Honey Wheat Rolls
By: Yuna Wu
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 11:17pm

Ingredients




2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup instant mashed potato flakes
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk

Preparation

1 Dissolve yeast with a pinch of sugar in 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm water. 2 Let the yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded. 3 Combine the dissolved yeast with the remainder of the water and the rest of the ingredients. Mix and knead everything together till you've made a smooth dough. 4 If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take about 5 to 7 minutes at second speed. 5 Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. 6 Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise, at room temperature, till it's quite puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes to 2 hours. 7 Rising may take longer, especially if you've kneaded by hand. 8 Give it enough time to become quite puffy. 9 While the dough is rising, lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, or two 9" round cake pans. 10 Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface. 11 Divide it into 16 pieces. 12 Shape each piece into a rough ball by pulling the dough into a very small knot at the bottom (think of a balloon with its opening knotted), then rolling it under the palm of your hand into a smooth ball. 13 Place the rolls in the 9" x 13" pan, or put eight rolls in each of the round cake pans, spacing them evenly; they won't touch one another. 14 Cover the pans with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the rolls to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. They'll become very puffy, and will reach out and touch one another. 15 While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. 16 Bake the rolls for 15 minutes, and tent them loosely with aluminum foil. 17 Continue to bake until they're mahogany-brown on top, but lighter colored on the sides, an additional 10 to 13 minutes. 18 Remove the rolls from the oven, and after 2 or 3 minutes, carefully transfer them to a rack. 19 Serve warm, or at room temperature.