I've been a white bread consumer my entire life. As a child I hated whole wheat bread, there was just something about the whole wheat taste that didn't quite agree with my palate. It wasn't until I tried a toasted rye sandwich for the first time that I grew to appreciate different types of bread. From there I started experimenting with sourdough (my current favourite) and now here we are, full circle with a whole wheat multigrain bun recipe. A recipe that I am in love with. The secret ingredient that makes these fluffy dinner rolls out of this world? Maple syrup. With a bunch of different sized seeds for texture, these buns will be a hit for any dinner.
The multigrain aspect of this recipe is comprised of a homemade seed blend. By mixing together flax, sunflower, pumpkin, poppy, chia and sesame, a variety of shapes and sizes are covered making the mix a perfect combination texture-wise. Don’t forget to reserve some of the mix to top the buns with. This ensures that they not only look gorgeous, but also have an extra nutty flavour as the seeds sprinkled on top will end up toasted.
Feed the yeast
This dough uses about 2 ¼ tsp of active dry yeast (~7g). It’s important that the yeast you use is ALIVE. It’s pretty easy to tell if your yeast is no longer viable. Just stir the yeast into 1 cup of warm water - around 100-115°F or 38-46°C and add 2 tbsp of maple syrup. The syrup will act as food for the yeast. After stirring and waiting a minute or two you should notice that the yeast starts to bubble and rest on top of the water surface. This means the yeast is alive and eating well. If you don’t notice any activity after 5 minutes, then your yeast is most likely way too old and very, very dead. Go buy some new yeast right now! Yeast typically thrives in a warm environment with plenty of food to eat, hence the warm water and the syrup. If you don’t have maple syrup, an equivalent amount of honey or table sugar will work just as well.
Resting dough - Autolyze
The next step is to mix in the whole wheat flour, oil, egg, and seed mix, stirring until a soupy mess has formed; then let it sit for 10-15 minutes. The resting period is pretty important. By giving the flour time to relax and absorb all the water, less flour will end up being used during the kneading process and the dough will also be much easier to work with and shape. This resting period is also known as ‘hydrating the flour’ or ‘autolyzing the dough’. By waiting after mixing in the water, you allow starches to start breaking down and gluten to develop before kneading rather than during it, thereby making your life a lot easier! In addition it also produces an overall less dense and incredibly fluffy bun with a perfect crumb and texture. Since whole wheat flour tends to have bran in it, this step also allows the bran to soften. When skipping this resting period, I found the dough to be incredibly sticky and it had a hard time keeping its shape in the standmixer while being kneaded. I ended up adding way too much flour to deal with the stickiness.
One of the biggest things to be aware of when working with bread doughs is the timing of steps. My best advice? Don’t skip them unless you are experienced or purposefully experimenting; they make a difference.
Before the kneading process begins, add the salt and a cup of all-purpose flour, stirring it into the dough until a shaggy mess forms. Since the salt will inhibit the yeast, it’s important to add it after the 15 minute rest. This gives the yeast more time to activate while the flour is hydrating.
Work That Gluten
The backbone of most bread recipes is the gluten. Gluten is a family of proteins found in some grains like wheat. It’s the reason behind the rise and elasticity of a freshly baked loaf of bread. When gluten is worked over - for example when kneading dough - it bonds the different gluten proteins together, making them incredibly elastic which helps the dough hold it’s shape. Next time you make a bread dough, try poking it with a finger and watch the indent spring back. That’s the magic of gluten!
The kneading process can be done 1 of 2 ways. Either knead the dough by hand, this could take up to 15 minutes with a lot of elbow grease thrown in. Or, let a stand mixer do all the work. Can you tell which I prefer? Using the dough hook attachment, set the speed to 2-4 and knead the dough for 10-12 minutes. There is still 1 cup of all-purpose to add to the dough. As the dough starts to form a ball, add the flour 1 tbsp at a time. Every time the dough starts to stick to the sides of the mixing bowl add another tbsp of flour. By the time the last bit of flour has been incorporated the dough should no longer be sticking to the sides. If it still is, continue to add another tbsp of flour or two. When done kneading, remove the ball of dough from the mixing bowl and gently slide it off the hook onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Give it a few more kneads and shape it into a ball of dough.
