Applesauce Dinner Rolls

Starter

1. In a medium saucepan, add in the bread flour, water, and milk. Whisk until combined.
2. Place over medium heat and cook until it reaches a thick, pudding-like texture. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Dinner Rolls

1. In a small bowl, add the water, sugar, and yeast. Stir until combined. Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.
2. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, add milk and shortening. Microwave in 30-second increments until warm, about 110 degrees F, but not hot as it will kill the yeast. The shortening will be somewhat melted, but not completely liquid.
3. Pour the milk and shortening into the stand mixer bowl or large mixing bowl.
4. Add the applesauce, sugar, eggs, salt, and starter. Whisk until just combined.
5. Add the yeast mixture to the mixing bowl.
6. In a separate bowl, add the bread flour and whole wheat flour. Whisk until incorporated.
7. Add 1/3 of the flour to the mixing bowl and mix with the dough hook just until worked in. You can also stir it in if you’re not using a stand mixer.
8. Now add the remaining flour and knead for approximately five minutes with the dough hook or 5 to 8 minutes by hand, adding more flour as needed. Dough will be soft but not overly sticky.
9. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a large greased bowl, turning it over to grease top. Loosely cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1½ hours.
10. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly coat with nonstick baking spray.
11. Punch down dough to release the air and divide the dough into 36 pieces. I do this by dividing the dough into 6 equally sized large dough balls and then divide each large ball into 6 similar sized pieces.
12. Then shape each piece into rolls by pulling the dough from the top to under the roll and pinching until the top is smooth.
13. Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheet about ½ inch apart.
14. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow to rise again until doubled, about 30 minutes.
15. Place the rolls into the preheated oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until rolls are a light golden brown. You can check for doneness by gently pulling one of the rolls in the center and if it still appears doughy, they need to be baked longer.