Soft, flavorful and full of whole grain goodness. From Sally's Baking Addiction.
Ingredients:
1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
2 and 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (cut into 4 pieces)
1/3 cup (113g) honey
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 and 1/2 cups (420g) whole wheat flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for kneading/shaping
Topping
2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons honey
sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions:
Make the dough: Pour the warm milk over yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Or, if you don’t have a stand mixer, a regular large mixing bowl. Whisk together, cover bowl with a towel, and allow to sit for 5 minutes. The mixture will be frothy and foamy after 5 minutes.
On low speed, beat in the softened butter until it is slightly broken up. Then beat in the honey, eggs, and salt. The butter won’t really be mixing into the mixture, so don’t be alarmed if it stays in pieces.
On low speed, gradually add the flour. Once it is all added, beat on medium speed until a soft dough forms.
Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 6-7 more minutes. The dough should pull away from the edges of the mixing bowl. Poke it with your finger; it should gently bounce back. If the dough is too sticky, add more whole wheat flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until it pulls away from the bowl and you have the right texture. *If you do not have a stand-mixer with a hook attachment, knead the dough by hand in this step.*
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands for 1 minute.
Form the dough into a ball, coat your mixing bowl with olive oil, and place the dough back in and turn it over so all sides of the dough are coated with the oil.
Cover the dough/bowl loosely with a towel, or Bees Wrap and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5 – 2 hours.
Here’s what I do: turn the oven on to 150°F (66°C). Once heated to that temperature, turn the oven off. Stick the covered dough inside the oven and allow it to rise in this warm environment.
Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
Shape the rolls: Punch the dough down to release any air bubbles and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.
Using floured hands, stretch the dough into a 9×13 rectangle (doesn’t need to be exact, it can be a little smaller).
Use a pizza cutter and cut into 15 rolls. Arrange in prepared pan.
Loosely cover the rolls and allow to rise in a warm environment again until puffy and double in size, about 1 hour.
Bake the rolls: Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C). Bake rolls for about 25 minutes or until they are golden brown. About halfway through the bake time, I like to cover the rolls loosely with aluminum foil so the tops don’t brown too much.
Remove pan from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
Top the rolls: Meanwhile, mix the melted butter and honey together. Brush over warm rolls. Sprinkle with sea salt. Serve warm.
Cover any leftover rolls and store at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
