Mostly Whole Wheat Rolls

Connie's Rolls
(This recipe makes about 8 big sandwich rolls.)

1 cup warm water or leftover potato water (i.e. water used to boil potatoes in--makes tender rolls, but not totally necessary)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup brown or raw sugar
3 T. butter
1 egg
1 T. yeast
Whole wheat (I usually use freshly ground wheat, but I've made them with bagged wheat from Kroger and they still turned out very well)
unbleached white flour

Put the water in the mixing bowl. Add salt, sugar, butter. Let the butter melt. (If butter is cold the water will need to be pretty warm, almost hot).

Add enough whole wheat flour to make a thick paste. Stir well. Add egg and yeast. Stir vigorously.

Add unbleached flour slowly and stir in. When too thick to stir, turn out on floured board and knead.

Knead for 5-10 min, keeping the dough soft, but not too sticky.

Let rise in covered bowl until about double. Punch down.

Let rise again until double. Punch down. Let rest 5-10 min.

Shape into desired shapes. For hamburger buns, pat dough on floured surface and cut with upside down drinking glass. (I usually just roll these into the shape I would like. I find that I make them too thick or too thin when I roll them and use a cutter) Transfer to greased cookie sheet. Cover with tea towel. Let rise until light. Put in preheated 375 degree oven. Bake for 10 min. Butter tops when out of oven.

I would love to say that these freeze well, but they are really best fresh and keep well for a few days at room temp in a sealed container. These are great with burgers, chicken salad, and even good ole pb&j. I made these a lot before I got my heavy duty mixer. They are a great alternative to store bought breads and are very easy.

When you plan to make these, it is best to allow plenty of time. If I'm going to make them for dinner at 6, I usually start making them around noon so that they will be out of the oven and out of my way.

If you have any questions, shoot me a comment or email and I'm happy to help!

In the pic below, the rolls are toward the bottom of the table. I am no perfectionist, so you can see what the rolls look like when a non-chef prepares them. :)