cooking

The Cheese Weasel is the nerd Easter bunny who leaves a slice of American cheese under the keyboards of good IT geeks on April 3. I don't know how I got into the habit of calling these Cheese Weasels. I think I just never had a particular name for them and 'cheese buns' don't really give you a sense of the fabulousness awaiting you...

2 1/2 teaspoons regular instant yeast or active dry yeast*
1/2 tsp. honey
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
3 tablespoons butter, softened or melted
about 1 cup shredded best-quality cheddar

In a large bowl, combine yeast, honey, salt, and flour. Add the water, milk and butter, and mix until cohesive. Knead the dough on a lightly oiled surface till it's smooth and supple. Its ok if the dough is a bit sticky, your rolls will be more tender with a stickier dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set the dough aside to rise till doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.
Divide the dough into 16 pieces. Shape each piece into a thick disc. Place the cheese in the center of each disc and pinch the dough closed around it.
Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Space the rolls in the pan (pinched side up), cover them with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow them to rise for another hour or so, until they are puffy and touching one another.
Bake the rolls in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 minutes, or until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, set them on a wire rack to cool, don't eat them right out of the oven, the cheese especially will be too hot and burn the top of your mouth...