I am definitely less than prepared for Easter recipes. What can I say? Knowing that I work this weekend, I have not been planning any big meals for the day, and it sneaked up on me.
So, if you haven't planned ahead (like me) and find that you may have used all your eggs for other purposes (hard boiled eggs, deviled eggs, omelets for breakfast/dinner), you will be glad to know that you can still make these rolls for Easter dinner. Soft, light, whole wheat, quick. There are lots of adjectives that describe these rolls. The recipe is originally from Finding Joy in My Kitchen. In her post, SnoWhite states that she adapted her hamburger bun recipe to come up with these great rolls.
As you can see from my pictures, I originally made them to accompany a soup we made this past winter, but they'd work equally as well as with any meal. One of the things you'll notice about this recipe is quite a bit more yeast than usual (1 pkt = 2-1/4 teaspoons). Just go with it. I promise. Enjoy and have a Happy Easter!
(Printable Recipe)
Quick Whole Wheat Rolls
From Finding Joy in My Kitchen (adapted from Lynn's Kitchen Adventure)
Ingredients:
1-1/2 Tbsp. yeast
1 cup + 1 Tbsp. warm water
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 cups white whole wheat flour
Place the warm water in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water. Let sit for 3-5 minutes until the yeast is foamy. Add the oil, sugar, and salt. Mix in the flour, one cup at a time, stirring until incorporated into the dough (may need to add extra flour - add just until the dough comes together).
Remove the paddle attachment and add the dough hook. Knead the dough on low for 3-5 minutes (can also do this by hand if desired) until well formed. Divide the dough into 9-12 sections and roll into balls. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and cover with a towel to avoid drafts. Set in a warm place and allow the rolls to rise for about 20 minutes.
While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on a wire cooling rack for about 5 minutes. Enjoy warm.
Finally, I have the second recipe that I made from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Obviously, I didn't get the rolls posted yesterday as promised, but I hope these little guys will be worth the wait. I made them other night to pair with an Italian-style dish, and they really are as simple as they sound. I can assure you that I am not an avid bread baker. I'm a novice at best, but I am hooked on this method. I talked quite a bit about this book in my last post. I don't own this book yet. As of now, I have only borrowed it from the library, but it has certainly earned itself a place on my wish list.
The biggest downside to these recipes is that you have to plan ahead because the dough needs to sit out at room temperature for awhile before you can bake it, but time seems to be something that bread requires. If you're going to make bread with the traditional method, it takes time too. The rolls turned out great. My only change for the future may be to make sure that I don't have any parsley in the oil that I brush onto the rolls since the parsley pieces got pretty dark in the oven while the rolls were baking. I still have half of my bread dough left in the refrigerator, and after the results of these recipes, I'm excited to see what the other recipes will bring!
(Printable Recipe)
Whole Grain Garlic Knots with Parsley and Olive Oil
From Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Ingredients:
1 lb. (grapefruit-sized portion) Master dough recipe
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 c. finely minced parsley
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan-Pecorino Romano
In a skillet, saute the parsley and garlic in olive oil for about 4 minutes over medium heat, until the garlic is soft and the mixture is aromatic. Add more olive oil if mixture looks too dry, because you need to brush this on the rolls.
Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray for holding water on any other rack that won't interfere with the rising knots.
Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and divide the dough into five 3-ounce pieces (about the size of a small peach). Dust each one with more flour and quickly shape into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating each ball a quarter-turn as you go. Elongate each ball into a rope a little less than 1/2-inch in diameter, and tie it into a knot. Allow the knots to rest for 30 minutes, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on an olive oil-greased cookie sheet, parchment paper, or a silicone mat.
Drizzle the knots with the olive oil, garlic, and parsley mixture. Sprinkle the cheese over the knots. Place the cookie sheet on the stone, pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 20 minutes, until browned and firm. Serve slightly warm.
Yield: 5 knots
