Oatmeal Brown Ale Rolls

By Texaschef11

Ingredients

• 1/4 ¼ c. warm water
• 12 fl.oz. Brown Ale (such as Newcastle)
• 1/4 ¼ c. pure maple syrup, room temp.
• 1 egg, room temp., lightly beaten
• 2 Tbs. oil
• 1/2 ½ tsp. fine sea salt
• 450 g. (~3 c.+ 1 Tbs.) unbleached all-purpose flour + more as needed
• 180 g. (2 c.) rolled oats, measured and then ground fine
• 30 g. (3 Tbs.) vital wheat gluten
• 27 g. (¼ c.) wheat germ
• 7 g. (~2¼ tsp. / ¼ oz. / 1 packet) active dry yeast
• --------------
• 1 egg white, beaten (optional for egg wash)

Preparation

Step 1

hand or stand mixer method: Dissolve yeast in warm water (~110° F). Add ale. Using a wooden spoon (or in mixer bowl using dough hook attachment), stir in the oil, maple syrup, and egg. Add the ground oats, wheat germ, vital wheat gluten and salt. Gradually mix in flour to form a soft dough. If dough seems too sticky, add in more flour, ~1 Tbs. at a time. Once dough is too difficult to stir (if making by hand), turn it out onto a floured work surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for ~1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch dough down.

bread machine method: Place everything in cylinder of bread machine in the order listed and press dough cycle.

Turn out onto a floured work surface. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, divide dough into 12 equal portions (or 16 for smaller rolls). Stretch surface of dough to bottom on all four sides, rotating a quarter turn as you go to form a ball, flouring your hands as necessary. Place each ball on a tray (or two) lined with a silpat or parchment, or that has been lightly greased. To make loaves, either divide dough into two portions and place in greased loaf pans or make free-form rounds and place on sheet trays as you would the rolls.

Cover and let rise in a warm place about an hour, or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 375° F during last 15 minutes of rising time.

For a glossy crust, brush tops with the beaten egg white. Slash them if you wish.

Bake rolls for ~25-30 minutes and loaves for ~35-40 minutes, or until they are deeply golden and cooked through (I temped mine at ~205° F in the center).