Big Brahman Rolls

These rolls are named after the closest neighbor that I have.  He comes over sometimes on the spur of the moment, usually without an invite.  We will get back to him later on in this post.

These bread rolls are one of my favorites.  They come out of the oven soft and light with a toasty outside. The recipe is fairly easy.  Make no mistake about the size though-12 of these fit snugly into a 9X13 pan and the are about three inches in height.  One of these is actually enough for two people, but for bread lovers maybe one.  The recipe is made with honey and has a 3 to 2 ratio of bread flour to whole wheat.

Now back to my neighbor, who has the namesake for these rolls:

 This isn't an actual picture of him, but it is very much a likeness. Brahman cattle are a very hearty breed, they can withstand drought better than most cattle breeds. Good thing, because it has been especially dry this summer. Yes, this neighbor sometimes wants to come for a visit.  I guess when he gets bored, he jumps the fence, or so the rancher tells me.  Hard to imagine that much weight scaling any fence!  It is kind of startling to see him wandering across the yard in the morning. I find the breed name of this cattle very fitting for these large rolls. Now, on to the recipe....

Big Brahman Rolls
by flourtrader

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup or 2 sticks of butter-1/2 softened and 1/2 melted for glazing
1/4 cup honey
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tbs rapid rise yeast
3 cups bread flour
2 cups whole wheat flour

Grease a 9X13 inch pan with cooking spray or oil.  Also grease the inside of a large bow. Set both aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast and the warm water.  Set aside for a few minutes for the yeast to react with the water and foam up.  Pour into a large bowl of a stand mixer and add honey, salt, eggs and 1/2 cup of softened butter.  Using the batter blade, beat ingredients together until blended, for about 1 minute. 

Change the speed of the mixer to low and add 1 cup of bread flour.  Let the mixer run for about 2 minutes, then repeat the process by adding one more cup of flour, alternating between the two types of flour. Let the mixer run for 2 minutes after all flour has been added and then change out the blade for a dough hook.

With the mixer on low, the dough hook should knead the batter for about 8-10 minutes.  As the mixer runs, you will be adding more flour to reduce the stickiness of the batter.  The bread is done being kneaded when it is smooth and no longer sticks to the side of the bowl.

Place dough on a floured surface and shape into a ball and place in the greased bowl.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled.  This should take about 45 minutes.

Then lightly punch down dough and let sit uncovered for another 20 minutes to rest.  After the 20 minutes, punch down again and separate into 12 equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball and place side by side into the prepared pan.  Then take the 1/2 cup of melted butter and brush or pour evenly over rolls.  Cover lightly and let rise again for 20-30 minutes or until doubled in size.  

During this rising time, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Place pan of rolls in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until done.  When done, rolls will have a hollow sound when tapped and be toasty on top. Let cool slightly prior to serving.
                                              **LAST YEAR:Chicken Scarpariello**