Description
Filled with the goodness of naturally sweet whole wheat, these are the kind of feathery pull-apart rolls of potlucks gone by. Make them for Thanksgiving, Christmas or to go along side your favorite soup.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup warm water (60 mL)
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar (38 g)
- 3/4 cup whole milk (177 mL)
- 6 Tablespoons butter, divided (85 g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup plus 6 Tablespoons whole wheat flour (180 g)
- 1 cup plus 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (180 g)
Instructions
Make the dough:
- Sprinkle the yeast on the warm water in a small bowl with a pinch of the sugar. Set aside for about 5 minutes until the yeast is foamy.
- Warm the milk in a small pan on the stove until you see bubbles around the edges. Cut up 4 Tablespoons of the butter and add it to the pan to melt. Add in the sugar and salt and stir to combine.
- Crack your egg and use a fork to whip it into the butter and milk mixture. Pour the mixture into a shallow container like a pie plate to cool until just barely warm (100 F on an instant read thermometer is ideal).
- Put the flour into a large bowl or your stand mixer bowl. Make a well in the center with your hands, then pour in the milk mixture then the yeast mixture.
- Stir with a wooden spoon or the dough hook attachment to make a rough dough.
- After that, with a dough hook on your stand mixer, beat the dough for about 10 minutes on low speed (2 on a Kitchen Aid) until you get an elastic dough that forms into a ball around the dough hook.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow to rise on the counter. If you’re working in a space with a warm room temperature, it will take the dough about 1 hour for the first rise.
- The dough is ready to shape when it is about double in bulk and visibly poofy.
Shape the rolls
- Butter a 10″ springform pan with a little of the leftover 2 Tablespoons of butter. Save the rest for brushing the rolls.
- Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 12 pieces.
- Form your hand into a dome, then turn a piece of dough inside your hand dome around clockwise and few times. This will neaten up the edges and make a nice round shape.
- Set the rolls inside your prepared pan. Cover the rolls to rise for 30 minutes.
Bake the rolls
- Towards the end of the 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
- Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
- Using a towel to protect your hand from the heat, release the ring on the springform.
- Melt the remaining butter and brush it over the tops and sides of the hot rolls.
- Wrap hot rolls in a towel inside a bowl and serve immediately.
Notes
Better whole wheat flour: I usually choose to use my fresh milled wheat flour for these rolls as the flavor is much more mild and sweet. If you use whole wheat flour, get the best quality one you can find. A local health foods store is a good place to look. I find that the large 5 pound bags at the grocery store tend to have a bitter taste that put me off baking with whole wheat flour for years.
Alternative pans: If you don’t have a springform pan, use a round cake pan. A deeper pan is better as it will force the buns to rise more, but I’ve baked these in 1″ pans as well.
Freezer friendly: These rolls freeze beautifully. Let the rolls freeze completely, then freeze the whole pan of rolls in an airtight container. They will freeze for up to 1 month.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Additional Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breads
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 99
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 245
- Fat: 6
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 2
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 10
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 30