Apple Cranberry Dinner Rolls

This is a little late for Thanksgiving, but not for Christmas.  The recipe off the Red Star Yeast website was recommended to me.  The photo for it wasn't exactly Pinterest perfect, or even what I like to post on this blog.  I read it and saw how it was similar to the challah recipe I use, and how to fix the method a bit.

I also thought that the recipe as written makes a great breakfast pastry, especially if you were to drizzle it with powdered sugar icing.  As a dinner roll, I want something a touch more savory, and added just half a teaspoon of dried thyme to the dough.  You could add sage or rosemary, or even oregano, depending on the meal.  It's just there as a hint, not a main flavor.

The original recipe is very specific about using bread flour.  The challah recipe gives separate instructions for A.P., but the comments on this one insist that bread flour is best in this case.  They were amazingly soft and chewy, so I'd go with the recommendation.

*1 C 100º milk
2 Tb sugar
1 packet yeast (2-1/4 tsp)
3-4 C bread flour
3 Tb unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, room temperature
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 C dried cranberries
1/2 C finely chopped apple
*1/2 tsp dried thyme
egg wash, optional

1.  Before starting, chop the apple.  I used a gala, and it was almost half an apple.  It's going to depend on the size of the fruit.  Oh, and the original recipe says to peel it.  I didn't.  I also chopped the dried cranberries because they were Trader Joe's, which are kind of big.  If you use Craisins, you're probably ok.

2.  Stir together milk, sugar, and yeast.  Allow to sit until foamy, 5-10 minutes.

3.  If using a stand mixer, start with the paddle.  Stir together milk mixture and 1 C flour.  Add butter, egg, and salt and beat again until smooth.  Stir in chopped apple, cranberries, and thyme.

4.  Switch to dough hook and add 1-1/2 C flour.  Knead into a dough, 10 minutes.

5.  This is where I'm deviating from the post, because it took me way more flour than half a cup to turn this into a proper dough.  Pour out the very soft dough onto half a cup of flour, then dust generously with about 1/4 C more.  Knead until smooth, adding flour as necessary if/when it becomes too sticky to handle. You still want it soft and a tiny bit sticky.  Don't add so much that the dough feels dry.

6.  Lightly oil a bowl and turn dough ball over in it to coat all sides.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.  Punch down and let rest 10 minutes.

7.  Line a rimmed baking sheet or large casserole with parchment.  Weigh out 1.5 ounce pieces of dough and form into balls.  Place an inch or so apart in the dish.  I ended up needing a second pan for the last few.  Allow to rise 45 minutes.

8.  Preheat oven to 375º.  If desired, brush rolls with an egg wash, milk, or melted butter prior to baking.  Bake 15-18 minutes, until lightly golden.  Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.  Or serve warm.  Cooled rolls may be frozen.

Makes about 20

Difficulty rating  :)