Thanksgiving Oatmeal Pumpkin Rolls
Author: 
Recipe type: Baking
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: About 28 rolls
 
Fresh out of the oven, the rolls are nicely fluffy inside and will stand up to the rest of the menu rather than disappear into the background
Ingredients
  • 2 cups lukewarm water
  • 1 tablespoon granulated yeast (See Note)
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • Plus 2 tablespoons butter for brushing rolls
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • ¾ cup whole wheat flour
  • ¾ cup rye flour
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
  1. Mix yeast and salt with water, 5 tablespoons of melted butter and honey in a 6-quart bowl or lidded (not airtight) food container.
  2. Add rolled oats, pumpkin puree, and flours and stir with a wooden spoon until all the flour disappears into the dough. Do not knead. You may, however, find it easier to mix all the ingredients together if you use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.
  3. Cover the container lightly and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately two hours. You may use the dough immediately after this initial rise but taste better with some time in the refrigerator and will handle easier when cold. Dough can be refrigerated and used as needed over the next seven days.
  4. On baking day, butter one or more 8-inch round baking pans, depending on how many rolls you want to bake. A pan will hold eight rolls.
  5. For each pan, cut off a 1-pound ball of dough, about the size of a grapefruit, and divide into eight 2-ounce pieces. (A kitchen scale helps immensely with this step.) Quickly shape each piece of dough into a ball, stretching the top smooth and pinching the dough together on the bottoms, and place in the baking pan, bottom side down.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and allow the rolls to rest for 30 minutes while the oven is heating. Just before baking, Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter and use it to brush the tops of rolls before putting them into oven. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
  7. If you like, you can partially bake the rolls ahead of time. Remove them from the oven when they’re just starting to brown and firm to the touch. Return to the hot oven before serving and allow to brown completely.
  8. Brush again with melted butter and serve slightly warm if possible.
  9. Note: Use whatever dry yeast is available, whether it’s labeled granulated, active dry, instant, quick rise, or bread machine yeast. It all works well.
Recipe by THE SKILLET CHRONICLES at https://www.skilletchronicles.com/content/thanksgiving-sides-part-three/