When Life Isn't A Piece of Cake....Bake one.
I think donuts are one of my new obsessions. It's one of the few things that my husband loves. But in order for it to make the cut, has to be a yeast raised donut. There's something to a puffy, chewy, crisp crust that makes it pure decadence. Add a citrusy sweet glaze and these Key Lime Yeast Donuts are seriously Da Bomb! Now, that I've dated myself... lets move on...
Read MoreI Love the Smell of Yeast...
Sounds so weird, but its true. A co worker of mine always laughed at the phrase "Yeast rolls" because it reminded her of other...things... but not me. I thought Yeast rolls sounded amazing. Yeasted baked goods are my absolute favorite. Yeast Donuts vs Cake Donuts? No contest, Yeast! Pillowy soft Krispy Kremes or Fluffy Donut Plant Donuts are THE BEST. Yeast just makes everything better. So when it comes to rolls, YEAST PLEASE.
Some may think yeast sounds scary or hard to work with. And it kinda is. But once you get the hang of it and smell your first gloriously puffy, feathery light bake... you're hooked. My mom use to bake all the time when we were kids, but she had never touched a yeast recipe in her life. With all the kneading and resting and shaping and more resting, it was just too time consuming. She wanted the instant mix and bake results that you can get with a quick bread or cupcake. But I absolutely love it. The smell, the feel of dough, the satisfaction of a beautiful rise. It's like an addiction. Once I started, I wanted more. It's also a great stress reliever. (You'll see that I use that excuse for every aspect of baking.) Forget that kinetic sand, stress ball stuff. Just knead some dough! Works everytime plus you get some great bread for dinner!
On the weekends I try to prep meals for the week. It makes it easier for my mom who watches my kids and makes dinner for them while I sit on my commuter bus for nearly 2 hours every evening. Thank goodness for her! So I want to try and help as much as I can. This week, one of the dinners for the week is Sausage and Kale soup. Kids love it. But I can never just eat soup. To me its like drinking water for dinner. I always need some sort of carb. And bread is by far everyone's preferred form of carb. So with this soup, I decided to make Honey Wheat pull apart rolls. I found the recipe from Cooking Light, and this has been the most successful wheat roll I've ever tried. And I've tried ALOT of them. It was pretty easy, though the rise times were a bit longer than most recipes at 1.5 hours. But on a lazy Sunday afternoon, it was just the thing! I found the recipe to be a bit salty, so I'm adjusting it in the recipe here. Soft honey wheat dinner rolls, baked in a spring form pan makes it all the easier!
*Adapted from Cooking Light
Yields 12 rolls
1 pkg. dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp.)
3 tablespoons warm 1% low-fat milk (100°F to 110°F)
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
2 large eggs
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
4 ounces white whole-wheat flour (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons water
1 large egg yolk
Dissolve yeast in warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; let stand 5 minutes. Add butter, honey, and 2 eggs to milk mixture; beat at low speed 1 minute or until combined. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and salt in a bowl. Add half of flour mixture to milk mixture; beat at low speed until combined, scraping down sides of bowl with spatula as needed. Remove paddle attachment; insert dough hook. Add remaining half of flour mixture; beat at medium-low speed 4 minutes or until combined.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead 5 minutes or until smooth. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°F), free from drafts, 1 hour and 15 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press 2 fingers into dough. If indentation remains, it has risen enough).Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 12 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time (cover remaining pieces to avoid drying), gently roll into a smooth ball. Place rolls in a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, leaving space between rolls. Cover and let rise 1 hour and 15 minutes or until almost doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine 2 teaspoons water and egg yolk in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Brush rolls with egg mixture; discard remaining egg mixture. Bake 13 minutes or until golden. Place pan on a wire rack; cool 5 minutes. Remove sides from pan; cool completely.
