Bread baking has been getting us through the dark winter days, especially this past pandemic year. And as spring arrives, we’d like to think that we’ll venture into baking cakes or fancy desserts or citrus-y tarts. While we may explore a few of those categories (citrus tarts sound amazing), we simply love bread. And no matter the season, there is nothing better to wake up to in the morning than freshly baked bread.
Growing up, we were extremely lucky because our mother baked rolls for us all the time. Now, since I (Emma) still live at home with my mother, I like to return the favor sometimes and bake rolls for her. These gulerodsboller are some of the best I think I’ve ever made, and I think my mother agrees. You wouldn’t think carrots have a place in bread, but I ask you this – if people put them in cake, then why not bread? I’m not sure what it is about the carrots, but they really give the rolls a phenomenal flavor and slight sweetness. And these rolls are also just insanely fluffy – the perfect canvas on which to spread butter or layer cheese!
The recipe is simple! Bloom your yeast, combine your ingredients, and knead together well (for about 10 minutes). The dough should, at the very least, be smooth and not sticky. If you are patient enough, you should continue kneading until it passes the windowpane test. Let this rise until doubled in size. Then, shape your rolls (step 6 has instructions for how to shape them so you get perfectly round and smooth buns). Let these rise another 30 minutes or so. Then bake, let cool for a bit, and enjoy! Any toppings will be delicious – we would highly recommend the classics: butter, jam, cheese. Leave us a comment and/or a rating if you try them 🙂
Gulerodsboller (Carrot Bread Rolls)
Ingredients
- 400 ml (1 3/4 cups) milk
- 2 tsp instant yeast (2.25 tsp active dry yeast, 17.5g fresh yeast)
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 large egg
- 100 grams grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
- 85 grams (1/2 cup) sunflower seeds (optional)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 700 grams (~6 cups) all-purpose or bread flour (can split 400g bread/AP flour, 300g whole wheat for slightly healthier rolls)
- 70 grams (5 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg for egg wash
Instructions
- Heat the milk, in the microwave or a saucepan, until it is “fingervarm” (finger warm), meaning it should feel warm to the touch but not hot. Add your yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar, stir, and leave it for 5-10 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble up, meaning your yeast is alive and not expired.
- Add the remaining sugar (2 tbsp), egg, carrots, sunflower seeds, and salt to a large bowl and mix well. Once the yeast mixture has bubbled up a bit, add it to the egg mixture. Mix well.
- Slowly add the flour and softened butter, mixing with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together.
- Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky; it should be soft and smooth, not too sticky nor too dry. Use a stand mixer if you would prefer!
- Cover the dough with cling film or a clean dishtowel and place in the fridge overnight for 8 hours, or let rise at room temperature (if room temp is very cold wherever you are, put it in a warm place, i.e. under a light) for 1.5-2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Once your dough has doubled in size, shape it into about 15 balls and place on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. You can also crowd them all onto one pan if you would prefer buns that stick together as they bake. To shape the rolls properly, you should first divide your dough into equal sections. Take a piece, pinch together into a ball shape, then cup it in your hand with the top of the roll touching your palm. Place your hand on an unfloured surface with the seam touching the table. Move your cupped hand in quick, tight circles – this will cause the seam to come together and create tension on the surface of the dough, meaning it will rise upwards in the oven, instead of flattening.
- Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
- Brush with egg wash (whisk together one egg and some water until there are no more gloopy egg streaks). Bake for 10-12 minutes. Check the bottom of the buns to see whether they are done – they should be golden brown. If they’re too pale, they’ll need another minute or two. Enjoy!
