40-Minute Yeast Rolls

I told you we make them huge!

This is my no-frills, very basic yeast roll recipe, and it is fabulous.  I use white whole-wheat flour in my house for just about everything, but have used enriched all-purpose flour too.  These rolls, when made small, are great for family dinners and potlucks (recipe yields 20-24 small pull-apart rolls), but we make 6-9 huge rolls with each batch of dough for burgers, sandwiches, etc.
Another note.... they rise for 40 minutes.  Total time, start to finish, is less than an hour, but a bit more than 40 minutes.  Sorry for any confusion.

To market, to market:
7 tsp active-dry yeast (if you're using the packets, just use 3 of them)
1 cup plus 1 T very warm water (not hot, or you'll kill the yeast- think baby's bathwater temp)
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar (depends on how sweet you want them, I go with 1/3 cup)
1/4 tsp salt
2-3 cups white whole wheat flour (if you use AP flour, that is FINE- just realize it may take another half cup of flour to get the right consistency, as white/processed flour is "wetter" than whole wheat)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast and warm water.  Let sit for 5 minutes, until yeast dissolves and is quite frothy.  Add oil, sugar and salt, and stir to combine.  Add 2 cups of the flour, and mix on low speed until smooth.  Change to a dough hook, and set the mixer to low, adding flour a tablespoon at a time, until a smooth, elastic dough is achieved (the dough will still be tacky/slightly sticky).  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (the ultimate in quick-cleanup baking! love!) or spray baking sheet with a bit of canola oil spray.  Roll dough into balls (about the size of golf balls for small dinner rolls, or about the size of baseballs for sandwich buns) and place on baking sheet spaced 1/2 to 1 inch apart.  As the dough rises, the rolls will start to touch.  This is fine! It yields a higher rise.  Lay a clean tea towel (dish towel?) over the rolls, and let rise in a warm spot for 40 minutes.  Remove towel and bake at 425 degrees for 7-9 minutes.  Done!

Dough prior to rising

Dough after rising

More notes:  Letting the dough rise for longer is fine, but don't exceed 70 minutes.  It tends to go downhill from there, in taste and appearance, rather quickly.
I coat my hands in cooking spray to roll out the dough.  Less sticky that way.
If you don't have a warm place to let your dough rise, try this:  When you start making the dough, turn your oven on to 350, for just one minute.  Then turn off the oven, and open the door a bit.  When you're ready to let the rolls rise, feel one of the racks in the oven to make sure it is not hot, just warm, and place your rolls on the rack to rise, shutting the oven door.  Using this method, you don't have to cover them with a towel, and I don't even preheat the oven when it's time to bake.  I just make sure they've risen enough, turn the oven on, and pull them out 9 minutes later.  How easy is that?!?!

Butternut Squash Dinner Rolls

Alright, ladies and gentlemen- this is epic, so bookmark this page.  Here, I give you my best yeast roll recipe, perfect for wowwing basically everyone.
Tastes: Sweet and yeasty (in a good way), with a hint of squash flavor
Reminds me of: Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners- decadent!
Make it a meal:  These are great for sandwiches or burgers, or as a side to accompany soup and salad

A NOTE BEFOREHAND:
This recipe makes 40-50 bun-sized rolls.  It halves or quarters very well, and if you are using a stand mixer to make your dough, I suggest at least halving the recipe.  Otherwise, proceed with caution, because it will take your Kitchenaid to its limits.  It sure does for mine!
ALSO
You can use pureed (cooked) sweet potatoes or pumpkin in place of the butternut squash.  All are wonderful, but we tend to always have at least one butternut squash on hand at all times (such a long shelf life) so that is how I make them.  To make the puree, I roast a squash on foil in the oven for 1-2 hours at 350 degrees.  Let it cool completely, then halve, scoop out the pulp, and mash by hand, puree in a blender, or use an immersion blender.  Freeze what you don't use now, and thaw it later to make more tasty treats.  The same works for sweet potatoes or pumpkin.

You'll need:
2 cups pureed butternut squash
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water
2 cups warm milk (I use skim- it's just fine either way)
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
2.5 Tbsp yeast (yes, it is a lot, I know)
2 cups whole wheat
9-10 cups all purpose flour

Combine first 6 ingredients in the bowl of your blender and mix well.  Add yeast, whole wheat flour, and 6 cups of the all purpose flour.  Mix, then switch to a dough hook, or turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface and incorporate the remaining AP flour, until the dough is elastic and slightly tacky, but not sticky.  Transfer the dough to a very large oiled bowl, turn to coat with oil, then cover with a towel and let rise in a warm spot  for 90 minutes.  Punch the dough down, divide in quarters, then divide each quarter into 12 balls and place balls on a greased baking sheet about an in apart.  Spray tops lightly with cooking spray, then cover each tray with a clean towel and let rise for another 45 minutes.  Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove from oven, brush tops with orange juice glaze (instructions below) if desired,  and return to oven for another 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and let rolls cool, then remove from baking sheets.  Delicious on their own, or for a dessert-like treat, serve with orange butter (instructions below).

Orange Juice Glaze and Orange Butter:
The glaze seals moisture into the rolls, and makes them better for slicing or reheating. Combine 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan.  Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and brush over the tops of the rolls, reserving the rest of the glaze to make orange butter.  For this, combine the remaining glaze with 6 tablespoons butter, and stir until butter has melted.  Refrigerate until solid (or mostly solid) then beat with an electric mixer until whipped and smooth.  Serve on rolls.

Fresh Cranberry Pecan Bread

Tastes: Tart, moist, and sweet
Reminds me of:  The muffins from Alpine Bagel in college.  Hallelujah, what muffins!

To market, to market:
2 cups AP flour
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts if you prefer, but pecans lend a sweeter taste to the bread)
1 cup chopped cranberries (you can use up to 1/2 cup more if you like, and the recipe still works great)
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter
zest of one lemon (or orange)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9x5 loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans.  Combine all ingredients until blended, but do not overmix.  Pour into pan(s) and bake 50-55 minutes for a large loaf or 35-40 minutes for small loaves.  Remove from oven when top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool in pans, slice just before serving for moister bread.