Good morning!
Thanks for all your great comments on my Fluffy White Clouds post. I loved reading them.
I woke up to a spooky and foggy morning outside…
and the leaves on the ground have at least doubled since I got home last Thursday!
I can’t believe today is the last day of September. Where did it go?
I made an equally spooky breakfast…
Meet Pumpkin Delight Vegan Overnight Oat Parfait:
That would be my Gingerbread Vegan Overnight Oats layered with Pumpkin Gingerbread Soft Serve (recipe below)!
Pumpkin Gingerbread Banana Soft Serve
Process together:
- 1 frozen banana,
- 1 tbsp almond milk,
- 3 tbsp canned pumpkin,
- 1 tsp blackstrap molasses,
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice.
It was ridiculously good!
Yesterday marked the first time I have ever made Vegan Dinner Rolls. I admit, I was quite apprehensive about making dinner rolls, especially after the ‘hard as baseball’ rolls I made last year. Those weren’t even vegan either and they were a huge fail. The disaster sort of crushed my roll making confidence.
But I decided to fear a dinner roll was silly.
After all, it was just a bit of flour, yeast, water, salt, sugar, Earth Balance, and egg replacer….
After a few prayers and a lot of patience, magic happened.
Vegan Pull-Apart Fluffy White Dinner Rolls
Adapted from Spark People.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt (or regular)
- 2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 1 cup very warm water
- 2 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Stick
- 1 egg replacer (1 tsp egg replacer + 2 tbsp warm water)
Directions:
1) Proof your yeast! In a small bowl mix 2 1/4 tsp of Active Dry Yeast with 1/4 cup of very warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F). Stir and let dissolve. Now add 1 tsp of sugar and stir. Let it sit for a good 5-10 minutes. You will know the yeast is active when it is slightly foamy and smells like bread.
2. In a stand mixer or by hand, add 1 and 1/4 cup of flour, remaining sugar (1 tbsp + 2 tsp), salt, and yeast mixture. Mix briefly for 10 seconds or so. Now, add the remaining very warm water (3/4 cup), slightly melted Earth balance, and egg replacer and mix until smooth. Slowly add in the rest of the flour (1 cup) and mix until smooth.
3. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. I put my bowl of dough in the oven with the light turned on (but not the oven itself!)
4. Grease a pie pan and set aside. After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the oven and knead with hands for a few seconds. Divide the dough into 12 balls with hands and place the balls into the pie pan (see image below).
5. Cover pie pan with towel and place back into the oven with light on for another 30 minutes. The rolls will expand and fill the pie pan during this time.
6. After 25 minutes, remove from oven and preheat the oven to 400F. After 5 more minutes, it is time to bake the rolls for 15-18 minutes until golden and fluffy. Makes 12 pull apart rolls.
7. Serve with Earth Balance and enjoy!
After rising the dough for 30 minutes, it was time to put 12 balls of dough into a pie pan! I decided to create pull-apart rolls because I think they are so fun.
I was nervous at this point, thinking that they weren’t going to rise, but lo and behold after 30 minutes they filled out and looked beautiful!
Look at that before and after:
Fun, right?
Then I basted the rolls with a coating of Earth Balance and popped it in the oven for about 17 mins. at 400F.
Deep inhale.
The house smelled wonderful!
Insert self-congratulatory pats on the back. ;)
The best part about baking fluffy rolls?
Getting to be the official taste tester!
I enjoyed 2 rolls with Earth Balance and had to practice serious self-control not to devour the entire lot.
These are some good rolls. Slightly crispy on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside.
Moral of the story: Do not fear making dinner rolls. It really wasn’t that hard! The toughest part was waiting for the dough to rise as I impatiently peeked at it every 5 minutes like a mother who just brought home her baby from the hospital.
Have you ever made dinner rolls or bread from scratch? Did it turn out?
I want to make this NOW. Ahh!! Using yeast scares me, but I feel like this recipe looks pretty manageable. Maybe I’ll take the plunge…?
I love making bread. I made yeast rolls for dinner last Sunday! I am still trying to master sourdough.
The pumpkin gingerbread banana soft serve looks amazing! I love the idea of adding molasses for that gingerbread flavor! YUM.
