Oat Dinner Rolls -- The Bread That Belongs on a Table Like This

Sunday evening I hosted the Carter family for dinner. Shanice's parents, Darnell and Paulette Carter, drove over from Decatur with Shanice's younger sister Tamara. I had spent two days deciding what to cook for them — the question of what to make for prospective family is a serious one and I take it seriously. In the end I made my Sunday pot roast with root vegetables, yeast rolls, a cucumber salad, and I baked a sweet potato pie because we are in late summer and the sweet potatoes are good right now.

Paulette Carter brought her own sweet potato pie. Of course she did. Two sweet potato pies on the same table, made by the two women who will share a grandchild someday. We put them both out and did not discuss it, which was the exactly correct approach, and I will tell you that both pies were finished by the end of the night, which is the only verdict that matters.

Darnell Carter is a quiet man who listens more than he speaks and when he does speak it means something. Somewhere during the meal he looked at CJ and said, you have done well for yourself, son, and I thought about how rarely any adult man had said that directly to my son since Marcus died. CJ received it gracefully. Tamara, who is twenty-three and studying nursing, attached herself to Destiny's stories about graduate school and the two of them were still talking on the porch when everyone else had moved to the living room.

Shanice helped me clear the table without discussion, filling and starting the dishwasher, wrapping the leftovers in the way that only someone raised to do it properly does — tight, labeled, organized by what will keep and what needs to be used first. I said, you didn't have to do that. She said, yes I did. That was the whole conversation and it was enough. I think the Carters raised someone exceptional. I think CJ knows it. I think the pearl ring on her right hand, still fitting perfectly, is exactly where it belongs.

The yeast rolls were the thing I was least nervous about, which is funny because bread is the thing most people are most nervous about. I have made this oat roll recipe enough times that my hands know the dough before my mind does. I set them out in the basket lined with a cloth, and Darnell Carter took two before we had even finished passing the pot roast, and that told me everything I needed to know about how the evening was going to go. If you are feeding people who matter — people you are hoping will feel at home at your table — these are the rolls you make.

Oat Dinner Rolls

Prep Time: 25 minutes + 1 hour 30 minutes rising | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes | Servings: 16 rolls

Ingredients

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, plus extra for topping
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
• 1/3 cup warm water (100–110°F)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for brushing
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 large egg
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

Instructions

1. Soak the oats. Place the rolled oats in a large mixing bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Stir, then let the oats soak and cool until the mixture reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes.
2. Activate the yeast. In a small bowl, combine the warm water and honey. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy and fragrant.
3. Mix the dough. Add the yeast mixture, softened butter, salt, and egg to the cooled oat mixture. Stir to combine. Add flour one cup at a time, stirring after each addition, until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. You may not need all 4 cups.
4. Knead. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. It will remain a little tacky — resist adding too much flour.
5. First rise. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
6. Shape the rolls. Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and place in a greased 9x13-inch baking pan or two 9-inch round pans, spacing evenly.
7. Second rise. Cover loosely and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, until the rolls are puffed and touching at the edges.
8. Bake. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the tops of the rolls lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with a few rolled oats. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the tops are deep golden brown.
9. Finish. Remove from the oven and brush immediately with additional butter. Serve warm directly from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 175 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 230mg