.................. Cooking with Barry & Meta: Betsy Oppenneer’s 10-Grain Rolls

Betsy Oppenneer’s 10-Grain Rolls - Breads From Betsy's Kitchen

I’ve owned “Breads From Betsy’s Kitchen” for about 25 years and have made many of her “tried and true” recipes. However, I’d never tried this one. . . until now. It, too is an outstanding recipe. Wholesome, tender, light and nutty (from both the cereal and the coarsely chopped walnuts which add not only flavor but also a delightful crunch), these tasty rolls are also high in fiber. Of course, I had to eat one fresh out of the oven (with a little butter) . . . but one wasn’t enough. I did stop with two but these rolls are hard to resist!

Since I was going to share this recipe, I thought I’d see if I could provide a link to a place that might still sell her cookbooks. What I discovered, is a website dedicated to her recipes —Blue Bowl Breads that is maintained by her son. It contains recipes and options to obtain additional recipes. And, in the process, I discovered more about Betsy Oppenneer. Here’s just a few things her son has to say, “My Mom was an accomplished International Association of Culinary Professional certified “foodie” who wrote several highly-regarded cookbooks on bread baking and released two instructional videos. Mom was a world-renowned author and baking instructor whose honey-sweet Southern charm and deep knowledge of the kitchen led Julia Child to call her The Pied Piper of Bread Bakers.”

If you are a bread baker, this is a recipe book to add to your library as the recipes are timeless!

Betsy Oppenneer’s 10-Grain Rolls Makes 36 rolls

1 cup 10-grain cereal mix

2 cups boiling water

2 scant tablespoons or 2 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 teaspoons salt

4 ½ to 5 ½ cups unbleached flour

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Add the 10-grain cereal mix to the boiling water, cover, cool to 110 degrees.
The cereal will soak up the water and soften.
In a large bowl, stir yeast into warm water to soften. Add cooled grain mix, oil, brown sugar, salt, 2 cups flour, and walnuts. Beat vigorously for two minutes.
Gradually add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.
Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead, adding, flour a little at a time, until you have a smooth, elastic
dough. (Meta’s observation – this is a sticky dough so be sure to follow Betsy’s advice and don’t be tempted to add to much flour at a time. I kneaded the dough for 5 minutes+.)
Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn to coat the entire bowl of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour. (Mine was ready in about 45 minutes.)
Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide into 36 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and place about 3 includes apart on well-greased (or silicon lined) baking sheets. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 10 minutes.
About 10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
(At this point, I added this step which I though accentuated the fact that these are multi-grain rolls: Brush tops of rolls with beaten egg, then sprinkle with quick cooking oats and sesame seeds.)
Bake for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the rolls reaches 190 degrees.
Immediately remove rolls form baking sheet and cool on a rack.

Recipe without photos . . .Betsy Oppenneer’s 10-Grain Rolls Makes 36 rolls