Butternut Squash Whole Wheat Rolls

I’ll admit, I am on a roll with butternut squash! I think it is one of the most versatile vegetables there is. From pizza, to salad, to ravioli, to bread to just roasted in the oven, it is hands down my favorite vegetable. We are coming into the prime season for this prize. In fact, last week I purchased two large butternut squash at our Farmer’s Market for $1!

Earlier this week our immediate family gathered at Brad & Megan’s to celebrate our August birthdays. (4 in our family) Everyone pitches in and prepares side dishes and  I brought bread and dessert. I leafed through some of my old recipes and decided on Butternut Squash Whole Wheat Rolls. I had a can of prepared squash in my cupboard, so that made it one step easier.

In my mixer I started with 2. c. warm water. To this I added 2 T. yeast, 2 egg yolks, 1/3 c. date syrup, one cup butternut squash puree and 1/3 c. olive oil. Read about the nutritional advantages of date syrup.

Start mixing on low speed and gradually add the salt, and flour. I used mostly whole wheat flour, except for about 2 c. unbleached. Add flour and knead with dough hooks until mixture starts to pull away from the bowl. Continue kneading on low speed for another 5 minutes.

Remove from bowl and transfer to an oiled mixing bowl. Turn dough to coat all sides.

Cover and let rise in warm place until double. I turn my oven on and just as the coils start to color, I turn off the oven and then place the bowl of dough in the oven. In 30 minutes the dough looked like this. Notice, I pushed in with my finger to see if it was ready.

With oiled hands, take large handful of dough and spread into 12-14” circle. I do this on my Silpat so it doesn’t stick to the counter.

Using pizza cutter, cut into wedges. Roll up starting with the wide edge.

Place on oiled cookie sheet and brush with egg white and water mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and return to warm oven until doubled in size. (about 20-30 minutes)

Bake in 350 oven for 20-25 minutes, until light golden brown.

With the other part of my dough, I made hamburger buns and cinnamon rolls. (older post will explain procedure for cinnamon rolls)

By the time I finished cleaning up all the dishes, it was time for lunch. I spread some kale hummus on a freshly baked bun and cut up a nectarine and apricot along with fresh strawberries and blueberries!

Butternut Squash Whole Wheat Rolls

2 c. warm water
2 T. yeast
2 egg yolks
1/3 c. date syrup (may substitute honey or agave)
1 c. squash puree
1/3 c. olive oil
5-6 c. flour
1 T. salt
2 egg whites
2 T. water
Sesame seeds

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Let stand for a few minutes for the yeast to proof. Add squash, date syrup, egg yolks, oil, salt and 2 c. flour. Beat until smooth. Add remaining flour and mix enough to form a soft dough and starts to clean the sides of the bowl. (more or less flour may be needed) Knead with dough hooks for 5-7 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl, turning once to coat surfaces and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1- 11/2 hours. Punch down and let sit for a few minutes. Take handful of dough and roll into a 14” circle. With pizza cutter, cut into 12 wedges. Roll each wedge up starting at the wide end. In a small bowl, beat egg whites and cold water, brush over rolls. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place on greased baking sheet, cover and let rise until double, about 30 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.  Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and place on wire racks to cool.