Whole Wheat Herby Rolls

This is one of those serendipity recipes.  My mom and I were all set to make nutella swirl buns when we abruptly decided that a savory roll would go better with the meal. A few tweaks later, and these whole wheat herby rolls were born.  These yeasted rolls look super fancy, but they are actually quick and easy to make with a dough that rises in very little time and rolls out like a dream.  Get creative wih your fillings -- we used fresh parsley and sauteed onions simply becaues that's what we had on hand, but I think pretty much any fresh herb you have on hand would be fantastic, as would a little sauteed garlic, some smoked paprika, or a sprinkle of Parmesan.  Go wild!

Whole Wheat Herby Rolls (adapted quite liberally from these Nutella Swirl Buns)

Makes 12 buns

For the dough:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour (more as needed), divided

1 T insant yeast

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick melted butter

1 cup warm milk

2 T brown sugar

For the filling:

2 T butter

1 small onion, minced

Olive oil

1/4 cup (or more) minced fresh herbs (I used parsley, but use whatever you like or have on hand)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour along with 1 cup of the all purpose flour.  Whisk in the yeast.

2. In another bowl, whisk together the salt, buttter, milk, and brown sugar.  Add to the flour mixture, and stir together. Add more flour 1/4 cup at a time until a smooth, slightly sticky dough forms.  Knead for a few minutes.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 20 minutes in a warm place.

3. Turn out the dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface.  Roll into a large rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick.

4. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, and add the onion.  Saute until soft.  Spread evenly over the dough, and then drizzle everything with a little olive oil.  Sprinkle with fresh herbs.

5. Working from the long side of the dough, roll up the rectangle.  Cut into 12 equal pieces.

6. Spray a muffin tin with oil.  Place each piece of dough, swirl-side-up, into one of the wells of the muffin pan.  Cover and let rise 20 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  When the oven has preheated and the dough has risen, bake 12-14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.  The rolls should be golden brown but not burnt.  Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning out the rolls and serving.