Thursday, November 12, 2015

District 11: Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls.

(Want to start with District 1?)

District 11.  Primary industry: agriculture.

Rue's home.

I cried when Katniss visited District 11 in the second book.  I loved her relationship with Rue in the arena, and the way Rue's district sort of adopted Katniss for what she did for Rue, sending her the bread they'd meant for Rue even after their own tribute had died.  For a starving people, it was no small gift, and Katniss noted that it was a first--a district gift to a tribute other than their own.  So I really wanted to get this bread, perhaps the most iconic in the series, right, and keep it accurate to Suzanne Collins' description--"made of dark ration grain and shaped in a crescent, sprinkled with seeds"--in the book.

District 11: Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls.

I made alterations to this recipe.

You'll need:

  • 1/3 cup water, 110-115*F
  • 2 1/4 tsp (one packet) active dry yeast
  • 1/4 tsp + 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 1/3 cups whole milk, 110-115*F
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
  • 4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • Poppy seeds, to taste



First, start with the warm water...


...and add the yeast and 1/4 tsp sugar:


Whisk to dissolve.  Let it stand 5-10 minutes until it foams on top.

Warm up the milk, by heating it in a small saucepan or microwaving it in 30-second intervals (stirring before taking temperature):


In your mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture, warmed milk, rest of sugar, egg, salt, and 5 Tbsp of softened butter:


Whisk thoroughly to mix well:


Add two cups of flour:


Mix:


Continue adding flour in 1/2 cup increments, mixing well...


...until the dough is smooth and elastic, and slightly sticky to the touch:


Grease a bowl with a little bit of butter (using the end of a cold stick is easiest):


Transfer the dough into the buttered bowl:


Cover, and let rise 1 1/2 hours (until doubled in size):


Once it's doubled...


...punch it down:


(Confession: I love seeing "punch it down" in a recipe I'm about to do...punching things is fun!)

Divide the dough in half, and, one at a time, form a ball (...ish) with each half:


On a floured surface, roll it out into a large circle (approximately 12"-14"):


Spread with 2 Tbsp of softened butter (each circle):


Cut it into twelve slices (pizza cutter works well):


Roll each wedge up, starting from the wide end, to form crescents:


Butter two baking sheets (or grease with cooking spray):


Arrange crescents on the trays:


Cover; let rise an hour to double in size:


After rising:


Preheat your oven to 375*F.

Here, I experimented with when to add the poppy seeds--I melted the rest of the butter, brushed half of it onto the uncooked rolls, and sprinkled the rolls with poppy seeds, before baking:


Bake 13-15 minutes (until golden brown):


(With two trays, I rotated them, top to bottom and vice versa, halfway through.)

Fresh out of the oven:


Here are the poppy-ed rolls:


And the plain rolls:


...which I buttered (with the other half of the melted butter) and sprinkled with poppy seeds:


I liked the poppy-seeds-after-baking version better, both in look and taste.  Freshly buttered always tastes better, and I liked the shine the butter gave them, too.


I think they came out perfectly!  Just like Rue would have eaten...

And for your cut-and-paste convenience:

Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls
  • 1/3 cup water, 110-115*F
  • 2 1/4 tsp (one packet) active dry yeast
  • 1/4 tsp + 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 1/3 cups whole milk, 110-115*F
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
  • 4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • Poppy seeds, to taste
  1. Dissolve yeast and 1/4 tsp sugar in warm water.  Let stand 5-10 minutes until foamy.
  2. In mixing bowl, combine yeast mixture, warm milk, egg, salt, and 5 Tbsp butter.  Whisk well.
  3. Add 2 cups of flour; mix well.  Continue adding flour in 1/2 cup increments, mixing well, until dough is smooth and elastic, but still sticky to the touch.
  4. Transfer dough into buttered bowl; cover; let rise 1 1/2 hours (until doubled in size).
  5. Punch dough down.  Divide in half, forming balls of each half.
  6. On a floured surface, roll out each ball, one at a time, into a large circle (~12"-14").  Spread with 2 Tbsp of butter (each circle).  Cut into 12 slices, like pizza.
  7. Roll each wedge, starting at wide end, into a crescent shape.  Arrange crescents on buttered baking sheets.  Cover; let rise one hour, until doubled in size.
  8. Preheat oven to 375*F.  Bake 13-15 minutes, until golden.  Melt remaining butter; brush rolls with butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Easter Eggs

As usual, I've hidden an Easter egg--a reference to another fandom--in the main photo!


Let me know in the comments if you catch it! :-)

Ready for the District 10 reveal?


That's a Ringwraith on horseback (The Lord of the Rings).  I'm afraid he doesn't blend in very well....this was one of those weeks that it was tough to come up with what to hide (on my very tight budget, anyway!).  Ha!  Ash nazg gimbatul....

Let me know in the comments if you spot the Easter egg this time, or if you try making your own District 11 bread!  May the odds be ever in your favor! :-)

(Ready for District 12?)

8 comments:

  1. Is the easter egg the I <3 U on the apple?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is--but can you place it? :-) Here's a hint: it's not a "<3".... ;-)

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  2. It's the I O U apple from Sherlock!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Those rolls look so yummy!!! Perfect for colder weather!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! Yeah, it's a great time of year for these! :-)

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  4. Ahahaha I am printing your recipes xDDD I will only change some ingredients ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Go for it! I'd love to hear how they turn out for you! :-)

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