Vegan Yeast Rolls

Vegan Yeast Rolls 

The key to a great Thanksgiving dinner is a really good dinner roll. They sop up mashed potatoes and gravy, taste great smothered in cranberry sauce, and are something everyone at the table will love. These ones are great because the dough comes together easily, and aside from leaving it alone to rise (twice), you really don't have to do much. It's the kind of hands off recipe thats great for a first-timer and is hard to screw up, and very forgiving if they do. We have some lines on the top of our rolls above because we started rising the second batch without a towel on top to protect it from the air and a bit of a crusty top layer formed. They still turned out absolutely moist + delicious inside, so we kept 'em, but you can prevent that mistake by following the instructions EXACTLY and not being a sloppy chick like I was. 
They can be made in a serving dish and left right on the table for people to serve themselves - no carving or ladles needed. Just tear off a buttery roll and start munching. You won't believe what we used the leftovers for...but we'll show you, in a few days! Stay tuned. In the meantime, let's eat! 

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed for kneading
1 sachet active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (room temp is best)
1/4 cup warm water 
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
melted coconut oil, as needed for for brushing

DIRECTIONS
In a stand mixer combine 1 cup flour with yeast, sugar and salt. 

In a separate bowl, combine room temperature almond milk, warm water + melted coconut oil. You want this mixture to be warm - no warmer or cooler than a bath. (If its too hot, it'll kill the yeast!)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the stand mixer and beat 2 minutes, until well combined. Continue to mix in 1/4 cup of flour at a time until a soft dough forms. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until elastic and smooth. Let rest 20-30 minutes.

Once the dough has rested, divide the dough into 12 equal balls (feel free to reshape them as needed with your hands) and place into a greased or lightly floured baking dish. The rolls should be *just* touching. They need room to rise and expand, so make sure you haven't packed them too tightly.

Cover the dish with a clean dish towel and place in a warm spot to rise. They will need about 1 hour to double in size. When they have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. While the oven preheats, brush the tops of the rolls lightly with melted coconut oil.

Bake the risen rolls for 18-20 minutes, until they're golden and fluffy. Serve + enjoy! 

​NOTES
Makes 12 dinner rolls.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days, but these are really best served fresh.

If your dough appears to have doubled in LESS than an hour, use your best judgement and bake 'em a little early. If you let them OVER-RISE they can collapse, and nobody wants flat dinner rolls!

​You can sub vegan butter for the coconut oil, if you please. 

You can use RAPID rise yeast, but you will have to adjust the rising times by about half.

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