Honey Yeast Rolls

Lately, I’ve been trying out recipes for Thanksgiving. I saw these rolls on a cooking blog and thought they’d be the perfect accompaniment to our Thanksgiving feast. In the past week I’ve made them twice trying to perfect the recipe. My first attempt was mediocre; the rolls themselves were delicious but the texture was off…they were a little too dense. Where I believe I went wrong with the first batch was I let dough rise too long during the initial rise, and on the second rise I didn’t let them rise long enough. My second attempt at these rolls was spot-on.

Honey Yeast Rolls

Ingredients:

2¼ t instant yeast
1 C warm water (105-115˚ F)
¼ C honey
3 T canola oil
1¼ t salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 C bread flour
Vegetable cooking spray
2 T butter, melted
2 T honey

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast and warm water.  Add the honey, oil, salt, and egg and mix well.  Add 3 cups of the flour and mix until the dough comes together in a sticky mass.  Switch to the dough hook and, with the mixer on low speed, incorporate the remaining 1 cup of flour.  Continue kneading on low speed for about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 30 seconds.  Cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes.  Punch the dough down and divide into 10-12 equal size pieces.  Shape each piece into a smooth ball and place into a round, lightly greased 9- or 10-inch round baking dish, spacing evenly.  Cover and let rise in a warm (around 85 degrees), draft-free spot for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Mix together the melted butter and honey, and brush the tops of the rolls with the mixture.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the rolls are baked through.  Let cool slightly before serving.

Source: Annie’s Eats