Cloverleaf Honey Wheat Rolls

I cannot stand wasting food. I dislike it so much that I have created a spreadsheet of ALL the food items that I have in the house and keep it updated on a daily basis. I even color code it with what is expiring during the current month and aim to make as much as I can to use up that ingredient. It's a great tool to have when I menu plan and now nothing gets pushed to the back of the cupboards and forgotten about. Having my spreadsheet has also help cut our food bill significantly.

Seeing that my 100% whole wheat flour was expiring by month's end I decided it was best to put it to use. I searched my favorite recipe website, MyRecipes, and did a quick search for whole wheat flour. Cloverleaf Honey Wheat Rolls. I had all of the other ingredients on hand and it wasn't a hard decision to make these.

I had tried another recipe similar to these that were good but not great, Herb Cloverleaf Rolls. Their pull apart shape made me giddy. I was excited to get in the kitchen and give the Cloverleaf Honey Wheat Rolls a go. When isn't honey and wheat a winning combination? Cooking Light recipe also. Can't go wrong.

Working with dough no longer intimidates me like in my earlier blogging days. Is that weird to say considering the fact that I've only been at this for three months? I use to question every step of the bread making process and now I can breeze through a recipe such as this without any self doubt. I've come a long way.

After these rolls got out of the oven letting them cool down enough to handle was pure torture. The apartment smelled of fresh bread and the sweetness of the honey had me dying to get my hands on these. I popped them out of the muffin pan and the time it took to photograph them was enough to let them cool.

I pulled one of the "cloverleafs" off and the steam rose. The smell was so sweet and tantalizing. They looked so airy and light. I raise the portion to my mouth and before I was able to take a bite itty bitty had also taken notice of the fresh out of the oven love and raced over to stake claim on a roll too. Both of us shared a first bite together. "Nom-me!" I couldn't agree more. Now if only Mr. Sideline Chef would have been home to see if these Cloverleaf Honey Wheat Rolls would be deemed "engagement" worthy. Guess I'll just have to make them again... oh darn! Haha!

Cloverleaf Honey Wheat Rolls

MyRecipes.com and Cooking Light, September 2002

Makes 1 dozen (Serving size = 1 roll)

*To Freeze: Wrap the baked rolls in foil and reheat at 350º for 10 minutes or until warm.

Stars of the Show:

• 1 package dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
• 2 cups bread flour, divided
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp salt
• cooking spray
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 egg

And Action:

Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup warm water in a large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups bread flour, whole wheat flour, honey, butter, and salt to the yeast mixture stirring well until blended. Add 1/4 cup bread flour and stir to form a soft dough.

Turn the dough onto a well floured surface. Knead until smooth, about 8 minutes. Add enough of the remaining bread flour, 1 tbsp at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray and turning the top to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch dough down. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Coat a muffin pan with the cooking spray. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time, separate each portion into 3 balls. Place the 3 balls into one muffin cup. Cover and let rise 25 minutes or until doubled in size.

Uncover the dough. Combine 1 tbsp water with the egg and brush over the tops of the dough. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 152 (18% from fat)
Fat: 3g (sat 1.6g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.2g)
Protein: 5.1g
Carbohydrate: 27.3g
Fiber: 2g
Cholesterol: 24mg
Iron: 1.5mg
Sodium: 206mg
Calcium: 4mg

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