Honey Whole Wheat Hoagie Rolls

Soft, fluffy and sturdy half whole wheat rolls with a slight sweetness perfect for any submarine sandwich.

As I'm sure you've noticed, I prefer to make my own bread.  There is nothing that upsets me more than when I look at the ingredients on store bought bread and see strange things I can't pronounce or something like high fructose corn syrup.  Yes, store bought bread is easy and you can find some good looking options for whole wheat and whole grain bread, but often they contain lots of preservatives and sugar (always check the ingredients list).  Bread should be, and is simple, so why all the junk in store bought?  Homemade bread will grow mold and/or spoil quickly (in about a week) compared to store bought but at least you know it's real and exactly what's in it.  If you have the time I highly recommend making your own bread.  It's not as difficult as you might think and it tastes and smells fantastic.

Bread should be simple so why all the junk in store bought? [Tweet this]

Even though it's store bought and I'm not sure what all the ingredients are I enjoy Subway sandwiches.  I like the bread because it's soft and chewy with good flavor and it's nice to have all the topping options to pack on your sandwich too.  I don't usually keep lots of cut vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, peppers, onions, etc to add to my homemade sandwiches.  But the more I look into these kinds of fast food sandwiches the less happy I am with them.  In my favorite Subway bread, there are at least 15 different ingredients some of which I'm not exactly sure what they are and I haven't even looked into the other ingredients like meats and toppings.  So why not try to make something comparable at home. Then, I know exactly what the ingredients are.

Make it homemade to know the exact ingredients. [Tweet this]

Good hoagie rolls are the first step to a great sub sandwich.  These rolls turned out perfect.  They are soft, fluffy and chewy, but also strong.  They can be squished down so you can fit a good bite in your mouth, but they don't fall apart.  The honey adds a subtle sweetness and the whole wheat flour adds more nutritional benefits than white flour alone (as well as making the bread more hardy and substantial).  You gotta try these.

Good #hoagierolls are the first step to great #subsandwiches. [Tweet this]

Honey Whole Wheat Hoagie Rolls

Active time:  20 minutes
Rise time:  1 1/2 - 2 hours
Bake time 20 minutes
Servings:  4-8 (650 grams)

Ingredients:

7 grams active dry yeast, or one package
213 grams warm water
32 grams honey (substitute with any vegan sweetener to make vegan)
178 grams bread flour
178 grams whole wheat flour
36 grams butter, at room temperature (try coconut oil or shortening to make vegan)
7 grams salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl), stir together the warm water (just slightly warm to the touch about 100-110 F) and honey. Then sprinkle on the yeast, swirl or stir to moisten it, and cover with a towel.  Let sit for about 15 minutes until yeast becomes foamy and active.

Add the remaining ingredients (in the order listed) and stir with the paddle attachment (or by hand) until ingredients come together and form a ball.

Switch to the dough hook (or by hand) and knead for about 6 minutes until dough is soft and smooth, tacky but not sticky, and stretches without breaking when pulled gently (add more flour, a little at a time as needed).

Roll dough in a lightly oiled, large, bowl (I usually just use the mixing bowl) until coated all over, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Turn out the dough (lightly oil your surface and hands if needed to prevent sticking) and divide into 4-8 pieces.  Shape each piece into a torpedo roll (foot long or 6-inch respectively) and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30 minutes - 1 hour until almost doubled in size.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Score rolls if you like and you can brush the tops with egg wash for a glossier finish (I did neither).  Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Immediately remove the rolls to a cooling rack and cool for about 15 minutes before cutting or eating.

Rolls taste best right away but are still good a couple days later.  If I'm keeping them longer than that I wrap each roll in aluminum foil, place in a zipper bag and freeze them.

Enjoy.

I'll post about the sandwiches I made on these rolls Friday.

For more rolls and sandwich breads check out:

Best Burger Buns	Rye Yeast Rolls	Easy Crescent Rolls
Light Wheat and Flax Sandwich Bread	Flax and Sunflower Seed Sandwich Bread

Linked to:  2 Cup, Treasure Box, Lou Lou Girls, Tickle My Tastebuds, Wakeup, Whimsy, Full Plate, Freedom, Foodie Friends, Favorites, Best of the Weekend, Pretty Pintastic

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Whole Wheat Pancakes with Berry Syrup

Fluffy, low fat, whole wheat pancakes topped with a mixed berry syrup.  A great weekend breakfast.

I haven't made a big breakfast in two months.  Now my husband is back from his long trip I made him a good breakfast for his first weekend home.  I have really gotten stuck on this whole wheat pancake recipe it is the only kind of pancakes I make anymore.  I think this is a healthier version of pancakes, and it tastes great, I don't even crave regular pancakes.  This recipe uses whole wheat flour which is better for you than white (more processed) flour, and there is no added oil in the batter.  I probably ruin the low fat aspect of these pancakes by frying them in butter, but if there was oil or butter in the batter I would still fry them in butter so there is less fat.  You can probably make these completely without oil or butter if you use a good non stick skillet.  I also topped these pancakes with a delicious mixed berry syrup but they are terrific on their own or with just plain maple syrup.

Pancakes:

From Low Fat Whole Wheat Pancakes  also used in my Pumpkin Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking Powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup kefir or buttermilk
2 Tbsp honey

Mix all of the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in a separate bowl.  When ready to make pancakes mix the wet with the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated.  Fry about 1/3 cup of batter in a pan over medium-medium low heat until it starts to bubble and set (about 1 minute) then flip and cook the other side.  Makes about 6 pancakes.

