I found this recipe on Pinterest, from http://www.itsalwaysautumn.com. She said these rolls were like the ones you get at Outback Steakhouse, but I haven’t been there in years! So I didn’t want to call them that since I have no idea. I just saw that they were brown, made with molasses and honey and was sold! The dough is very easy to work with and is beautiful. I have a thing for raw dough, whether it be cookie dough or bread dough, I just love how it looks and feels. And cookie dough obviously tastes amazing, too 🙂 So, c’mon! Let’s go bake some bread…

Note: The dough needs to proof twice, so read all the instructions and make sure you have time before starting.

Oh yeah, and I apologize in advance for the different lighting/coloring of the pictures used in this post. I use my iphone 6 and took all the shots on different tables in my kitchen. I am no photographer so for now we just have to deal with it :p

What you will need:

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 egg
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour

In a large bowl (or bowl of your electric mixer), combine yeast and warm water. Let yeast proof for about 10 minutes. Add all other ingredients except the whole wheat flour, and mix for about 1 minute until combined.

Note: I still do not have a stand mixer. I know! So sad 😦 But I was still able to use my hand mixer for this. If you do have a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment and then switch to a bread hook to knead.

Add 1 cup of the whole wheat flour and mix on low. Slowly add the last cup of whole wheat flour and mix for several minutes until a nice dough is formed and it pulls away from the bowl.

Turn dough out into a nice big bowl and form a ball (pictured below). Let rise in a warm place for an hour.

Punch down dough and form 15 balls or rolls. Tip: Wet fingers to prevent dough from sticking. Place them in a greased 9×13 inch bake pan.

Let rise a second time, about an hour, until nice and puffed like so…

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and bake for about 22 minutes. Serve with butter and enjoy!