Apple Nut Rolls

I love the holidays because I get to spend all day in the kitchen using pounds of butter and no one can give me the stink eye about it, because cooking with Paula Deen amounts of butter is what you're supposed to do during the holidays.

Apple Nut Rolls are my mom's go to yeast roll recipe, and for good reason, they are fabulous. She got the recipe from her college roommate's mother, Mrs. Zorn, who made them all the time, much to the delight of her family and friends.

For Thanksgiving tomorrow my family is heading to my Grandparents' in Ames, and my grandma put me in charge of the cranberry sauce, rolls, and a pie.  I was going to make a pie with tofu in it, but Fareway didn't have any tofu and I wasn't going to make a trip to HyVee just for tofu, so I ended up making a peanut butter pie with cream cheese instead.  Although Iowa is the leading producer of soybeans, we sure don't seem to be very hip on tofu. Bummer.

If you know me at all, you know I don't like to follow recipes...they are merely for inspiration.  So when making the rolls today I just made it up: some milk, yeast, sugar, salt, and flour.  Well I used too much whole wheat flour, evidenced by the picture below.  The rolls barely rose at all.  Bah humbug.  They still taste good (probably due to the inordinate amount of butter I brushed on them before baking) so I'll bring them to Thanksgiving tomorrow anyway, but I wanted my family to have quality rolls too, so I begrudgingly went to my mom's recipe box and pulled out the recipe for Apple Nut Rolls.

Mrs. Zorn's rolls always come out a little crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  Applesauce gives them the perfect sweetness and walnuts add an interesting crunch, not to mention how beautiful they are, as evidenced by the picture below.

Apple Nut Rolls

by Mrs. Zorn

1 packet (2.25 teaspoons) rapid rise yeast

3/4 cup milk, scalded

1/4 cup water

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1 egg

1.5 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

4-5 cups flour

Whisk together yeast, milk, water, applesauce, sugar, butter, egg, and salt.  Stir in walnuts and flour by the cupful until a dough forms.  Pour onto your clean counter and knead in remaining flour until dough is firm and no longer stiff (knead at least 10 minutes).  Let rise in a greased bowl, covered with a tea towel until doubled in size, about an hour.

Punch down dough, and form into 20 rolls, place in a greased pan, cover with tea towel and let raise for 30 minutes more.  Bake at 375F for 20-30 minutes until golden brown on top.