Berry syrup:

1 cup frozen mixed berries (or fresh if you have them)
juice from 1 lemon
about 1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/4-1/3 cup maple syrup

In a small saucepan over medium low heat mix the above ingredients (start with less syrup and add more to sweeten to your taste).  Allow mixture to come to a boil then remove from heat and mash the berries with a potato masher, or the back of a fork.  You could also process in a blender for a smoother consistency, but I like the chunks of berries.  Pour into a container with a spout and serve over pancakes.  My husband doesn't like warm syrup, so I refrigerated the syrup for a while before serving.  The syrup turned out kind of runny, I liked it, but maybe you can thicken it with a little cornstarch (I'm not sure) if you want it thicker.

I served the pancakes with bacon and scrambled eggs.  Fruit would be a great addition if you have any. Enjoy.

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Pumpkin Pancakes

These whole wheat pancakes are eggless, fat free, and flavored with pumpkin puree.

I like to make breakfast on the weekends.  I'm not a usual breakfast eater.  During the week it's just a granola bar or a smoothie, but  on the weekends I like to go all out (granted by the time I finish cooking it's usually more of a brunch or lunch but that's fine with me and Hubby).  This time I was out of eggs and only had a couple of strips of bacon so it took me a while to decide what to make.  I usually like a little salty with sweet for breakfast so I was definitely going to cook the bacon but it  wouldn't be enough, so I added some hash brown potatoes and pancakes.  My only problem was that I didn't have an egg for the pancakes.  Then I remembered I had a can of pureed pumpkin.  I know that mashed bananas are sometimes used as a substitute for eggs in baking, so why not pumpkin?  So I experimented and it worked, the pancakes were fluffy and soft and pumpkiny.  I will definitely make these again with or with or with out an egg.  Also these pancakes are fat free.  There is no oil or butter in the mix, however, I cooked them with butter and then topped with butter because I like the flavor.  If you have a good non-stick pan you may not need any oil or butter and you can make these really fat free if you want.

This recipe is modified from Low Fat Whole Wheat Pancakes

Ingreients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp flax seed meal
2 Tbsp oat bran
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 cup skim milk kefir
2 Tbsp honey


Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  I use the flax and oat bran because I had it and it adds a little more fiber and nutrition.  You could just use 1 cup of whole wheat flour and omit the flax and oats.

In a separate small bowl mix the wet ingredients (pumpkin, kefir, and honey).  I used kefir instead of buttermilk because I had it and I make it with skim milk so I know it's fat free.  You could of course use buttermilk but I don't know if there is fat free buttermilk.  You could also use sour milk which is just 1 cup of milk with 1 tsp of vinegar and use skim milk.

When ready to make the pancakes, add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just mixed.  Then fry in a non-stick pan or on a griddle set to medium heat (I used an ice cream scoop to size these pancakes).  When edges set and you start to see bubbles, flip the pancake and cook the other side.  Makes 5 pancakes.  Serve with maple syrup. Enjoy.

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Joybee's Baking Journal: Light Wheat Bread (sourdough)

Light wheat bread makes a great sandwich bread with a little more whole wheat than plain white bread. This recipe is 33 percent whole wheat flour (33% of the total flour weight). I modified this recipe, slightly from the one in The Bread Baker's Apprentice. I made this a sourdough by using half the final dough weight in barm and adjusting the flour and water weights as necessary.

My Recipe:

The night before (feed sourdough):
My goal is to have 16 oz barm. I will also add the whole wheat flour at this point.

2.5 oz sourdough starter
6.75 oz whole wheat flour
6.75 oz water

The next morning:
The barm was bubbly and had grown at least double in size. To this I added

10 oz bread flour
.75 oz honey
.38 oz salt
1 oz powdered milk
1 oz butter
2 oz water

I mixed it all, with the paddle attachment on my stand mixer, until all the flour was hydrated and the dough formed a wet ball. Then I switched to the dough hook and kneaded for 6 minutes, adding more flour until the dough became firm, tacky but not sticky, the dough pulled away from the sides of the and did not stick to the bottom of the bowl. I transferred the dough to a large, oiled glass bowl and covered with plastic wrap and a towel.

After 4 hours the dough had doubled in size.

Then I shaped the dough into one loaf, put it in an oiled 9x5 inch pan and let sit for 2 more hours until the dough was cresting over the lip of the pan.

Finally I baked the loaf at 350 degrees (with the loaf pan sitting on a baking sheet--so the bottom of the loaf turns golden and stays soft) for 50 minutes, rotting the pan and covering it with foil after 30 minutes.

I removed the loaf from the pan immediately (it sounded hollow when thumped on the bottom) and let cool for about 3 hours before slicing.

Conclusions:

Bread is light brown in color and smells like sourdough. With a buttery, tangy flavor. This loaf tastes more like sourdough than some of the other recipes. It has a tight crumb that is soft and spongy with a soft, chewy, golden crust. Makes great sandwiches, it's more sturdy or dense (because of the whole wheat flour) than white bread, but I loved the flavor and texture
I think I may have found a good ratio of barm to final dough weight. The dough doubled in 4 hours, and then the shaped loaf only took 2 hours to come to size. I'm not sure if the amount of barm is the underling cause of this, it could be temperature or maybe the ingredients in the dough. I'll make other breads with the same barm to final dough ratio and see how well they rise.

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