Wheat & Cornmeal Cheese Rolls

(From NYTimes, Nov. 15, 2006)

1½ c. milk

1/3 c. stone-ground cornmeal

1½ teaspoon salt

1 packet active dry yeast

¼ c. maple syrup

1½ c. whole wheat flour

1½ c. all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons melted butter

6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded, or 8 ounces soft fresh goat cheese

2 teaspoons minced sage leaves

Scald milk in 1-qt. saucepan. Stir in cornmeal, mixing constantly, and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until thickened. Add salt and transfer to large mixing bowl.

Place yeast in a bowl and add ½ c. warm water. When cornmeal is no longer hot, stir in the yeast and syrup. Mix in whole wheat flour and then 1 c. all-purpose flour, half a cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.

Knead about 8 minutes, adding most of remaining flour. Dough should be elastic and a bit sticky. Coat a bowl with some melted butter, place dough in bowl, turn so buttered side is up, cover loosely, and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough and roll or stretch on a board to a rectangle 12 by 16 inches. Sprinkle cheddar on top (or spread with goat cheese). Scatter with sage. With long side facing you, roll dough up tightly. Brush edge with water to seal it. Cut roll into four equal sections, and cut each section in thirds.

Use half of remaining melted butter to grease a baking pan 9 by 13 by 2 inches. Place rolls in pan with cut side up and brush tops with remaining butter. Let rise 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake rolls 10 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake about 30 minutes more, until browned. Remove pan from oven and cool 10 minutes. Cut rolls apart and transfer to rack to cool.

Yield: 12 rolls.