Sexy Vegan Mama: Easy One-Rise Seedy Dinner Rolls

Mr. Wright requested that I make bread yet again this week. *sigh* Maybe I should start sharing some of my bread recipes so you people can make them and then invite him over to dinner. You know - spread the workload a bit?

Anyway, I was diligently working away, sending funny mommy stories to magazines across the country, and completely forgot about the bread until it was almost dinner time. I calculated the time it takes to make bread: measure, stir, knead, rise... form, rise, bake... Nope. Wasn't gonna happen.

Fortunately, I found a bread loaf recipe in Mother Nature's Garden that only required one rising. I didn't have all the ingredients, but so what!

I decided to do what I usually do when I make bread... I winged it.

Here's the dinner roll recipe, as I modified it:

Easy One-Rise Seedy Dinner Rolls

1 3/4 c. warm water
2 1/4 t. active dry yeast

1 T. dark molasses
1 T. shoyu or tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
2 T. olive oil

2 c. whole wheat flour
2 T. soy flour
1 T. black sesame seeds
2 T. flax seeds
2 T. dried onion flakes

2 to 2 1/2 c. unbleached white flour (I only used the white flour here because I was skeptical that using all whole wheat would allow for enough of a rise with one rising. Next time, I'll probably try it with all whole wheat flour.)

Pour water into a large bowl and sprinkle yeast on top. Allow yeast to dissolve, then stir in molasses, shoyu (or tamari or soy sauce) and olive oil.

In a separate large bowl (Are you lucky enough to have TWO clean large bowls? I had to wash one!), mix wheat flour, soy flour, seeds and onion flakes.

Use your spoon to make a small hollow in the center of the dry mix, then pour liquid mixture into it. Stir well.

Add white flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough is thick and kneadable. Knead for ten minutes, then divide into 24 equal rolls. (I put mine in oiled muffin tins.) See my video tutorial on how to shape perfect rolls here.

Allow to rise to double, then put into a cold oven.

Turn the oven on to 350 degrees and set your timer for 15-20 minutes. (I use smell to time bread, but I did set a timer this time so I could share the instructions!)

Here's the original bread loaf recipe, as found in Mother Nature's Garden:

Whole Wheat Seed Bread


Yields one loaf

1 3/4 c. lukewarm water
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 T. dark molasses
1 T. reduced-salt soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos (Bragg's would be my first choice, but I was out)
2 T. safflower or canola oil
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. sesame seeds
1 T. sunflower seeds
1 T. onion powder
2 T. soy flour
2 to 2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

In a large bowl, stir the yeast into the warm water. Stir in the molasses, soy sauce or Bragg's, and oil, then stir in the next five ingredients, and mix well. Gradually stir in enough whole wheat flour to form a kneadable dough. Knead the dough on a floured board for 10 minutes, then shape the dough into a loaf. Put the loaf in a lightly oiled 9- by 5-inch nonstick loaf pan. Let dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk. Place the loaf in a cold oven, set the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake the bread for about 35 minutes, or until the crust is light brown. Remove the bread from the pan, and let it cool before slicing with a sharp serrated knife.

There you have it... You, too, can be a Sexy Vegan Mama, and your family will think you're a rockstar. The fact that it took half the time will be our little secret, okay?