Cheddar-Scallion Rolls

I made these rolls to go with Bart's slow-cooker squash stew (posted previously). Even though I messed up while making these (I took them out of the oven too early and had to put them back in to finish baking), the rolls tasted incredible! They have a light texture and they were the perfect accompaniment to the stew.

P.S. My kids have discovered that if they take the food pictures for me, we can sometimes get to eat the food earlier. Thus, the last few posts have been pictures taken by Alyssa. Joshua has also taken several pictures in the past that I have posted. It's great having a supportive family!

Cheddar-Scallion Rolls

2 cups (8 ounces) traditional whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1 cup (4 ¼ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
¼ cup (1 ounce) nonfat dry milk powder
1 ½ teaspoons dill weed
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
¾ cup (6 ounces) lukewarm water*
¼ cup (2 ounces) orange juice*
2 tablespoons (1 ½ ounces) honey
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup (2 ¼ ounces) minced scallions

Combine whole wheat flour, salt, dry milk, dill weed, and yeast in large mixing bowl. Mix to blend. Add water, orange juice, and honey and beat at medium speed until well-mixed. Stir in cheese and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Reduce speed and (using a kneading hook) add remaining all-purpose flour—a little at a time, until a soft dough forms. Knead for about 4 minutes. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise until puffy, 1 to 2 hours.

Lightly grease a 9x13-inch pan.

Gently deflate the dough and knead in the scallions. Divide dough into 15 pieces and roll each piece into a round ball. Place the balls in the prepared pan. Let rolls rise, covered, in a warm place, until they’re puffy but not doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours. Near the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Uncover and bake the rolls in the oven, tenting them with foil after 15 minutes, until they’re a deep golden brown on top, 25 to 28 minutes. Remove them from the oven. If desired, brush the rolls with melted butter to keep their crust soft.

*I didn't have any oranges on hand, so I just increased the water to 1 cup (8 oz) total. I did add a couple tablespoons of dough enhancer with the flour as well.

Adapted from: King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking (p. 216-217)