Making rolls always seems to be one of those things that intimidates home bakers! When I agreed to attempt my first dinner rolls with my freshly milled flour for thanksgiving family dinner, I had low expectations about how they come out. However, they were delicious, even if they weren’t all that pretty! Since then, I have tried a variety of rolls recipes, and tweaked them trying to find what would work best.
I finally decided to experiment with taking my bread recipe and simply making it into rolls instead of a loaf pan. I was thrilled when it came out as my best batch yet! Thus, Here you go. This recipe is made with the exact same ingredients and practically the same process as my whole wheat bread. It is super simple, and has come out reliably well for me each time I’ve made it! So if you are looking for a relatively easy recipe for rolls that you can adopt as your go to, give this a try. Simplify the way you bake at home by memorizing one recipe, and turning it into either rolls or sandwich bread depending on your needs.
The Flour
I have made this recipe using Fresh-milled hard red wheat and fresh-milled spelt flour. You could also use store bought whole wheat flour if you do not mill your own grains, but you want to give it a try! You still get most of the same health benefits from using the store bought whole wheat flour and the delicious wheaty taste. However, you can expect it to behave slightly different from fresh milled grains, and you may find you need to adjust the water content in the dough.
Now, I have found that my spelt flour produced the best results! If you do not have access to spelt flour, the kinds that most closely resemble this type of wheat would be hard white wheat varieties or store bought golden wheat flour. Don’t let this concern you, though, and feel free to experiment with whatever type of whole wheat flour you have. I have found this recipe to be forgiving, which makes it a great place to start!
Tips and Tricks
Don’t kill the yeast!
Just like anytime you are baking with yeast. Do not combine the yeast with the liquid if it is too cold, as this will not activate the yeast. Secondly, do not combine it while it is too hot, or this will kill the yeast. If you want to check the temperature of your liquid just ensure it is around 110 degrees. However, you should be able to sufficiently double check the temperature with your finger, and it should feel slightly warm but not hot.
Ensure your dough is evenly divided!
Interestingly enough, I have found that one of the keys to getting tall, fluffy, and even rolls that do not sink when they bake is to divide the dough precisely. I started to use a kitchen scale for this part so that I could ensure that there was only a few grams difference between each roll. The first time I did this, there was a monumental difference in the appearance of the rolls after baking. While I normally would say extra steps like this are unnecessary unless you are going for perfection, I appreciated the difference so much that I would recommend weighing the dough balls if you have the option to. Again, however, do not be intimidated, but just be aware that the shape may be slightly off if you rush this part, and do not ensure they are precise.
The Process
As is my style, I like to include a paragraph for my readers giving an overview of the process, so you can know what to expect, and easily remember the important steps. In this recipe, you simply combine all the ingredients, insuring the yeast is added to lukewarm water, and the salt is added with the flour so as not to kill the yeast. Secondly, knead the dough, either in a stand mixer or by hand until it starts to become stretchy and elastic(about 8-10 minutes). It will still be sticky, and that’s okay!
Let the dough rise for about an hour. Then turn the dough out onto a floured surface, knead it briefly, and roll it out flat. Use a bench scraper or butter knife to divide the dough into 12 dough balls, and a scale to ensure it is divided evenly. Place the dough balls in a well-greased baking dish, and allow the rolls to rise again for about 30-45 minutes. Finally, bake the rolls in the oven heated to 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
For the Visual Learner
Knead on low for 5-10 minutes.
The Recipe
Whole wheat dinner rolls
Difficulty: moderate12
rolls2
hours30
minutes2
hours30
minutesTry these homemade whole wheat dinner rolls made with either whole wheat or fresh-milled flour. Your family will love these soft fluffy dinner rolls, and they will be a hit at the family potlucks! I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
3.5 Cups of Fresh Milled Hard red wheat flour (or another whole wheat flour you have available)
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
2.5 Tsp Yeast
3 Tbsp Honey
1.5 teaspoons of salt
3 Tbsp softened butter.
Directions
- Warm the water and the milk to lukewarm temperature and add the yeast. Mix the honey and the yeast mixture in a stand mixer or a mixing bowl.
- Add 3 cups of flour and the salt and mix. Cut the softened butter into at least 6 chunks, and add to the mixture.
- Knead with a dough hook on low for 8-10 minutes, adding a little flour 1 tbsp at a time as needed. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and then cover and let rise for about 1 hour.
- After the first rise, turn out onto a floured surface. If the dough is still too sticky, you can knead it by hand here for a few more minutes and add a little flour. Roll the dough out into a rectangular shape. and use a bench scraper to divide it into 12 *even* pieces.
- Shape each piece into a round dough ball and place into an oiled 8×8 or 7×10 baking dish, cover with a towel and let rise a second time for about a 1/2 hour, or until the dough has risen just over the top of the dish.
- Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes in a 375 degree oven, or until golden brown on the top, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Notes
- Ensure you divide the dough as evenly as possible in order to create more uniform rolls that hold their rise while they bake. I actually started using a kitchen scale for just this part of the recipe to keep it precise, and I get much better results!
- This dough will be fairly sticky to work with. That is okay! When rolling out the dough, you will likely need to add a couple tablespoons of flour, and knead it again on the floured surface. However, Resist the urge to over knead it or add too much flour. In total you should not be putting much more than 3.75 cups of flour into this recipe.
If you tried this recipe, please leave a comment or tell me how it came out! If you have any questions, I would be happy to connect with you. Please share this recipe with anyone who may be interested in these simple, family friendly style baked goods!
Leave a Reply