Oatmeal Dinner Rolls

This is a recipe I discovered while visiting my parents a few weeks ago. My Mom loves these whole grain rolls (she substitutes half of the flour with whole wheat flour), because they're still light and soft enough that they don't taste as heavy as other whole grain breads. They've got a soft, slightly chewy texture and the flavor the butter and brown sugar brings to them is unique and delicious! We served these to guests who eagerly gobbled them up and wanted to know the recipe. We were feeling kind of lazy when we made these, so we didn't put any effort into rolling them out or shaping them, but even still they're pretty in their own simple way.


The ingredients:

2-1/3 cups water, divided

1 cup oatmeal

2/3 cup brown sugar

3 Tbs. butter

1-1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. active dry yeast

4-5 cups flour (I used half white, half whole wheat)

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to boil. Stir in oats; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 1 minute.

Stir in brown sugar, butter, salt, and remaining water (1/3 cup). Transfer to a mixing bowl; let stand until mixture reaches 110-115 degrees ( I run my mixer to help cool it off). Stir in yeast. Add 3 cups flour; beat well. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; (or knead in mixer) and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down; shape into 24 rolls. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks. Makes 2 dozen.

Enjoy!