Dreamy Light Wheat Rolls

Thanksgiving this year was a pretty special event.  This has been an exciting year for our family and we have so much to be thankful for- not the least of which was the ability to have family with whom we have never before had the chance to celebrate the holidays come visit our home.

It was wonderful.

I bought a 22 lb turkey (again) because I have serious issues.  My husband shook his head and asked me why we needed that much bird.

Um, go big or go home when it comes to Thanksgiving, dude.  That's my philosophy.

Anyway we decided that we would smoke the turkey and in the interest of saving on cook time I suggested that we spatchcock the beast- that's really just a fancy way of saying that you remove the backbone and butterfly it.

I have zero experience spatchcocking anything muchless 22 lb poultry specimens.  Not to mention the fact that touching raw poultry is pretty much my least favorite thing to do ever.  Thankfully my sister-in-law is a good sport and she decided she was up to the task.  I pulled up spatchcocking directions (isn't that just a fun word?), handed her the kitchen shears, and stood back.

Way back.

I've got to say, I was impressed- and sooooo thankful that I didn't have to do it myself.  She did VERY well.

Anyway, while she was in charge of the dirty work (and lots of other stuff- boy was it fun to work together this year!) I was in charge of the rolls.

I usually make homemade crescent rolls for Thanksgiving dinner but this year I felt like trying something new.  I came across a recipe for Light Wheat Rolls and they were just so swirly and pretty that I knew I had to give them a try.

I used King Arthur Whole Wheat White flour and the dough was an absolute dream to work with.  

Soft, silky, and pliable.  After the dough rises it's rolled out and cut into strips, which are then rolled up and placed in greased muffin tins for their second rise and to bake.

My only complaint about the original recipe is that it was lacking a little salt- :-) but I've fixed that.

That dough was just too lovely to walk away from!

These would be a great recipe to make with kids since rolling out the dough and then rolling the strips to shape the rolls is super easy and fun too.  This is definitely one of the easiest doughs I've ever worked with!

Light Wheat Rolls

Modified slightly from Allrecipes.com

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup salted butter, melted and cooled

1 egg, beaten

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup salted butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. Mix sugar, salt, 1/4 cup melted butter, egg, and whole wheat flour into yeast mixture. Stir in all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

3. Punch down dough, cover, and let rise in warm place until doubled again, about 30 minutes.

Grease 2 dozen muffin cups. Punch down dough, and divide into two equal portions. Roll each into a 6x14 inch rectangle, and cut rectangle into twelve 7x1 inch strips. Roll strips up into spirals, and place into muffin cups. Brush tops with melted butter. Let rise uncovered in a warm place 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and brush again with melted butter.