Spent Grain Rolls
Three weeks after moving in I finally got around to using our oven! A very busy summer is transitioning into a very busy fall so I went with a quick and simple recipe this weekend. I would have liked to cross a few other things off my ‘to-make’ list but was sick most of the week and have spent my time blowing my nose and trying not to cough all over the apartment.
I was inspired to make these rolls for the birthday party of the friend who first gave me some spent grain earlier this year. For those unfamiliar, spent grain is the grain leftover from beer making after it has been boiled, roasted, or run through any other number of other processes. It can be composted or used as animal feed but increasingly brewers are finding ways to use the grain in breads and baked goods.
If you can get any spent grain a little bit will go a long way. I’ve now made two large sourdough loaves and a dozen of these rolls and have used maybe 1/4 of the few pounds of wet grain I was given. You can dry some of the grain and grind it into ‘flour’ or use the wet grain as an add-in to any bread.
I’m not as big of a fan of the taste of the darker grain that I used but really like the texture that the wet grain adds to the crumb of the rolls. With the butter and milk used the rolls are really nice and chewy. Note that in the recipe because I added wet grain I didn’t need to add any liquid beyond the milk. If you don’t add any wet grain, I would add about 1/2 C of water to the dough. Enjoy!
- 3½ cups bread flour
- 1 cup spent grain flour (dried and ground spent grain)
- 1 cup wet spent grain
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspooon salt
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 cup milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 egg white (for egg wash)
- Sesame seeds (optional)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the egg white and sesame seeds. Knead on medium speed for 6-7 minutes (or 9-10 minutes by hand) until the dough is smooth.
- Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour.
- After the rise is complete, divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. You will be able to place 6 on each baking sheet.
- When finished shaping cover baking sheets lightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.
- While the rise finishes, preheat oven to 400 F.
- Brush egg white over risen rolls and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Bake in preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, until the tops are dark brown.
