Fluffy Honey Oat Dinner Rolls

Ingredients

• 2 cups (7.5 ounces) quick cooking oats (see note)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast (see note for active dry yeast)
• 4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
• Melted butter, for brushing baked rolls (optional)

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the oats, honey, butter and salt. Add the boiling water and mix until combined. Let the oats soften and the mixture cool for 15-20 minutes until about 110 degrees (or lightly warm to the touch).
2. Add the yeast and 2 cups of the flour. Mix until combined. With the mixer on low speed, continue adding flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms that clears the sides of the bowl but is still soft and tacky to the touch (be careful not to overflour!). The exact amount of flour will depend on many factors, so don't worry if you have to add more or less than called for to achieve the right texture for the dough. Knead the dough for 4-5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean towel or greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
4. Punch down the dough and divide into 12 equal pieces (see note). Shape each piece into a round ball, pinching the bottom to seal.
5. Grease a 9X13-inch baking pan and place the rolls in the pan. Cover and let the rolls rise until puffy and almost doubled in size, about an hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden on top and baked through. Brush with melted butter, if desired.

Notes

I'm sure you could sub old-fashioned rolled oats for this recipe. If you don't want the oat texture to be noticeable in the rolls, pulse the old-fashioned oats in a blender or food processor until coarsely chopped before using.
To use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, combine the same amount of yeast in a small bowl with a pinch of sugar and 3-4 tablespoons water. Let the mixture sit until foamy, 5-7 minutes, and then use in the recipe in step #2 as directed.
I like making 12 rolls out of this batch - it makes really large, fluffy rolls. You could definitely make upwards of 18-20 rolls out of this batch if you want smaller rolls. If doing so, I'd suggest baking them on a large, rimmed baking sheet (don't cram that many into a 9X13-inch pan).