I’ve never made homemade dinner rolls, but I may just be brave enough to try now. Yours look so good!! I do make homemade cinnamon rolls once a year at Christmas, and I always get nervous about them rising, too! It’s VERY hard to resist the urge to check on them every 5 minutes. ;)
I’m all about vegan baking right now. Can’t wait to try these out!
hi Angela! you just tapped into one of my fears! these look sooo yummy, I’ll have to overcome the dread and try them out :)
I have never made bread or rolls handmade like that. I usually use the Pillsbury cans if I need rolls :(
When I was younger my parents decided to bake their own bread to save money — it was a disaster! I remember my dad baking these loaves of bread that weighed 5-6 pounds — it was hilarious. I remember hearing my parents just roaring when they took the loaves out of the oven. We went back to eating regular bread after that :)
Your dad must be from my (hippie) generation. When I first started baking bread some 50 years ago we thought that white (all purpose) flour like in this recipe bordered on toxic. Only 100% whole wheat would do. We also thought it was a great idea to throw in a lot of “healthy” additions like pumpkin seeds and oatmeal. The resulting bread “loaves” would better be called bread bricks, but we pretended we liked them and felt righteous. I’ve learned a lot since then.
These look amazing! I’m filing this recipe away for use at Christmas dinner. :)
Yum! Looks like the perfect food for a fall day!
I have tried to make bread, and it never comes out right. I live at high altitude so I know that has a lot to do with it. I do better with things that don’t need to rise.
On a happy note about it being the last day of September, today is my 5th wedding anniversary! My husband gave me the sweetest card this morning. We’re going out for Italian tonight – I can’t wait!
Growing up I had asian dinners every night but whenever I went to my friends houses and ate dinner there, I loved being able to eat “American” dinners. One of the greatest infatuations I had was with the dinner rolls. I thought it was the greatest concept in the world. Warm doughy delicious bread with my dinner? YES please! I was ten, and dinner rolls were apparently the coolest things ever lol. I would like to blame the fact that I was young and was fascinated by odd things haha but even now,I always associate having a nice bread basket with dinner as very sophisticated eating. I usually buy a long thing of italian bread when I get the urge for it but this recipe looks really easy and delicious and I can’t wait to try it out. Officially bookmarked!
I love the misty mornings in the fall. It was foggy this morning and it just felt wonderful!
Quick question – what is blackstrap molasses? Is that something you need to go to a specialty foods store for? I’d love to try making the soft serve!
Blackstrap molasses is a natural sweetener that is good for you…unlike white sugar it is not processed and refined too much and it retains significant amounts of iron and other minerals. You can find it at most grocery stores in the natural food section.
I’ve made lots of quick breads just using baking soda or poswder, bit I haven’t played around much with yeast doughs. I usually rely on frozen dough:(
But, based on my success with frozen dough, can I offer some variations on the (already perfect looking) pull-apart rolls?
Try dousing them in a bit of EVOO, parsley and tons of garlic!
Or cinnamon, Earth Balance and some pecans for monkey bread.
Yum!
Thanks for sharing! I love reading your vegan twists on recipes!
OH wow YUM!!!!!!!!!!! great ideas :)
I was going to make a herbed roll, but I thought I best be safe for round #1 lol
I don’t ever buy white breads, rolls etc for the house but these are vegan and simply mouth watering!!! Pull apart rolls are fab!
I went through a phase of trying to bake different breads every week or so. I tried things like baguettes, challah, and honey whole wheat breads. While I enjoyed it, it was a big challenge, and eventually bought a bread machine to ease the process. We now eat fresh bread all the time.
I like how your rolls remind me of Monkey Bread.
Oh My DEAR!… that looks to die for! I am such a HUGE bread person, since I was a kid. I must try those expeditiously! I could probably eat that whole pan if I didn’t know better.
i have never made rolls before but i have taken a shot at bread<- maja fail right there lol! i think its because i dont have a bread maker. i tried to make the bread recipe on the back of the king arturs whole wheat flour bag but it turned out horribly dry and hard! not a good experience :). but maybe ill try again soon.
are you kidding me. i am getting on a plane to canada right now. i need these angela.
u better hurry! hehe
I have never tried to make dinner rolls from scratch, but it’s something I’d love to try. These vegan rolls look so mouthwatering. I would have to practice serious self-control. I could eat nothing but white bread for days and be a happy camper. :)
getting over a fear of yeast is a huge step. :) i’m proud.
i just recently started making my own bread weekly, and i will never go back to store bread.
bread baking is so satisfying!
i’ve been eyeballing this honey walnut spelt bread recipe, maybe i’ll grow a pair and try it this weekend. :P
amazing! I love how you make this stuff mid week like it is nothin. :) Those look better than anythin I have seen in a long time!
