Bread Maker Bread Rolls with Malt & Bran

I posted recently about using Malt Extract in bread recipes instead of sugar. I have continued experimenting, and the results so far have been really good.

My favourite rolls have been Bread Maker Bread Rolls with Malt and Bran. This is how I made them.

Once again I use my trusty Panasonic SD-2500. bread maker for this, in the interests of multi-tasking. The bread maker can be used for simply mixing and kneading the dough whilst you doing something else. You finish the rolls shaping by hand and popping them in the oven.

Dried Malt Extract is sometimes called Spray Malt, or DME, or Spray Dried Malt, or spraymalt. They're all the same thing, though their colour and flavour will vary depending on the grains used to produce the malt extract (see my post ‘What is Malt Extract’ for more detail).

Using Spraymalt in place of sugar adds a subtle and agreeable malty taste to whatever you're baking.

I hesitate to say that malt is a 'sugar substitute' for making bread because, whilst it's an alternative to white sugar, it is still sugar. Malt derived from malted barley is sweet like sugar and has a relatively high glycemic index of 40. For this reason, malt is not suitable for diabetics or those with other related blood sugar issues.

Varying the quantities and freezing

This makes around 8 large rolls, so you can make them smaller to get more out of a batch if you want. If you decide to do that, they'll need less baking time. When I want 4 large sized baps for lunch I sometimes halve the recipe. Or I make the full batch and freeze half the dough.

Or you could make the full batch and simply freeze half the dough because it freezes really well. Take it out of the freezer about an hour before you need it and, once defrosted, shape into rolls. Leave for about half an hour in a warm place to rise again and then bake.

Alternatively, bake all the rolls and then put the ones you don't need into the freezer on the day you bake them. They defrost beautifully and are ready to use. 2 minutes in a hot oven perks them up even more.

Bread Yeast

I like Doves Farm Quick Yeast but any dried bread yeast will work. Make sure it is the type with 'Fast Action', Easy Blend' , 'Quick Yeast' or 'Easy Bake' on the packet.

Bread Maker Bread Rolls with Malt and Bran

Ingredients

1 tsp yeast

400g Strong White Bread Flour

50g Bran

1 tsp Dried Malt Extract

25g Butter

1/2 tsp Salt

1 egg, beaten

250ml water

Method

If your bread maker is 'dry ingredients first' then put all the ingredients in the order they are listed above. If you have a 'wet ingredients first' bread maker then reverse the list. I then put my bread maker on the dough cycle which takes 2 hours and 20 minutes.

When the bread maker finishes, preheat the oven to 220 degrees C, 425 degrees F or Gas Mark 7. Turn the dough out on to a board sprinkled with flour. Cut it into 8 broadly equal pieces. Make the pieces into rounds with your hands by just tucking the corners underneath, don't knead them. Then place on a well greased and floured baking tray, or one lined with baking parchment. I put mine on a round tray so that, as they rise, they squeeze each other into round shapes.

Put in a warm place and allow to prove until doubled in size, which take about 20 minutes.

Dust with bran. Bake for about 12-15 minutes. I set the timer for 11 so I can start keeping an eye on them, to ensure they don't catch.

When they're baked, they will have fused together in the tray if you have laid them out as I do. Turn them out onto a wire tray to cool.

When you want to eat them you can easily separate them. Then slice them open, slather in butter and enjoy.

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