and very fall-like. 

I also baked a cake today...yes, I went a little nuts, but after getting my September bon appetit magazine in the mail a couple of days ago, this cake just begged to be baked. 

It's a Devil's Food Cake with an addictively wonderful hazelnut crunch.  

I'm thinking it's going to be a great dessert for a special anniversary; what do you think! Enjoy!!