I only make rolls around the holidays but I bake weekly.
Omg they look delicious…I must try!
I have never made rolls before, but I’ve been craving Hawaiian Bread (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31%2BIEeFNKlL._SL500_AA300_PIbundle-2,TopRight,0,0_AA300_SH20_.jpg)… I think I will use this recipe, but add some pineapple juice and some stevia and make my own version!
I’ve always been afraid to try homemade breads, but these look too good to not try! I have a problem with self control when it comes to homemade, fresh bread. I give you credit for only eating two rolls! Can’t wait to try these :)
I made dinner rolls for my wedding- same method, pull-apart. Sometimes fluffy bread is just what you need :-) Your look great.
My boyfriend’s mom makes the Dark and Soft Restaurant Dinner Rolls from King Arthur Flour’s recipe. They are so wonderful! Dark from molasses and whole wheat and so very soft and fluffy. My boyfriend loves them so I tried to make them. The taste was all there, but the fluffy texture was not. I always have problems with my yeast, but I think the biggest problem lies in the lack of patience to let them fully rise. ;-)
Those look perfect. I really love baking bread. It takes time and precision and you get to watch something grow from nothing. It’s such a great experience.
I thought about you yesterday, because we had 2 Canadian college guys come up to our church and asked if they could camp underneath the carport. The crazy thing is, they we’re on their bikes, which they had ridden all the way from Canada. I live in FLORIDA!!! They decided one day to take a year off of school and ride their bikes to Ft. Lauderdale Florida, get on a plane and then fly to South America. Then they will bike to Argentina to get to the “end of the earth” before you get to the Arctic. How inspirational is that?? They ride 80-100 miles a day. We gave them food to refuel and talked to them for a while. What an awesome story huh. :)
haha that is so random and funny!
Congrats on the delicious looking rolls! The only time I have made bread from scratch was in a cooking class during college. I think I’m almost ready to try on my own!
Bread is one of those foods I’m scared of making because I’m so sure I’ll mess it up! :P
I have tried a couple of times, but, for some reason yeast and I are not friends. Now I cheat and use a Gluten Free bread mix that all I have to do is add water.
Maybe soon I will try again to make friends with yeast :-)
Loved all the warm fall-ness of this post. Those oats look to die for, too. When I first saw the picture of the dinner rolls, I was reminded of the Pillsbury ones, so I would say, considering they’re vegan and homemade, that’s a really good comparison :) Bread-making is not my forte, but I would really love to improve!!
Your rolls look delicious!
I thought I’d share a recipe with you that a friend gave me this week. I’m going to make them for Thanksgiving. Looks easy enough to make it vegan. I’ve never made rolls or biscuits before.
Sweet Potato Biscuits Recipe
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Sweet-Potato-Biscuits-7
Hey Angela! Nice Buns! :) But seriously, those dinner rolls are classic, elegant, and look soo soo tasty!
Supah Dupah stuff!! i’m lovin it.. :)
Angela,
I’ve been reading your blog a long time and never comment (I’m shy!) I’ve made many of your recipes and loved them all, but these rolls are SO GOOD I just had to comment! Thank you for posting the recipe. I’m trying to keep myself from eating the entire pan myself!
Oh Angela. I just made the rolls tonight and there are only 3 survivors left. I am the worst baker on the planet, but these really weren’t difficult and they turned out beautiful. Thanks so much and keep up the great work. You’re my hero!
with the pull apart rolls, has anyone tried them with gluten free flour?
thanks!
OH MY GOD, VEGAN ROLLS!
You just made my day, literally! I seriously get addicted to dinner rolls, and I’ve been searching for that perfect vegan recipe. I’ll *try* not to devour the entire thing by myself in one sitting, but I can’t promise much.
