40 Minute Whole Wheat Rolls

I had earmarked a Potato Cheddar Soup recipe from The Soup Sister's Cookbook. Knowing my family, serving soup without bread is just plain crazy! My no-knead breads require more time than I have since I started making dinner quite late. I needed bread or bread rolls that will be ready in under an hour. Then I recalled a recipe posted by Money Saving Mom for 30 minute rolls.

This recipe is great in a pinch and made about 35 rolls. I altered the recipe by using whole wheat flour and added more flour to the dough. I also froze 11 of the rolls for later, as our family of 3 knows no boundaries when it comes to freshly baked breads goods!

Makes: 35 to 45 rolls (depending on size)

Ingredients
3-1/2 cups warm water (115-120 degrees F)
1 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
4 tbsp active dry yeast or instant active yeast
3 eggs
1 tbsp salt
8-1/4 cups all purpose flour (I added an extra 2 tbsp of flour to the dough - see below)
2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Directions
1. In a stand mixer, beat together the warm water, oil and honey. Once it is fully combined, add yeast. Let stand for 15 minutes until the yeast blooms.

2. Beat in the eggs and salt on low speed until fully combined.

3. Using a dough nook, add in the flour and knead on high for 5 minutes until the dough pulls away from the bowl and the dough is "just tacky". This means the dough sticks to your hand but pulls away clean. I had to add two extra tablespoons of flour to get the dough to be just tacky.

4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or well greased baking sheet). Divide the dough and shape into rolls.

6. Allow the rolls to rise for 10 minutes. Bake for 8 to 14 minutes until the rolls are golden brown.

The yummy whole wheat rolls and potato cheddar soup!

Freezing Instructions
1. Place rolls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours.

If uniformity is important for you, use a kitchen scale to weigh each roll. I was going for the "rustic" look. :)

2. Once the rolls are frozen solid, transfer the rolls to a Ziploc bag, label and date.

To Defrost
Take the rolls out of the freezer 2 hours before baking. Bake at 425 for 8 to 14 minutes.
(Please note I am currently working on a quicker defrosting method. I will update this page once I have it finalized.)

Source: Slightly adapted from Money Saving Mom