Name: Chestnut Bread Rolls
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 160 min
Ingredients: 350 gms – 3 scant cups all purpose flour; 250 gms – 2 cups chestnut flour; 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder; 7 gms – 2 ½ tsp active dry yeast; 2 tbsp butter (softened); 1 tbsp honey; 300 ml – 1 ¼ cup water (lukewarm); 1 ½ tsp salt

I love baking bread at home and what I like the most is experimenting with different flours and flavour combinations (remember my Spelt and Hazelnut Bread?). My absolute favourite bread still remains my quick Ciabatta, but these Chestnut Bread Rolls are a must-try addition to your holiday menu. Italians often use chestnuts in our cooking, especially during the colder months. These rolls are really easy to make and very versatile, as they go well with both savoury and sweet food. So you can serve them for breakfast with butter and jam or honey, or you can serve them for lunch and dinner to accompany cold cuts and cheese (I like the cheese combo the most). This is no dessert, don’t be fooled by the fact that you can read cocoa powder as one of the ingredients. It is the unsweetened kind and it adds a dark colour and a slight bitterness to the bread that balances out the sweet chestnut flavour. Enjoy!

Chestnut Bread Rolls

Chestnut Bread Rolls - the perfect autumn bread rolls. They go very well with both sweet and savoury ingredients.

Course Bread

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 2 hours

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes

Servings 12

Author Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

350 gms – 3 scant cups all purpose flour
250 gms – 2 cups chestnut flour
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
7 gms – 2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp butter softened
1 tbsp honey
300 ml – 1 ¼ cup water lukewarm
1 ½ tsp salt

Instructions

Dissolve the yeast and honey in the lukewarm water. Mix well and let it activate for 5 minutes or until frothy.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the hook attachment, mix together the all purpose flour, chestnut flour, cocoa powder and salt. Add the yeast and water mixture and the softened butter. Knead well.
Cover and let it sit in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
When ready, punch down the dough to deflate it and make 12 mandarin sized balls.
Put them on a tray lined with baking paper and let them rise, lightly covered, for 40 minutes.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C – 355°F for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve with savoury or sweet food.