Bulk Fermentation
Lightly grease a medium bowl with olive oil before adding the ball of dough to it. Turn it over to ensure the entire dough is covered with a light sheen of oil. Cover the bowl with a damp linen towel or loosely with some plastic cling wrap. This will ensure the dough does not dry out while it goes through it’s bulking stage. Next, leave it in a warm area for about 30 minutes, until it has doubled in size. An oven preheated on the lowest setting for 5 minutes before being turned off is a perfect environment to first proof your dough in.
Tip for pet owners: old linen towels are perfect for covering your dough. They don’t retain any pet hairs, whereas the hairs seem to cling to cotton towels even after being run through a washing machine.
Shaping and Final Proof
When the dough is done bulking up, gently turn it over onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into equal sized pieces. Anywhere from 12-18 depending on the final number and size of buns desired. 15-18 are a great size for sliders or dinner rolls. For slightly larger sandwich buns, cut the dough into 12 equal sized pieces instead. Gently roll the dough pieces into balls before placing them in a grid pattern in a 10x13 baking dish greased with butter. Cover the dish with the same damp towel/plastic wrap and let rise for another 45 minutes to 1 hour in a warm area. The tops of the buns should be peaking past the top of the dish.
Brush the buns with a mix of melted butter and maple syrup before sprinkling the reserved seeds over top. Cook the buns in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are a nice, golden-brown colour. Let them cool on a wire rack before enjoying.
Don’t worry, I too was afraid to work with yeast for years. If you find yourself in the same situation, take a deep breath and believe in yourself. Even if your first attempts don’t look nice, I guarantee they will taste delicious. You can’t go wrong with homemade bread!
Whole Wheat Multigrain Buns
- Yield: 12-18 buns |
- Prep time: 30 min |
- Wait time: 1 hr 50 min |
- Cook Time: 15-20 min |
- Total: 2 hr 40 min
Ingredients:
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1 cup warm water
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2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
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2 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
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2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
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2 tbsp sunflower seeds
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1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
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1 tbsp chia seeds
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1 tbsp flax seeds
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1 tsp poppy seeds
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1 cup whole wheat bread flour
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1/4 cup whole wheat flour
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1 large egg
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2 tbsp olive oil, + extra for oiling bowl
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1 tsp salt
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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2 tbsp melted butter, + extra for greasing baking dish
Directions:
1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix together 1 cup warm water (100-115°F), 2 tbsp of maple syrup and 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 package ~7g). Let sit for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.2. Mix together the seeds in a small bowl and oil a medium-sized bowl with a dash of olive oil. Set both aside for later.
3. Add 1 cup whole wheat bread flour, 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, egg, olive oil and 6 tbsp of the mixed seeds to the yeast, mix together until a soupy dough forms then let sit for 10-15 minutes.
4. Add salt and 1 cup of all-purpose flour; mix until a shaggy dough forms. Start to knead the dough by hand or using the hook attachment of the stand mixer. Add the rest of the all-purpose flour a bit at a time over the course of 8-10 minutes, or until a tacky dough ball forms that pushes back when pressed with a finger.
5. Remove from the stand mixer and knead a few times before shaping into a round ball.
6. Place the ball of dough in greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp linen towel and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm environment.
7. Turn the dough over onto a floured work surface. Cut the dough into equal pieces (12,15, or 18) depending on the preferred final size of the buns. Roll each piece of dough into a ball and place in a greased 10x13 baking dish in a 3x4, 3x5 or 3x6 grid.
8. Cover the casserole dish with a damp linen towel/plastic wrap and let the buns rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the top of the balls of dough are just starting to peak above the edges of the dish.
9. Preheat oven to 375°F
10. In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp melted butter and 1/2 tbsp maple syrup, lightly brush over each ball of dough. Sprinkle the remaining seed mixture over top of each bun.
11. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the buns cool for 2-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!