Brotchen

2 Tablespoons of Active Dry Yeast
1 Tablespoon of White Sugar
2.5 cups of warm water (about 110 degrees)


2 tbs of butter or shortening
4 cups of all purpose flour and three cups of whole wheat flour. mixed together.
3 egg whites

First combine the first three ingredients in a bowl. Make sure the yeast disolves then wait for it to proof. (it should be bubbly and foamy looking and can take anywhere from 5-15 minutes. any longer than that, and the yeast is probably dead. Your water may have been too hot or too cold. Start over)

Add butter, salt (a pinch) and three cups of flour and mix for 2-5 minutes or until all of the ingredients are combined. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold them into the batter. Next, add in the remaining flour 1/4th a cup at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the bowl. Once you have a dough you can handle (it will still be sticky) turn it on to a WELL FLOURED surface and flour your hands. Knead the dough and add more flour little bits at a time until its soft, uniform and elastic. Place it in a well oiled bowl and cover with a warm damp towel and let it rise in a warm (not hot) place until it has doubled in size. (this can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. It really depends on the yeast, temperature and various other factors.
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and form it into a round and let it sit in the bowl until it doubles again. Once doubled, punch it down again and turn it on to a floured surface. Divide the dough into 24 equal piecies (I used a food scale to measure weight). Form the peices into ovals about 3 inches long. Put bread on a baking sheet and let double in size again. Preheat over to 475. once doubled in size, cut a long slit down the center of the ovals. Egg wash, or spray with salt water, and put them in the oven for about 15 minutes or until they sound hollow when you tap them.

Serving Size: 24 3 inch rolls

Number of Servings: 24

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user JORDYNHERSHEY.