Wheat Rolls in a Breadmaker

Yes, Virginia, it's perfectly okay to use your breadmaker to make dinner rolls. That's what the dough setting is for.

Inspired by the Lion House in Salt Lake City I wanted to try my hand and making dinner rolls. Because I'm on a current health kick, that will likely end in the next five minutes only to be taken up again next week, I decided to increase the fiber content of the original recipes I'd found by exchanging half the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour and replace some saturated fats with the unsaturated kind. I refuse to give up a soft texture and yummy flavor, though. These aren't exactly “healthy,” but compared to the original recipes that inspired them, they're bit better for you.

Ingredients

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon wheat gluten
1/4 teaspoon dough conditioner
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons non-fat dry milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

olive oil as needed, before cooking
melted butter as needed, after cooking

Directions

Put the first ten ingredients in your breadmaker in the order listed. At least, that's the order for such things in my bread maker. Set it to the “dough” cycle and let it run. Mine takes just over an hour so feel free to put in a DVD or tune the TV into a cooking show while you wait.

Okay, dear. I guess I could wash the dishes.

At the end of the cycle, remove the dough from the pan and place it in a bowl that has been greased with olive oil. Turn the dough to coat evenly. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size (about an hour).


Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a floured counter top or cutting board. Punch the dough down and roll out into an 18 inch by 8 inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle into eighteen pieces as shown in the diagram on the left.

Drizzle olive oil over the dough, and roll each piece up, from the short end. Transfer to a floured baking sheet, cover, and proof until double in size. (In case you don't know, "proofing" is another word for the final rise.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place on the center rack of the oven and bake for about 12 minutes or until golden.

Remove from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter or more olive oil.

Makes 18 rolls.