Once I make this, I’m definitely posting it on my blog for sure and my picture of it to go along!
Anybody tried to freeze these? From the comments, it sounds like most have been eaten immediately, but I thought I’d ask ask I plan for Thanksgiving next week. Think they could be made ahead and frozen?
Made these tonight! They were delicious! Thank you :0)
Is it possible that the amount of flour is incorrect? It was about like runny oatmeal at first. I looked at a similar non-vegan dinner rolls recipe, and for 1c. water, it called for a 3-1/4 flour. I added another cup, and the dough appears just right. I’d want you to be sure there isn’t a typo!
Hi David, It’s possible that the amount of flour varies greatly depending on how you scoop the flour – in the future I will weigh my flour to be exact.
These are delicious! I made a batch last night and plan to make some more for our big Thanksgiving feast. Thanks for such yummy vegan recipes!
I tried these today. I let the bread machine do the mixing and kneading work, and when I took the dough out after the first rising, it was very sticky and didn’t look like it had risen much. I went ahead and pulled it apart in (very sticky) dough balls — that didn’t look like balls at all — and put them in a pan for the 2d rising in the oven. They had filled in at the end of that, but still didn’t look like they had risen much. I decided to cook them anyway. They never did rise much, but the taste was wonderful!! The best rolls I’ve had in a long time. A very nice, yeasty taste with a slight chewiness…just what I was looking for.
Since another poster mentioned needing more flour to deal with the stickiness, I suspect it probably has something to do with the way we each measure flour. I normally spoon it loosely into the cup, then level it off, so maybe I didn’t end up with as much flour in the dough, even though I used the amount called for. I’d like to try it with more flour, but to tell the truth, these were so good that I may just do it the same way next time!
Yes you are probably right about the flour issue. I will be sure to weigh my flour in future bread recipes!
Thanks for the response! I made these again tonight, and used about 1/2 cup more flour, plus substituted white whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the flour. The dough was much less sticky, more like a standard bread dough, and they rose a lot more. What’s funny is that my husband liked these better, but I actually preferred the way they tasted the first time when the dough was so sticky – more yeasty and tender than fluffy. Either way, though, it’s a great recipe, and I’ll definitely be adding them to my rotating list of recipes.
Made these to take to Thanksgiving dinner, and they were a big hit. Thanks so much for posting the recipe and the great photos. Will definitely be making them again!
I made these rolls for Thanksgiving this year and they were great! I ate the leftovers with the gravy from the “Cozy Millet Bowl with Mushroom Gravy and Kale” (I blended the mixture minus the millet and kale.) I have been craving some good ol’ down home southern biscuits and gravy; this really hit the spot!
Anyone who has never made bread should start with these rolls. These were so easy and were perfect for Thanksgiving. They looked like they came straight from a bakery. Nobody believed they were vegan, which means they were a big hit with my family! The only change I made was to double the recipe, making 24 rolls which fit nicely into a small roasting pan (maybe 11×14?). I baked them for 14 minutes the night before Thanksgiving, then reheated them for an additional 10 minutes right before serving. Absolutely delicious! Thanks for helping me remain vegan through Thanksgiving without temptation.
Thanks for the feedback Ann!
Fantastic Results. Although I made some variations. I am diabetic and decided to use a mixture of Spelt and All purpose white flour (1/2 spelt and 1/2 white), Instead of 2 tablespoons of sugar, I used 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1 Tablespoon of butter. I did not use any egg replacers. This variation still produced soft fluffy results
Thank you for the comment about spelt flour. I was wondering about that.
I made this recipe tonight for x-mas dinner and it was delicious. However, I used a tbsp of ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp of water instead of egg replacer. The recipe was too runny so I added a little extra flour. I will be using this recipe for all future rolls.
Fantastic Results, Although I changed your recipe a little. I am diabetic.I decided to use a mixture of Spelt Flour and All purpose Flour (1/2 and 1/2) and 2 teaspooons of sugar. The other ingredients remain the same. I did not use any egg replacer. I got 9 rolls on my first attempt.
I’ve never made bread from scratch before except cornbread. But after discovering this recipe, I am on batch number 4! They’re soft and delicious. My husband loves them! Thanks for sharing! :0)