Danish Salty Rye Rolls #BBB

Are you a fan of rye bread?  I definitely enjoy rye, though admittedly I do prefer a rye blend to the heavy and stodgy loaves of full rye.  These Danish rye rolls are a beautiful blend and while certainly hearty, they are also soft and fluffy and at the same time delightfully chewy.  It's a nice little batch that makes just 8-9 rolls, I got nine perfectly sized rolls of 70g each.

The dough can be a bit sticky due to the rye flour, mine especially since I also used a portion of sprouted kamut flour, but the flavor was wonderful and the dough was workable with judicious flouring of the board.  The rolls have an especially appealing chew on the bottom crust, with the overall crust being thin and just slightly chewy and soft for my results.  I used the sourdough and did not add the oats on the outside, but I could go for some caraway sprinkled on top!  What better to go with a rye roll?  These are great fresh, with butter, but are also traditionally enjoyed with cheese, cold cuts, and smoked fish.  I veered off and added some rhubarb jam to my first roll.  YUM.

We would love to have you try out these easy rolls with us this month and share how they turned out and what you thought!  (And what you filled them with or dipped them in, etc.!)  New recipes are posted every month on the 16th. Check out our Facebook group to see the participants' baking results during that time.  If you would like to post your results with a Buddy badge on a blog, let us know in the comments or on the Facebook page.

Sigteboller, Danish Salty Rye Rolls
Makes 8-9 rolls (70 grams each)

Poolish (yeast) or Levain (sourdough): 20%
24g (⅛ cup + 1 rounded Tbsp. + 1 tsp.) rye flour
40g (⅓ cup) all-purpose flour
64ml (¼ cup) water

25g (1 tbsp) sourdough starter
or
pinch of yeast

Final Dough:
150-200ml (~¾ cup) lukewarm water
Levain or Poolish, all of the above
96g (~¾ cup) medium rye flour
160g (~1 ¼ cups) all-purpose flour (I used 100g all purpose and 104g sprouted kamut, fresh ground)
3g (1 tsp) instant yeast; ½ tsp yeast if using the levain
6g (1 tsp) sea salt
12g (2 tsp) dark molasses (unsulphured) or honey, add more if desired (I used golden syrup, 24g)

Topping: Rolled oats, sunflower seeds, caraway seeds, coarse Kosher salt

For the poolish/levain

The evening before baking, combine the lukewarm water, flours, and sourdough starter or yeast in a mixing bowl. Mix well to combine, cover, and leave at warm room temp for 14-16 hours, or overnight.  It should expand and have bubbles.

For the dough:

In a stand mixer, add the rye flour, all-purpose flour, water, and poolish/levain.  Mix on low until the flour is fully moistened.  Cover and allow the dough to rest (autolyse) for 45 minutes.  Note: Start with 150g of water and add in additional water gradually, as needed.  Sprinkle in additional flour, one tablespoon at a time, if needed.  (I ended up using 175g water and could have used 10g less.)

Add the salt, yeast and molasses or honey.  Mix to fully incorporate all ingredients.  

Cover the bowl, and let the dough rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.  Gently knock the dough down to release the air.  Form into a round and place back in the bowl.  Let the dough rest for an additional 45 minutes.

After the dough has risen, gently press down again to degas. Divide the dough into 8-9 equal portions (about 70g each) and shape each portion into a ball.  (Because of my flour combination, I did this in two repeated steps to help strengthen the outer gluten.)

Press the bottom (seam side) into a plate of rolled oats.  Then place each roll on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Cover the baking sheet with a kitchen towel and let the rolls rise for another 40-50 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Preheat your oven to 375-400°F (190-204°C).  (My oven runs slow and I baked at 400ºF).

Just before baking, use a sharp knife to cut a cross (about ¼ - ½ inch deep) on the top of each roll. Sprinkle coarse Kosher salt over the tops.  This will add flavor and a decorative touch.  You can also sprinkle caraway seeds or sunflower seeds.

Bake the rolls for about 20-25 minutes, or until they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.  (My rolls were ~205ºF internal when I removed them.)

Once the rolls are baked, allow them to cool on the baking sheet.  Enjoy warm with butter.  (I brushed the rolls with butter immediately after baking.)

The rest of the Bread Baking Babes

• Blog from OUR Kitchen – Elizabeth
  
• Judy’s Gross Eats – Judy
• My Diverse Kitchen - Aparna
• Bread Experience - Cathy
• Thyme for Cooking - Katie
• My Kitchen in Half Cups - Tanna
• Feeding My Enthusiasms - Elle 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories - Karen