Golden Carrot Dinner Rolls: Pillowy, Sunshine-Yellow Buns Made in the Blender

Ingredients for Golden Carrot Dinner Rolls

This recipe makes 16 rolls in a 9×13-inch pan.

For the carrot liquid

• 2 medium carrots: about 1 cup peeled and roughly chopped. The fresher and brighter, the better the color.
• 1 cup warm water: about 110°F, warm to the touch but not hot.
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil: keeps the rolls soft for days.
• ¼ cup granulated sugar: feeds the yeast and adds gentle sweetness.

For the dough

• 1 large egg: at room temperature, for richness.
• 1 envelope (2 ¼ teaspoons) instant or active dry yeast.
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt.
• 4 to 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour: plus a little for dusting.

For the topping

• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon milk: for a shiny, golden top.
• 1 tablespoon melted butter: optional, to brush after baking.

Choosing and Swapping Ingredients

All-purpose flour gives soft, tender rolls. Bread flour works too and makes them a bit chewier. Start with 4 cups and add more only if the dough is too sticky to handle. A slightly tacky dough makes the softest rolls.

Both instant yeast and active dry yeast work. Active dry yeast should sit in the warm carrot liquid for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. Instant yeast can go straight in with the flour. Check the date on the envelope, because old yeast is the most common reason bread does not rise.

You can use any neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable oil. Melted butter also works, though the rolls will be slightly less soft the next day.

About the carrots. Bright, firm carrots give the prettiest golden color. A bag of whole carrots is cheaper and more flavorful than baby carrots, but either works. Just weigh or measure about 1 cup of chopped carrot.