Maple Walnut Rolls

This is not your basic basket of browned buns! Yes, I was very excited to use so many 'B's' in one sentence, it brought me a smile, but really it is a true statement. I originally got this recipe from the King Arthur Flour website, however I made several adaptations to the original recipe, including substituting cinnamon chips with butterscotch chips, which I believe worked quite nicely.

I made these as rolls, but I think that the dough would work really nicely as a loaf, specifically, I think it would be great to use for French toast, just as the King Arthur website recommends. The bread is not overly sweet and just has a mild hint of maple flavor, which would be perfect for breakfast alongside some bacon. As rolls, they are a nice side to a salad, or toasted with a bit of cream cheese. In the future, I think I will try making a loaf of bread and going for the French toast option...of course I do have a special fondness for French toast; which leads to my next question/request. If anyone has an especially good or unique French toast recipe, please email it to us, I would love to have it.

Oh and if you are looking for a really great baking cookbook, I would highly recommend either the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Cookbook or the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion Cookbook (which is an especially awesome baking book).

Maple Walnut Rolls
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour
Picture by Caroline

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon whole-grain bread improver (optional, but very helpful - actually I didn't have any on hand, but I would recommend it)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups water*

*You'll need the greater amount in winter, the lesser amount in summer.

1. Combine all of the dough ingredients, and mix and knead them together -- by hand, mixer or bread machine -- till you've made a soft, smooth dough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
2. Divide the dough into 16 pieces, round each piece into a ball, and place the balls in a large pan, such as our 12 x 12-inch sticky bun pan or our 14 x 2-inch round multi-purpose bread pan. Allow the rolls to rise, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, or till puffy.
3. Bake the rolls in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 to 23 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool completely on a wire rack. Yield: 16 rolls.