If it was all whole wheat, I imagine they had to turn out very dense.

Try this--take your favorite white bread or rolls recipe, and replace 1/3 of the white flour with whole wheat and toss in a handful of wheat germ. That's how I make ww buns for sandwiches and burgers--makes a nice, light bun, with a good whole wheat flavor.

Stacy , did you use vital wheat gluten in your recipe? Whole wheat flour (unless mixed with lots of white flour as azzalea mentions) needs additional gluten to rise properly.

And even if you added the wheat gluten they will be dense if you used all WW flour.
Azzelea's reccommend of 1/3 WW flour is right on.
Linda C

I use "my" honey wheat rolls. LOL not mine, but they have become that here. LOL

and I've made these and subbed 1 1/2 c whole wheat. King Arthur Beautiful Burger Buns

Here is a link that might be useful: Honey Wheat Rolls.

I mill my own flour and make a 100% whole wheat bread recipe for hamburger and hot dog buns on a regular basis. I also use the same recipe for high-rising loaves of bread. The loaves or buns are just as light and fluffy as white bread because I use the SPONGE METHOD for making dough, instead of the much faster direct dough method - where all the ingredients are mixed together.

An ingredient important in all bakers' yeast breads made with 100% whole wheat flour, or additions of wheat germ as an ingredient in the bread, that most people don't know about is ascorbic acid.

There is a substance in wheat germ (which is a part of 100% whole wheat flour) called Glutathione which breaks down the gluten (which equals squatty short loaves). By adding ascorbic adic to your dough you will help to counteract the negative effects of Glutathione. Ascorbic acid will repair gluten bonds and will help sustain the leavening of the bread during baking. It also promotes yeast growth in the acidic atmosphere in which yeast grow best (1/8 t. ascorbic acid per loaf). (Note: Do not add ascorbic acid to naturally-leavened breads - aka sourdough - because it's naturally acidic and the ascorbic acid is unnecessary.)

I let the sponge rest for at least 2-1/2-hours and up to 12-hours - covered in the bread machine or covered in a bowl if making it by hand. This allows the gluten in the flour to hydrate and the bran to soften. Bran in whole wheat flour can actually cut the gluten strands during kneading. It makes a big difference in texture, taste, and rise when working with 100% whole wheat flour if you use a sponge method and the addition of ascorbic acid powder.

You don't say if the recipe was 100% whole wheat or a light wheat recipe (includes some unbleached/bleached all-purpose or bread flour). If you use a high-protein whole wheat flour, additional vital wheat gluten is entirely unnecessary!!! If you use whole wheat flour in combination with commercial bleached/unbleached all-purpose or bread flour, it's unnecessary because there's more than enough gluten in the white flour.

If, by chance, the whole wheat flour you use was specifically for PASTRY, it is milled from low-protein soft wheat and not appropritate for making yeast breads.

Additions of vital wheat gluten (where there is NOT a high-percentage of low-gluten or non-gluten flour) usually contributes to tough bread, not necessarily the rise of the bread.

"Hocky Pucks" or "Bricks" are also a sign of not enough moisture in your breads - among the other things already mentioned. If you don't do a good job mixing the dough and developing the gluten while mixing and you toss out a shaggy lump of dough, then you didn't do the mixing slowly enough, or enough strokes used to slowly add the flour to the liquid. If you don't do a good job of kneading and add too much flour during kneading, then you chance making a dry dough which often makes "pucks". With bread dough, it's best to err on the side of a wet dough. Dry dough always equals a "brick" or "puck".

You'll find my recipe at the link below. Post #2 in the thread.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: sponge method help please

Wow! I have no excuses for these not to turn out next time...LOL.

I used King Arthur Traditional All Natural Whole Wheat Flour.

I probably did not do a good job kneading...

So where do you find ascorbic acid, grainlady?

And thanks so much for all the wonderful responses!

Stacy

Following Ann T's lead, I use a biga to make whole wheat bread or buns, but I have to plan to start the biga the day before. I've also allowed the dough to slowly rise in the garage, the long cool rise helps for a lighter texture.

Because I'm limited as to the type of whole wheat flours I can obtain, I usually toss in some vital wheat gluten when making whole wheat doughs. If I'm using portions of white and wheat flour, I don't bother because I'm usually using King Arthur flour which is sufficiently high in protein.

Most of the time when I've gotten hockey pucks it's because I over proof and the darned things rise and fall, or my dough isn't quite wet enough. I like a rather slack dough for buns anyway because I don't want them to rise really high, I want them to spread out a bit.

I've never used ascorbic acid, so I can't conjecture on that. I tend to be a very "basic" bread baker, although I admit I was a bit surprised that yesterday's high fiber loaf rose so nicely in spite of the fact that it contained all bran, wheat bran, some 10 grain cereal, whole wheat flour and only 2 cups of plain white Gold Medal. No vital wheat gluten because I didn't have any and can't buy it here in White Cloud.

Still, it rose nicely, making a moist but not really dense loaf...

Annie

stacy3 -

Ascorbic acid powder (aka Vitamin C powder or Vitamin C Crystals) is readily available from most health food stores. I use whatever brand is on sale or least expensive. Look on the label, you want to avoid any brand that is "non-acidic". I also use ascorbic acid powder to pre-treat fruit and vegetables for dehydrating to aid in bacteria prevention (an acidic pretreatment is the new guideline for dehydrating).

Note: Ascorbic acid is an ingredient in SAF-Instant yeast.

You will find some whole wheat recipes occasionally include some lemon juice (lemon juice includes ascorbic acid in the Vitamin C Complex). I prefer the consistancy of powdered ascorbic acid. Some authors of bread cookbooks have even suggested crushing a Vitamin C tablet to add to the recipe....

-Grainlady

I am making this dough right now Stacy.
A different one from the above two.
I'll use 1.5 cup White Whole wheat for some of the white flour.

Here is a link that might be useful: Burger/Hot Dog Buns