Lightly sweetened with honey and packed with whole grains, these rolls provide a toothsome, nubby counterpoint to soft white dinner rolls in any bread basket.
To make the dough: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. In a large bowl, combine all of the dough ingredients, mixing until a soft, smooth dough forms. Knead the dough with a mixer at low speed for 6 minutes or by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and bounces back when poked.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let the rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until doubled.
Turn the dough out and deflate it. Divide into 12 equal pieces, weighing about 50 grams each. Round into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, or in a greased 9" x 13 pan or two 9" round pans. Cover with greased plastic and let rise until nearly doubled (about 90 minutes).
Toward the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 375°F. Uncover the rolls and brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle the tops with rolled oats.
Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm or let cool to room temperature to enjoy later.
Store wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for longer storage.
For a touch of tangy flavor, consider adding discard sourdough starter to these rolls. See how it's done: How to make dinner rolls with discard starter.
This recipe originally came to us from Sharon Daley of Harwich Port, Massachusetts. PJ Hamel tells the story of how it came about in her blog, linked above. The original recipe was twice as large, yielding enough dough for both rolls and a loaf of bread. If you'd like to do the same, simply double the amounts and follow the blog instructions for baking the loaf.
Want to make two pans of rolls instead of rolls plus a loaf or loaves? Go for it. Want to make two large loaves, or two smaller loaves plus one large one? Be our guest. This recipe is open to all kinds of interpretations, shaping-wise.
