Butternut Squash Dinner Rolls Recipe

Ingredients

Dough

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
• 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
• 2.25 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened (or olive oil)
• 1 cup butternut squash puree (or pumpkin puree)
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

Instructions

Make the Dough

1. Whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add warm water, honey, softened butter, butternut squash and rosemary.
2. Mix in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 3 minutes on the third setting, scrape down the sides and bottom, and mix 3-5 minutes more, scraping the bowl when needed.
3. Dump onto a floured surface and knead by hand to get all the flour incorporated about 5 turns. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Add more flour if needed, little by little, just enough on the surface to keep your hands from totally sticking. Work dough until it becomes smooth but still soft—too much flour will yield dry heavy rolls.

Rise and Shape

1. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn it over so both the top and bottom have a layer of oil. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
2. Punch down and divide into 12 balls for large rolls or 15 for smaller rolls. Place in an oiled baking dish for pull-apart rolls, or on a sheet pan with a few inches in between for crustier rolls. Let rest for 20 minutes.

Bake

1. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 25-30 minutes. Internal temperature should be 190-200°F when finished.

Notes

• To make butternut squash puree, roast cubed butternut squash at 400°F until tender, then blend until smooth. You'll need about 230 grams (1 cup) of puree.
• Pumpkin puree can be substituted for the butternut squash puree.
• For crustier rolls, bake on a sheet pan with space between each roll instead of in a baking dish.