Oatmeal Dinner Rolls w/Honey Butter

This dinner roll recipe was given to me by a very good friend. She got the original recipe from a magazine, but tweaked it a bit to her liking. She said this one recipe alone was worth all the years she paid to subscribe to the magazine - lol. Anyway, I don’t know how she tweaked the recipe, but it’s perfect. The rolls are soft, billowy, and just slightly sweet like a good dinner roll should be. We especially like to eat them while they’re still warm, slathered with homemade honey butter.

Disclaimer: My photos for this post aren’t as sharp as usual. I had been messing with my camera settings one evening and completely forgot to reset them during this shoot the next day. Normally I would reshoot the photos, but I had been promising this recipe to my newsletter subscribers for a couple of months, and now that we’re eating low-carb, I probably won’t make it again until next year so, against my better judgement, I’m posting them as-is because I know many of my blog visitors find step-by-step photos helpful. Thanks for understanding!

This amazing roll recipe starts with old fashioned oats….

As well as salt, butter, and brown sugar.

The oats are cooked in boiling water for a full minute…

I love watching oats plump up as they cook.

Then the oat mixture is removed from the heat so the salt, butter, and brown sugar can be stirred in.

Set the oatmeal mixture aside for now.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm water and instant yeast (bread machine or quick/rapid-rise yeast can be substituted).

Add the oatmeal mixture to the bowl…

Stir to combine.

Next add the first portion of all purpose flour.

Using the dough hook, mix until it’s almost fully incorporated.

Add the remaining addition of flour and mix until combined.

After the 2nd mixing, the dough should look like this.

Continue kneading for 6 minutes until the dough looks like this. Place dough in a covered, oiled bowl and allow to rise for 1 hour (this is an excellent time to pull out your bread proofing box - otherwise, place in a warm, draft-free place).

Divide dough into 12 portions and roll each into a dinner roll using a cupped hand (fingers curved down towards your work surface). Place the rolls evenly on an oiled quarter sheet pan; cover with oiled plastic wrap and rise for 45-60 additional minutes, then bake until golden brown. Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• pure vanilla bean paste https://amzn.to/3HhfWXZ

• instant yeast https://amzn.to/3GGrZgE

• bread machine yeast https://amzn.to/3gFFSkp

• quick/rapid-rise yeast https://amzn.to/3Jo9PlB

• bread proofing box https://amzn.to/3svSmkc

• instant read thermometer https://amzn.to/2VCVKLG

• stand mixer https://amzn.to/3BleoKv

• quarter sheet pan https://amzn.to/2WentiN

• pastry brush https://amzn.to/2GS8bek

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Oatmeal Dinner Rolls

makes 12 dinner rolls

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup water

• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats

• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon table salt

• 3 tablespoons warm water (105-115F)

• 2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (aka bread machine, quick, or rapid rise yeast)

• 2 1/2 - 3 cups all purpose flour

• optional: melted butter

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil; add quick cooking oats and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 full minute, then remove from heat.

2. Stir in butter, brown sugar, and salt; set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 3 tablespoons warm water, yeast, and oatmeal mixture; stir to combine.

4. Using the dough hook, add 1 1/2 cups of flour and knead on speed 2 stir until combined.

5. Turn off the mixer and add another 1 cup of flour; turn mixer on speed 2 and knead for 6 minutes (dough should clean the sides of the bowl after the flour is fully incorporated - if not, slowly add up to 1/2 cup more flour).

6. Remove bowl from stand mixer and remove dough hook from dough; cover bowl and allow dough to rise until it doubles, about 1 hour.

7. Divide dough into 12 equal portions and shape each into a roll; place rolls on a greased quarter sheet pan, cover with oiled plastic wrap, and rest for 30 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to 350F and place rack in center position.

9. Bake rolls, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes.

10. Optional: brush tops with melted butter after removing from oven.

Note

• Rolls can be formed and frozen before baking. Thaw/rise on counter for 4 hours, then bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes.

Homemade Honey Butter

makes 12 servings

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature

• 4 tablespoons your favorite honey

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or pure vanilla extract)

Directions

1. Place the butter, honey, and vanilla bean paste in a small mixing bowl and whip until combined with a hand mixer.

Notes

• Honey butter can be made ahead and frozen. Wrap well in double layer of plastic wrap for up to 3 months (or in vacuum sealed bag for longer).

• Instant yeast, bread machine yeast, and quick/rapid-rise yeast can be used interchangeably.

Apple Cinnamon and Maple Granola

I love granola, but I can't stand how expensive it is to purchase when you consider how inexpensive it is to make yourself... and you can customize it to suit your taste.  This is my adaptation of a David Lebovitz adaptation of a Nigella Lawson recipe - don't you love how that happens?  It's pretty tasty as is, but feel free to switch it up by changing the nuts and spices, or by adding any number of dried fruits - you could even add things like wheat germ, chia seeds, ground flax, or hemp seeds.  Just be sure the mixture isn't too dry when you put it in the oven - it should be wet enough to form clumps.  Also, I like to add dried fruits AFTER baking.

Here we have old fashioned oats, chopped almonds, sesame seeds, grown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.

Add a mixture of maple syrup, applesauce, oil, and vanilla that has been heated slightly.  Stir until well mixed and no dry ingredients remain.

Divide the mixture on two half sheet pans and place in a preheated 300F oven for 45 minutes, stirring and switching pan positions every 15 minutes (the pans should be placed on the upper center and lower center racks).  You want there to be some clumps, but break up any clumps that are too large.

Remove from oven and cool completely before placing in an airtight container for up to a month.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• half sheet pans https://amzn.to/3Jkmk1d

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Apple Cinnamon and Maple Granola

makes 12 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 5 cups old fashioned rolled oats

• 1 cup almonds, chopped

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger

• 1 teaspoon fine salt

• 3/4 cup applesauce

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

3. In a small saucepan, heat together the applesauce, syrup, oil, and pure vanilla extract.

4. Pour the heated applesauce mixture over the oat mixture and mix well to combine.

5. Divide oat mixture evenly over 2 half sheet pans and place in upper and lower middle racks.

6. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring and switching rack positions every 15 minutes; breaking up very large clumps as needed.

7. Remove from oven and cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

adapted from David Lebovits and Nigella Lawson (originally from Andy Rolleri)