Breakfast Rolls

My husband Pat,  works 12 hour shifts and has to leave at o'dark thirty in the morning.  Neither of us are morning people so that means that he leaves before I get out of bed and often doesn't get out of bed until a few minutes until he has to leave.  This means that despite having, cereal, oatmeal, eggs, etc in the house he doesn't usually eat breakfast.
I am wheat intolerant and follow a gluten free diet but, Pat is a carbovore and would never be able to survive without bread, so every two to three weeks I bake him about four loaves of bread.  This is cheaper and probably healthier than the alternative of buying bread.  Last time I was making bread I had an epiphany.  I could simply make an extra batch of bread and make rolls stuffed with various fillings for him to microwave in the morning and eat in the car on his way to work.
Now like all great ideas this was not quite as simple as it sounded in my head. I spent a majority of my day making these , but I think I have a much better idea of how to streamline the process and make faster and less labour intesive.  Most importantly I would suggest making up all your fillings first--preferably on the previous day.

 It was a lot of work, and I don't particularly like cooking all day for something I can't even taste.  I worry about whether it will turn out great, plus the scent of fresh baking bread is a tempting reminder of something I can't have.  But it was all worth it to me when I saw the smile on Pat's face after I had him taste test my first batch.  He doesn't smile much so a smile is a ringing endorsement of yumminess.

This is a pretty simple bread recipe that rises quickly, it makes 4 loaves of bread. I usually make bread that is about 3/4 whole wheat flour but in this case I wanted the rolls to be soft yummy and easy to roll out so there is only enough whole wheat flour to add a bit of flavor and color to the dough.  You can fill these with just about anything you want but I wanted to use whatever I had on had so I did Sauted veggies, Sauted Veggies w/ a bit of ground pork, Apple Pie filling ( with fresh apples),  Cinnamon and sugar, and cinnamon sugar + peanut butter.

How to make Breakfast Rolls:

Bread Dough:

• 4 cups warm water (95-105 degrees Fahrenheit)  I test the warmth by running tap water over my wrist until it feels just barely warmer than my skin
• 3 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 8 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons dough enhancer ( optional)
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 5-7 cups all purpose flour

Fillings:

Veggie and Meat Fillings:

• 2 medium carrots grated
• 1 large onion diced
• 3 mushrooms ( would have used more but that what I had)
• 2 stalks of celery finely sliced
• 1/4 head of cabbage diced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• your favorite herbs and seasonings:  I used Garlic powder, basil, rosemary, thyme, and celery salt

• 1/2 pound ground pork

Apple pie filling

• 3 apples cored and chopped
• dash of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Cinnamon Sugar/Peanut Butter cinnamon sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Peanut butter ( optional)

Make the Fillings

Veggie/meat filling:   This amount of veggies makes enough for more than one loaf of bread but not quite 2 loaves so after filling  and shaping the dough from the first loaf,  I browned half a pound of ground prok and added to the remaining veggies and used it to fill the rolls shaped from the second loaf. Put oil in a large skillet or sauce pan and heat  on low heat until oil is warmed. Add veggies and seasonings and cook stirring occasionally until veggies are al dente.  Remove veggies from pan and set aside.  Brown ground pork.  Set aside.

Apple pie filling:  This was enough to fill only 6 rolls.   I also would recommend waiting to add the sugar until just before ready to assemble, as the apples will make water once you add the sugar Mix all the ingredients together and set aside.

Cinnamon Sugar/Peanut Butter Cinnamon Sugar:  I made 4 without peanut butter then added the peanut butter and a little more cinnamon sugar to the mix and made 3 or 4 more.  I had 3 unfilled rolls leftover.  Mix all the ingredients except peanut butter together in a small bowl.   It should be a thick paste and just a little bit crumbly.  Add the peanut butter, if you want.  it will look similar but hold together a little better.

Mix up Bread Dough:

Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of the warm water.  Let sit for a up to 5 minute or until the water is foamy.  Stir in Sugar, salt, oil, dough enhancer and wheat flour.  Add the rest of water and stir in the all purpose flour 1-2 cups at a time until it forms a smooth soft dough that is not too sticky.  I usually use my hands to mix in the last cup of flour or so.  Cover the dough and let rise for 20-30 mins or until dough is doubled.

Knead the dough until smooth  and pliable.  Divide into four section and put 3 of the pieces into ziplock bags.  Put the bags in the fridge to retard the rising.

Assemble the  Rolls:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Divide the dough into eight pieces.  Roll a piece into a flat round circle about 1/8th of an inch thick.  Place 1/3-1/2 cup of filling on one half of the circle. Use a pastry brush to brush a bit of water over the edge of the dough to help it seal, and fold the other half up and over the filling.  Press the seal down with your fingers and then crimp it closed. Place on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.  Repeat until all the pieces are filled.  Bake for 25-30 minute or until golden brown and the dough is completely cooked through.  Cool on a rack.