Thanksgiving Together: Honey Wheat Rolls

I was really excited about Thanksgiving this year. So much has happened this year and we are grateful for the amazing blessings that God has given to us.

I was particularly excited about the chance to have our care group over to celebrate the holiday around our table (or a borrowed one from church!) in our new dining room, in our new house. A house that they have prayed about for years, asking God to graciously give it to us.

So this year, about a week after Thanksgiving, we gathered together to celebrate all that God has done in our little circle. Brad asked us each to testify to God's grace in our lives over the past year. And it was so faith-building to hear my friends giving praise to Jesus for accomplishing His work in their lives, things we have prayed for together. Many of them for a long time.

And the food was so yummy. We each contributed, bringing our own special family recipes to share with one another. Spiral sliced ham (yup, still not brave enough to cook a turkey!) mounded onto the white platter at the center, surrounded by fantastically tasty dishes. Michelle's mashed potatoes and green beans, Shannon's popular squash, and Janice's sweetly tart cranberry sauce. My honey wheat rolls and Jodi's sweet potatoes, adorned with raisins and shredded pineapple hidden among the humble veggie's depths.

Eleven of us, gathered together around one table, surrounded by food. A picture of how the Body serves one another...each bringing our own experiences with Jesus to the "table", to care for one another with the care that we have received.

Honey Wheat Rolls

Makes 16 rolls

Note: These are so super yummy. I have made it numerous times since discovering the recipe a few months ago. It makes 16 rolls, but you can easily freeze and reheat them. I keep a bag in the freezer and pull out one or two to go with whatever soup we are having. 

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus maybe 1/2 cup more to get right consistency)

1 T. yeast

2 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 3/4 cups milk, heated to 110 degrees

4 T. butter, melted

6 T. (that's 1/4 cup + 2 T.) honey

1 beaten egg

Glazes:

1 T. milk

1 T. melted butter

1 tsp. honey

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200, turn it off. 

Note: This is to provide a warm place for your dough to "proof" or rise. 

You can skip this step if you have a nice, cozy place for your bread to rise. 

If it's winter and you keep your heat at 60, you probably want to proof your dough in the oven =)

In a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook, 

mix together the wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast and salt.

In a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup, combine the butter, milk and honey and heat to 110 degrees.

(I usually melt the butter in the microwave first, add the milk,
heat to 110 degrees and then add the honey). 

Whisk together and add to flour mixture, then also add your beaten egg.

Beat together on medium-low until combined. 

You will probably have to stop and scrape the sides a few times to get all the flour incorporated.

(It took me three times!)

Knead the dough for about 8 minutes on medium-high, until the dough is smooth and almost clears the sides of the bowl, while still sticking to the bottom of the bowl. 

Make sure to stay close to your mixer or it may bounce itself off your countertop!

Note: Their recipe does not say to add flour. 

However, I have found that my dough will never clear the sides of the bowl without more flour. 

It is more important to get the right look and consistency to your dough

 than it is to stick to their flour amount.

 I usually have to add another 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour to get the right consistency)

So this is what the dough usually looks like after 4 minutes: 

starting to look smooth, but definitely not clearing the sides of the bowl. 

I then start adding more flour, about a T. at a time, until I get the right look.

This is the right look.

 The dough is holding together, clearing the sides of the bowl, 

but still sticking to the bottom of the bowl. 

Notice the slight ring of dough around the bowl, marking where the dough used to cling to the sides. 

This is good! It means that the dough is ready. 

Cover your dough with a damp cloth and place in the turned-off oven (or a warm place!) for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Ta-da!

Turn dough out onto floured surface and cut into four equal parts.

Cut each quarter into four equal parts as well. 

This will give you 16 rolls.

Tuck the ends of the dough underneath and pinch together to form a ball.

Roll the ball on the surface of your counter to make a nice, round shape.

Place in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan -- 6 rolls down the center and 5 on either side.

To Make Ahead

At this point, you can cover the rolls with greased plastic wrap 

and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, if you want to make them ahead of time. 

Or you can skip this step and bake =)

If you decide to make ahead, after refrigerating, let rolls sit on the counter for 30 minutes 

(instead of the 20 minutes indicated in the next step) before glazing with milk and baking. 

After forming rolls, let them sit in the pan for 20 minutes before baking,

 covered again with the damp cloth. 

You can heat your oven to 400 degrees during this time!

Right before baking, brush dough with T. milk. 

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees on center rack, until dark golden brown.

 (Rolls should read about 200 degrees with an instant-read thermometer).

While they bake, mix together the T. of melted butter and the tsp. of honey. 

As soon as rolls come out of oven, brush with honey butter glaze. 

These are really yummy served warm =)

Recipe from Cook's Country.