Susan: Holiday Rolls - Carrot Herb Rolls Recipe

When we were first creating A Year in Bread last January, I came up with a list of personal goals that I hoped to accomplish while being a part of this project. These included delving into the numerous unused bread books on my shelves, baking new breads I probably wouldn't have ventured to try on my own, and making much better use of all the beautiful herbs in my kitchen garden.

This month we decided to each bake some sort of rolls that would be appropriate for the holiday table, and I hit the personal goal jackpot with my recipe. It's a variation of the carrot bread in Bread:Artisan Breads from Baguettes and Bagels to Focaccia and Brioche by authors and cooking instructors Eric Treuille and Ursula Ferrigno (he's French, she's Italian). I've been reviewing this book, and my opinion of it can be summed up in one word: wonderful. Wait, make that two words: wonderful and inspiring. This is the second bread I've made from it, and the first one was as pretty as it was delicious.

Here's a little blurb from the book jacket, and it's all true:

Bread mixes delicious recipes with essential techniques to provide the home cook with practical reference and inspiration. From mixing and shaping to proofing and glazing--each stage of the bread-making process is clearly explained, with problem-solving tips and a complete illustrated guide to key ingredients and equipment to help you succeed. Bread's step-by-step demonstrations of the principles and practices of bread-making will give you the confidence and skills to try its tantalizing range of over 100 breads.

If you learn best by looking at pictures, then this is definitely the book for you because it's packed with gorgeous, full-color photos. While it's a perfect book for beginners (I already know at least one budding bread baker who will be receiving a copy for Christmas), I think most experienced bakers would enjoy it. I've already discovered all sorts of handy tips and useful nuggets of information, and there are several more breads I'd like to make, such as the Hungarian Potato Bread, Dark Chocolate Bread (1 1/4 cups of cocoa powder!), Swedish Dill Bread (made with cream cheese), and the Prune and Chocolate Bread ("a deeply indulgent loaf, chock-a-block with juicy prunes and melted chocolate"). There's also an intriguing recipe for a straight dough (as opposed to sourdough) Pane con Pomodori e Cipolle Rosse (Tomato and Red Onion Bread) which looks similar to the Fresh Tomato & Basil Whole-wheat Sourdough Bread I wrote about recently on Farmgirl Fare.

One of the nice things about it is that many of the recipes start with the same basic recipe and build on it, which means trying all sorts of different breads suddenly becomes much less daunting. Variations on the same recipe are also often given. For example, the pita bread recipe includes a whole-wheat version as well as instructions on how to make Lavash (Armenian Flat Bread).

The Carrot Bread I made is in the chapter called Flavored Breads, and I was intrigued by its use of raw shredded carrots. Other recipe variations included are: spinach bread, beet bread, chili bread, onion and caraway bread, and herb bread (which didn't include the carrots). First I made the plain carrot dough, shaping half into a round loaf and the rest into rolls. The second time around I dove into the herb garden first, emerging with fist fulls of fresh parsley, rosemary, and thyme, which I (hesitantly) tossed into the mix. I also substituted 1 cup of whole-wheat white flour for 1 cup of the bread flour.

The result? Flavorful, healthy, autumn-colored rolls that I think would be a welcome and interesting addition to any holiday table. They have a soft but substantial crumb and a chewy crust that crisps up nicely when reheated. They also freeze beautifully. As always, I urge you to use local and organic ingredients whenever possible. At around a dollar a pound, organic carrots are one of the world's best bargains.

Susan's Carrot & Herb Rolls
Adapted from Bread by Eric Treuille & Ursula Ferrigno
Makes 16 3-inch rolls

Ingredient US volume Metric Volume US weight Metric weight
whole-wheat white flour 1 c 235 ml 4-3/8 oz 125 g
bread flour 3 c 700 ml 15 3/8 oz 437 g
instant yeast 2 tsp 10 ml -- --
warm water 1 1/2 c 350 ml 12 oz 335 g
butter melted 2 tbsp 30 ml 1 oz 28 g
carrots finely shredded 2 1/4 c 530 ml 13 7/8 oz 380 g
parsley chopped 1/4 c 60 ml 3/8 oz 10g
fresh rosemary chopped 2 tbsp 30 ml -- --
fresh thyme chopped 1 tbsp 15 ml -- --
salt 2 1/2 tsp 12 ml -- --

Mix the whole-wheat white flour, bread flour, and yeast in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the water and melted butter. Stir until combined. Mix in the carrots, parsley, rosemary, and thyme and stir until a soft sticky dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead 5 minutes, sprinkling on a little more bread flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking to your hands and the work surface.

Cover dough with bowl and let rest 20 minutes (this is the autolyse).

Sprinkle the salt over the dough and knead for 5 minutes, until salt is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth and still slightly sticky, adding more flour if necessary.

Put the dough in a clear, straight-sided plastic container with a snap-on lid and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Punch down, then let rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 16 pieces, about 3 ounces (84 grams) each. Shape into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle rolls lightly with flour and cover with a tea towel. Proof until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

About 20 minutes before baking, heat oven to 400F/205C.

If desired, brush rolls with salt water. Bake in preheated oven until the tops are golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container or freeze. If desired, reheat at 350F/175C for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

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