Life is way too short to skip carbs, especially when there's homemade rolls warm from the oven to be eaten! Thankfully, the larger society seems to have moved away from the carbohydrate fears that plagued thousands (millions?) of Atkins Diet followers. Good thing, because you need to whip up a batch of these!
They're easy to prepare, can be made ahead of time, and are the perfect accompaniment to just about any meal. You can even freeze a batch and pull a few rolls out, baking them as needed. The rolls themselves are fluffy and flaky--none of that heaviness you sometimes get when baking with whole wheat flour. Because they're rolled, they look quite impressive...but I promise if you can roll crescent rolls, these won't be any harder!
One Year Ago: Pumpkin Biscotti with Cranberries and Pecans (Homemade Christmas Gifts, anyone?)
Two Years Ago: Chicken Gyros
Light Wheat Rolls
from allrecipes
Ingredients:
-2 packages active dry yeast
-1 3/4 cups warm water
-1/2 cup white sugar
-1 tsp salt
-1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
-1 egg, beaten
-2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1/4 cup butter, melted
Directions:
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Add sugar, salt, 1/4 cup melted butter, egg, and whole wheat flour to the yeast mixture. Add all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (I used my stand mixer and had to add a bit of extra flour until dough was ready). Knead (by hand or with dough hook in mixer) until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
3. Punch down dough after one hour, cover, and allow to rise for an additional 30 minutes.
4. Grease 2 dozen muffin cups. Set aside. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll each portion into a 6 x 14 inch rectangle. Cut rectangle into twelve strips (1-inchthick). Roll strips up into spirals and set in muffin cups.
5. Brush rolls with melted butter and allow to rise in a warm place for 40 minutes.
6. Bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Brush with additional melted butter before serving, if desired.
**If freezing rolls, bake for 8 minutes and remove from oven. Allow to cool, bag, and freeze. When ready to serve, thaw and bake (I baked my thawed rolls at 400F for 8-12 minutes).