The post for today was going to be Turkey Noodle Soup but considering that it really sucked because I accidentally put so much Spinach in it that it should have been named Spinach soup, time for a new game plan. So I’m going with the rolls that I made to go with the above mentioned sucky soup. Sucky Soup…hehe… maybe I can market that? Or…erhmmm… maybe not. Moving on. Honest; I’m fine. Really.

I asked on the Facebook page if anyone else had ever had days when they shouldn’t have been allowed to get out of bed, much let get near a stove. Well, today is obviously mine. When I started the oatmeal mixture for these rolls, I cooked it for too long and ended up with a gooey mess all over my microwave as well as a hardened clump of oatmeal in the bowl. Yes, yes, I can cook… not sure why you would think otherwise 😛

Getting to the rolls, which I have miraculously managed to finish with no casualties even though the firemen were waiting outside the house, hoses at the ready, these are quite easy as yeast breads go. If you are one of those with a fear of attempting to make anything yeast risen, this may be a good one for you to start with. They have never failed to rise well for me and always receive rave reviews. I will be using them in other recipes also. They make fantastic cinnamon rolls & herbed rolls as well as this simple dinner roll.

Oatmeal Rolls

1. 2 cups water
2. 1 cup quick cooking oats
3. 3 tablespoons butter
4. 1/2 cup warm water (110- 115 degrees)
5. 2 envelopes active dry yeast
6. 1 tablespoon sugar
7. 4 cups all purpose flour
8. 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
9. 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

• Bring the 2 cups water to boil in a medium saucepan; stir in the oats and butter. Boil, stirring constantly for one minute. Remove from heat and let cool until it is 110 degrees (toasty warm to the touch but not “OW! Crap! Why did I just stick my finger in that?!”
• Alternately, bring water to a boil in the microwave, add the oats and butter and microwave for about 1 minute (paying close attention so you don’t end up with an oatmeal volcano).
• Meanwhile, add the yeast and one tablespoon sugar to the 1/2 cup warm water. Let stand five minutes.
• Beat oat mixture, yeast mixture, flour, salt and brown sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer, until smooth.
• Turn your dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about five minutes. It shouldn’t be more than slightly tacky. Add more flour to your board if it is too sticky. By the same token, don’t add a ton of flour. Too much flour leads to a tough roll.
• Place in a greased bowl turning the dough once to makes sure the top is greased too.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about one hour.
• Punch the dough down (that’s the fun part hehe) and divide in half. Shape each half into 16 balls. Put into a greased 13×9 pan or two 9 inch round cake pans.
• Cover lightly (a clean towel or plastic wrap works fine) and let rise in a cool place until the rolls are doubled in bulk.
• Bake at 375 about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

A hot roll and Blackberry jam. One of life's simple pleasures.

*A shout out to my dear friend Mark for the title of the post 🙂