We’ve had some nasty weather here the last three days. The kind that makes you want to stay in your jammies and never leave the house. Perfect weather to warm up the kitchen and fill the house with the aroma of fresh baked bread. And I have the perfect recipe to get you started!
These rolls are sooooo good. So good. And so easy. I’ve made them twice in the last three weeks and people keep asking for more! The recipe comes from Cook’s Country from America’s Test Kitchen. Regular readers know that I love America’s Test Kitchen! You can catch episodes of the show on PBS on the weekend or find them on the web. The rolls don’t require a lot of work, but there is time for rising. Start in the morning and have them in time for lunch!
Honey Butter Wheat Rolls
- 1 3/4 cups whole milk, heated to 110 degrees, plus 1 tablespoon
- 6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon honey
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/2 cups (13 3/4 ounces) whole wheat flour
- 1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast *
- 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
Heat the oven to 200 degrees with the rack in the lower-middle position. When the oven temperature reads 200 degrees, turn the oven off and leave the door closed.
Grease a large bowl and a 13×9 baking dish.
Get all your ingredients together before beginning. Melt and cool the butter. Warm the milk. Measure the flours. I like to use a scale to measure the flour. Since I’ve started doing this I feel that my baked recipes are turning out better. Plus, if you’re working on weight control, it’s a great way to ensure accurate potion sizes. Weigh a few of those grocery store chicken breasts. You’ll be shocked at how many portions they turn out to be!
Combine 1 3/4 c milk, 6T honey, 4T melted butter, and the egg in a large liquid measuring cup. Coating the tablespoon with cooking spray before measuring the honey will allow the honey to slide out without sticking!
Put the dough hook on your stand mixer and mix the whole wheat flour, white flour, yeast, and salt on low speed until combined. Slowly pour in the milk mixture and mix until dough comes together, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and check to make sure there is no unmixed flour at the bottom of the bowl. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium and mix until the dough is smooth and almost clears the sides of the bowl, but still sticks to the bottom. This should take about 6-8 minutes. You can see the evolution of the dough below.
Transfer the dough to your greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in your turned-off oven. Dough should double in size after about 45 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, punch down the dough. Divide into quarters and cut each piece into quarters. You should have 16 dough balls. Form the rolls by pulling the edges under until the top is round and smooth. You can use the counter to form each ball into a smooth, tight round by cupping the dough with your hand and rolling it. Arrange the rolls in your prepared pan and cover loosely with the plastic wrap. Place the pan back in the oven and let the rolls rest until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
Remove the rolls from the oven and uncover. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush rolls with remaining 1T of milk. Bake rolls until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Rotate the dish halfway through baking. Combine the remaining 1T melted butter and 1T honey in a bowl. Brush tools with honey butter and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Serve!
You can serve them with regular butter or with honey butter for a special touch. Store in a plastic container for up to a week. I reheat them for about 10 seconds in the microwave before serving.
I love the smell of baking bread in the house. What’s your favorite thing to cook on a rainy or snowy winter day?
The Secret Life of Mrs. Bundt 