Slow Cooker Whole Wheat and Spelt Idaho® Potato Rolls

Ingredients:

Sponge Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup mashed Idaho® potatoes
• 1/2 cup potato cooking water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

• 2 tablespoons aquafaba (the liquid drained from a can of chickpeas)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups spelt flour (or substitute whole wheat flour)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour, plus more to use on the cutting board

Directions:

1. Make sure the potatoes and potato water has cooled to room temperature so it’s not so hot that it kills the yeast.
2. Add the mashed Idaho® potatoes, potato cooking water, sugar and yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix well with the paddle attachment and let sit for about 10 minutes, or until the yeast begins to bloom. (This make take longer on cold days.)
3. Add the aquafaba, olive oil, salt and spelt flour and mix well. Remove the paddle and put on the dough hook, add the whole wheat flour and knead on a low speed for 8 minutes.
4. If your dough is too wet and doesn’t form into a ball, you may need to add extra flour. Add ¼ cup at a time until the dough firms up and form a ball around the dough hook.
5. You can use any slow cooker, though I prefer to use a round one. I made one batch in a 3 quart and another in a 4 quart and both worked fine.
6. Prepare your slow cooker by lining with parchment paper so the rolls will be easy to lift out.
7. Sprinkle some flour on a cutting board and put the kneaded dough on it. Divide into 8 even pieces and roll into balls.
8. Place these in the lined slow cooker. Cover the top of the crock with a clean dish towel or a few paper towels under the lid. This keeps the condensation from dripping on your rolls and making them soggy.
9. Let rise in the slow cooker by cooking on low for 45 minutes.
10. Then cook on high for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
11. The tops won’t brown like the would in the oven, but you can tell if they are done by looking at how brown the sides are.