Cranberry-Walnut Rolls

Prior to the advent of  the Internet with blogs, Pinterest, Instagram, even Facebook, I subscribed to many cooking magazines or bought cookbooks for new recipe inspiration.  I would cut out recipes and articles that interested me and save them in folders, by category, such as main dishes, desserts, etc.   Now it seems I "save" most of my recipes to my various Pinterest folders.  A month or so ago, I grabbed out my old-fashioned paper folders and was browsing through them.  I ran across this roll recipe from Bon Appetit magazine from November 2009.  I'm not sure why it has taken me nine years to make them as they are amazing!  They are the perfect roll for fall and Thanksgiving cooking.

These rolls were easy to make.  Like all yeast breads, time is the major factor in making them. My bread baking is usually confined to Sundays, that seems to be the calmest day of the week for me! While the dough is rising I can do chores, craft, and watch football.

The original recipe calls for brushing the unbaked rolls with an egg wash and raw sugar.  I had no raw sugar in the house.  After making them I don't think I will add the sugar the next time. They were wonderful, as is!

Cranberry-Walnut Rolls

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
3 1/2 cups (or more) bread flour
1 tablespoon (packed) brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons quick-rising dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus additional for coating the bowl
1 large egg
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 large egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)
Raw sugar (turbinado or demerara)

Stir nuts in dry skillet over medium heat until toasted, about 5 minutes. Cool.

Mix 3 1/2 cups bread flour, brown sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until instant-read thermometer inserted in milk registers 95 degrees Farenheit. Add oil; remove from heat. Add the milk mixture and the egg to the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until a wet coarse ball forms, about 1 minute. Add nuts and cranberries. Replace paddle attachment on mixer with the dough hook.  Mix dough on low speed until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if needed, about 4 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead two minutes

Lightly oil a large bowl. Shape dough into ball; place in prepared bowl, turning to coat with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap; let dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, 1 3/4 to 2 hours.

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer dough to an unfloured surface; divide into 12 equal pieces. Using cupped hand, roll and rotate 1 dough piece into a smooth round ball. Repeat with remaining dough pieces.

Transfer rolls to prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Spray rolls with nonstick spray.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature until 1 1/2 times original size, about 1 1/2 hours. Brush rolls with egg glaze; sprinkle with raw sugar. Let rise 15 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425 degrees.

Place rolls in oven; reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake 7 minutes. Rotate baking sheet; bake rolls until golden and slightly firm to touch, about 8 minutes longer. Cool completely on rack.

DO AHEAD: Wrap baked rolls in foil, then enclose in resealable freezer plastic bag and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Thaw rolls at room temperature. If desired, rewarm rolls wrapped in foil in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.