Allrecipes: Light Wheat Rolls

Somehow whenever Thanksgiving rolls around, I manage to talk myself into making all sorts of big dishes that end up with a long suffering cook barely on her feet.  I really need to get control of my bravura, because this is getting out of hand.  But why have those nasty little pre-made shelf-stable rolls when you can turn these puppies out in a couple of hours?

These are really pretty simple to make, especially considering that they are in fact yeast rolls.  Whenever I'm struggling with a way to proof the dough (no, I don't have one of those fancy ovens with the proofing setting), I just pull out my handy heating pad.  Under the bowl it goes, and my dough is nice and toasty and happy.

Light Wheat Rolls
From allrecipes.com

2 (¼-ounce) packages active dry yeast
1¾ cups warm water
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, beaten
2¼ cups whole wheat flour
2½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Mix the sugar, salt, melted butter, egg, and whole wheat flour into the yeast mixture. Stir in the all-purpose flour, ½ cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn the dough to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch down dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled again, about 30 minutes. Grease a baking sheet. Punch down dough and divide into two equal portions. Roll each portion into a 6x14-inch strip and cut into twelve squares. Roll the squares into balls and place in rows on the baking sheet. Bruch the tops with melted butter. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm place, for 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake the rolls for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush again with melted butter.

Makes 24 rolls