Honey Yeast Rolls

If there is one thing I just cannot seem to resist, it's good bread. Putting a bread basket in front of me is very dangerous. The type of bread is irrelevant, as long as it is fresh and delicious. Since I love bread so much, (and really who doesn't?) I'm always searching for good recipes. One of my favorite ways to get my bread fix is by baking up some soft, squishy dinner rolls. I love the lightness and the sweetness of a simple, pillowy roll.

I printed this recipe several years ago when I first made it, but it has been a while and I didn't really remember what it was like. I decided that it was time to give it another go this past week, and I am so glad that I did. It's an easy recipe, and it makes a nice amount of simple dinner rolls. There is an optional honey butter glaze that I tried out and really loved. They are nice and sweet, which is how I like my rolls, and very soft. Adding the glaze turned them almost into dessert, it is delicious. If you don't want your rolls to be quite as sweet, just omit it. But if you're looking for a great dinner roll for your Thanksgiving dinner, give these a try. They would also be fabulous the next day for a nice turkey sandwich made with leftovers!

Mix up all the ingredients and do some kneading

Place the dough in a bowl and let rise for a 

few hours

Two hours later; risen and ready to go

Turn out onto a floured board

Knead a few times and then let rest

for a few minutes

Cut it up into pieces, I did 16, but you could

do 10-12 depending on how big

you want them

Place in a greased dish and let rise

(mine didn't all fit in one pan, 

maybe a 9x13 would work?)

Nice and poofy

Brush on the butter honey glaze if 

desired

And bake until golden brown

Honey Yeast Rolls
From: A Cookie a Day
Ingredients
Rolls

• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast 
• 1 cup warm water 
• 4 cups bread flour 
• 1/4 cup honey 
• 3 tablespoons oil 
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 egg, lightly beaten 

Glaze(optional)

• 1 tablespoons butter 
• 1 tablespoons honey 

Directions
In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the yeast and warm water. Stir in the honey, egg and oil. Add 3 cups of the flour and the salt and mix until the dough comes together in a sticky mass.

Knead for about 8 minutes while working in the remaining cup of flour until the dough is smooth and elastic, tacky but not too sticky. Do not add too much flour, you want the dough to be soft and supple so the rolls turn out nice and tender instead of dense and tough.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise until it doubles in bulk, about 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 30 seconds. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 10-12 equal pieces (or however many you want, I did 16). Shape each piece into a ball and place in a lightly oiled pan or baking sheet. Cover and let rise for about 20 minutes.

Mix together the honey and butter. Brush the mixture on top of the rolls and bake at 400 degrees for 13-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Pretzel Rolls

During college, one of my favorite lunches in the dining hall was a deli sandwich on a pretzel roll. I just love sandwiches to begin with, and making one on a chewy, salty pretzel bun brings the meal to a whole new level. When I realized that I could make pretzel rolls myself I got very excited. What's even more exciting is how quick and easy they are to make. They don't require an extended kneading time, or hours of rising. In fact, you can whip these up in about an hour and a half.

This recipe makes twelve nice sized pretzel rolls; you can shape them into a basic roll or twist them into a pretzel shape. I've done both, and they are both wonderful. Slice one in half and load with your favorite meats and cheeses, or just grab one for a quick snack, dipped in some mustard or sharp cheddar cheese sauce. Whatever you end up doing with them they are bound to be delicious!

Soft, chewy and salty with a hint of sweet

Mix up the dough

Cut into 12 equal pieces

Let rest for a few minutes under a damp cloth

(or paper towel)

Start shaping

When they're all shaped, let them rest for about 30 minutes

A little later; nice and poofy

Prepare the water bath; boiling water and lots of baking soda (it makes the water really foamy at first, don't worry, it'll settle down)

Boil the rolls for 30 seconds each

All wrinkly from their bath

Load up on the salt

And bake

Beautiful and tasty

Pretzels Rolls
Adapted from food.com
Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups warm water 
• 2 tablespoons warm milk 
• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast 
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar 
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted 
• 4 cups flour 
• kosher salt or pretzel salt 
• 2 quarts cold water 
• 1/2 cup baking soda 

Directions
In a medium bowl mix together mix together the water, milk, sugar and melted butter. Swirl to dissolve the sugar.

In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together the flour and yeast. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and knead together until it forms a nice firm, pliable dough ball.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured table and roll into a 2 foot long log. Cut the log into 12 even pieces. Cover the dough pieces with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Pat the dough into rolls or form knots and arrange on a lightly floured surface about an inch apart. Cover lightly with oiled plastic wrap. Let the pretzels rest for an additional 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large stockpot, bring water to a rolling boil and add baking soda. Drop two rolls into the boiling water and boil for no more then 30 seconds, turning once. Carefully remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and hold above pot and let drain. Place on prepared baking sheets and sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat with the remaining rolls.

Bake rolls for 8-10 minutes or until brown all over. Shift pans from top to bottom and back to front halfway through baking. Let rolls cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.