Honey Wheat Dinner Rolls

This was my first attempt at making bread. I made it the old fashioned way folks. No bread machine. No food processor. Just me and my bulging biceps working it out on the counter top. I was absolutely certain it would be a failure. After kneading the dough for 10 minutes, I left it in my oven (it was off, don't worry - I just heard somewhere that it's a good place to let dough rise) for an hour excited for the big puffy ball of dough that was supposed to be. Well, I could've been crazy - but the dough ball looked exactly the same size an hour later. Whatever, I just continued on with the instructions and they ended up quite wonderful. I can't explain it.

The original recipe came from my mother-in-law and was supposed to make two loaves of bread. It takes me over a week to go through one loaf of bread - so I knew that it would go to waste. So instead, I made 12 dinner rolls. I made soup for dinner the night I baked them, so I set aside 4 rolls for Jeff and I to dip in the soup and froze the rest. They are really delicious, let me tell you. The flavor is really interesting and satisfying. To thaw and heat the frozen rolls. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Honey-Wheat Dinner Rolls

1 & 1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
2 cups bread flour
1 & 2/3 cup wheat flour
1 cocoa
2 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp salt
2 & 1/4 tsp dry active yeast (1 packet)

Combine the flours, cocoa, coffee, salt in large bowl. Make a depression or well in middle of dry mixture. Pour warm water into well then add butter, honey and yeast. Slowly mix the ingredients with a spoon, drawing the dry ingredients to the well. When you can handle the dough, begin to combine it by hand, kneading the dough thoroughly on floured surface for at least ten minutes, until smooth and consistent in color. Set dough to rise in covered bowl and warm place in kitchen for one hour. Punch down dough and split into 12 equal balls about the size of your fist. Place rolls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let rise another hour or more in warm location (cover with towel). Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes. Rolls will darken on top when done.