Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Dinner Rolls

Thanksgiving – a funny old time for us in the UK. We don’t have, and it’s not just Americans that do – Canadians have it in October. But I'd love the idea of another ‘holiday’. Turkey day as it’s referred to by some sounds like a day just to pig out on the big old bird, sweet potatoes, cornbread, cranberries, you name it. Oh and to give thanks too!! I always have a wee dinner on the Sunday closest to Thanksgiving which comprises a lot of the elements – chicken (leaving Turkey for Christmas), squash, stuffing, you name it. I will bring you the dessert we had this year in another post.

But this year, I wanted to make some dinner rolls. Why? Because I was looking at my recipe index and the ‘Bread’ section looked a bit neglected. And I wanted to use the nifty roll baskety thing I'd bought on holiday in Portugal. So I decided to make rolls – using dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds – my nod and a wink to the season.

Now these are not savoury, but neither are they overwhelmingly sweet. So you could really have them whenever the fancy takes you.

I cobbled some bread roll recipes together and came up with my own original cranberry and  pumpkin seed variety.

Yield: 16 rolls

Ingredients:

400 grams strong bread flour

100 grams wholemeal flour

7 grams fast acting dried yeast

8 grams salt

1 tablespoon sugar

350 ml warm water

2 tablespoons olive oil

100 grams sweetened dried cranberries

30 grams pumpkin seeds

Method:

In a large bowl, mix the flours, yeast, salt and sugar together. Add the oil and water and mix until a dough forms. Knead this dough for 10 minutes on a well floured surface. In that time it should become less sticky and more pliable. Grease the mixing  bowl lightly and place the dough back in. Cover with a tea towel and allow to prove for 30 minutes in a warm place.

After the 30 minutes, remove the dough, which should have doubled in size and knead for 5 minutes on a floured surface. Flatten the dough out and place half of the cranberries on top. Roll the dough up and begin kneading it again to disperse the berries. Flatten once more, add the remaining berries and all of the seeds, roll up and knead again until the add-ins are well blended through the dough (this is a great recipe for bingo wings!!).

Divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll each one into a ball. Place on a lightly greased baking tray (or two) and cover with towels again. Let them prove for 40 minutes this time. In the meantime preheat the oven to 200^oC.

After they have doubled again in size, pop into the oven for 10 to 12 minutes and enjoy the smell of freshly baked bread in your home.

Remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly. I had one still warm with some butter and it was lovely. The cranberry adds just a good amount of sweetness and the pumpkin seeds give them a nutty overtone. Delicious!