As for me, I would make simple white dinner rolls and slather them with butter at mealtime.  My sweet wife, however, insists that my breads have some redeeming value … meaning whole grains and/or other good stuff like seeds , bran and the like.

Recently, I made some healthy dinner rolls and they were so good that I want to share them with you.  In fact, I think I would rather have these than a good, old, buttery cloverleaf roll … and that says a lot!

In this recipe, let’s use our stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.  If you don’t have one, you can find hand kneading instructions here.  I warn you, though, doughs with egg in them are sticky, and this one is.  Also, these are nice and soft because I have not included ground flax seeds, wheat bran or other coarse ingredients.  However, if you would like to add something along those lines, substitute 1/2 cup of the all purpose flour with 1/4 cup of ground flaxseeds and 1/4 cup of wheat bran.  Keep that proportion and you can use ground chia seeds or anything that floats your boat!

Typically, recipes for dinner roll dough heat the milk, sugar, butter and salt in a pan on the stove then you wait for it to cool before adding to the dry ingredients.  That procedure is just not necessary to get a wonderful outcome.  These instructions will show you a much simpler way.

Healthy Dinner Rolls

 

Author: Dennis Killebrew

Cuisine: American

Prep time:  1 hour 45 mins

Cook time:  20 mins

Total time:  2 hours 5 mins

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Ingredients

• 1½ Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
• ¾ Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 3 Ounces (By Volume) Corn Flour or Fine Corn Meal
• 3 Ounces Steel Cut Oats
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar (Turbinado or Brown Sugar if you have it)
• 2 Teaspoons Yeast or 1 Envelope
• ¾ Teaspoon Kosher or Sea Salt
• 3 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1 Egg
• 1 Cup Milk Warmed to 110 degrees.

Instructions

1. Measure the first 7 ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer. Stir to mix well.
2. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the dry ingredients.
3. Make an indentation (called a "well") in the center of the mixture and drop the egg into it. Use a fork to lightly beat the egg keeping it in the indentation as much as possible. Pour the milk over the egg.
4. Fit your mixer with the dough hook and start on Low speed. Allow mixing to continue for 6 minutes. The dough should come together and leave the sides of the bowl. Is the dough sticking to the bottom of the bowl constantly and look gooey? If so add a tablespoon of flour at a time and mix a bit until the goo is gone (a little sticking to the bottom is OK). If the dough doesn't come together but remains "crumbly", add 2 tablespoons of water at a time and give it a minute of mixing before adding 2 more. Be patient!
5. At the end of the mixing period, remove the dough and shape it into a ball and set aside for a moment. Wipe out your mixing bowl and add 1 tablespoon of oil to the empty bowl. Put the dough ball in it and turn to coat it with oil all around. Cover with plastic wrap, then a hand towel and put in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
6. While the dough is rising, grease 9 cups in a muffin pan with butter. You can do this by putting ½ of a thin butter pat into a cup and use your fingers to smear it around thoroughly.
7. When the dough is ready, knead it on a work surface for 1 minute. Cut the dough into 3 equal sized pieces and cut each piece into 3 more. Roll each piece into a ball between the palms of your hands; place each ball into a prepared muffin cup.
8. Cover the rolls with a hand towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven until lightly browned, about 18 - 20 minutes, more depending on altitude. But, don't just set a timer, keep an eye on your handiwork!!

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