Honey Whole Wheat Rolls

For the past few Thanksgivings, I've been the roll maker. And my family probably won't ask me to stop anytime soon thanks to this recipe from America's Test Kitchen's Bread Illustrated cookbook. 

This recipe is perfect for holidays because it’s a really straightforward dough and it can be prepared a day ahead of baking the rolls. On the day of, simply let the shaped dough sit at room temperature for 1 hour and bake for half an hour. This leaves plenty of time and kitchen space for things like turkey and taters. 

I also love the flavor and texture of these rolls. They are buttery, fluffy, and lightly sweet with a deep, wheaty flavor. After the rolls come out of the oven, the recipe calls for brushing them with butter and honey, which adds a classy (and delicious) shiny top to the rolls. 

Let me know what you think of the recipe and don't forget to follow the sustainability tips below!

Time: 3-4 hours

Makes: 15 rolls

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant or fast-acting yeast

• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt

• 1 3/4 cups whole milk

• 1 large egg

• 5 tablespoons butter, melted

• 6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon honey

• Egg wash

  •  1 egg plus a tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt 

Steps

1. Whisk together flours, salt and yeast in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Whisk together the milk, the egg, 4 tablespoons of butter and 5 tablespoons of honey in a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup. Start your mixer on low speed (or start stirring slowly with a large spoon) while you gradually add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Continue mixing until a cohesive dough forms. 

2. If using a stand mixer, turn the mixer up to medium speed and knead for 8 minutes, or until the dough pulls away from the sides but sticks to the bottom of the mixer. Then, transfer to a lightly floured countertop and form the dough in a taut ball. If you do not have a mixer, transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured counter and knead for about 15 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and springs back when poked. Transfer taut dough ball to a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size. 

3. Line a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with an aluminum foil sling lightly coated with oil. Punch down the dough to deflate and transfer to a lightly floured countertop. Form dough into a log about 15 inches long and cut into 15 equal pieces. Form each piece into a taut ball by dragging it with a cupped hand in a small circular motion on your countertop. Transfer dough balls to the prepared baking dish in 5 rows of 3 rolls. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until rolls are puffy and spring back when gently poked. (If you want to bake the rolls the next day, you can refrigerate unrisen rolls for 8-16 hours. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.) Heat oven to 350 F. 

4. Brush risen rolls with the egg wash and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until deeply golden brown on top. Let sit for 15 minutes, then brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon honey and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Dig in!

Sustainability Tips

• Flours: I like to buy King Arthur brand flour because King Arthur Flour is a B Corp, which means that they're held to a high environmental and social standard. Alternatively, you could seek out a farmer who grows and mills flour locally. Buying locally can help connect you to your local food system and cut back on the miles your food has to travel.

• Milk and butter: Since cows contribute a lot to climate change, I like to buy my dairy products from B Corps, which are held to really high environmental and social standards. You could also try out vegan butter options here for a dairy-free dish.

• Eggs: Local eggs are really easy to find if you look for them. Buying locally means your eggs won't have to travel as far, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.

• Honey: Local honey for the win! If you buy your honey locally, you can ask how the bees were treated and the honey won't have to travel a million miles (read: release a million emissions) to get to you.