By These soft and fluffy 100% Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls are the perfect from-scratch baked good for your holiday table or a Sunday Supper. We love the pillowy soft texture and classic sweet buttery taste. You’d never guess that they are made without refined flour or sugar!
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Whole Wheat Dinner RollsKey Ingredients for this Soft Wheat Roll RecipeStep By Step Instructions For This Wheat Rolls RecipeFAQs and Expert TipsAdditional 100% Whole Wheat Recipes To Try
Why We Love This Recipe For Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
We are obsessed with these buttery soft wheat dinner rolls as the perfect complement to our Sunday Suppers! They taste like they should be a holiday treat, and they are, but you can also whip them up to use for something as casual as barbecue-pulled chicken sliders.
Our Whole Wheat Bread recipe is one of our favorites, because who doesn’t love freshly homemade bread that’s also healthy? But these quick and easy dinner rolls are moving up in ranking!
Recipe Highlights
Ready in less than 2 hours
100% Whole wheat and still light and fluffy
Freeze well so you can make-ahead
Perfect for a holiday or Sunday meal
Key Ingredients for this Soft Wheat Roll Recipe
Whole Wheat Flour: Or white whole wheat flour
Instant Yeast: Or rapid. Check out our guide to yeast, and see our note below about how to mix and heat the yeast.
Milk
Butter: Divided
Eggs
Maple Syrup: Or honey
Salt: Coarse Kosher, optional.
Step By Step Instructions For This Wheat Rolls Recipe
Step 1: Melt Butter and Milk Together
You can either melt your butter on the stovetop or in the microwave. If you’re using a saucepan on the stove, you can just throw the 6 tablespoons of butter in the pan along with milk and water. Allow it to melt together over medium-high heat. If you’re using a microwave, cut the 6 tablespoons of butter into 6 pieces, then add the pieces to a bowl with milk and water to microwave for approximately 1 ½ minutes on high.
Step 2: Mix in Additional Ingredients
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add whole wheat flour, yeast, and salt, and then combine using a spatula. Add the heated milk and butter mixture, maple syrup, and eggs. Stir by hand until just combined.
Step 3: Mix Dough
Mix on medium-low speed with the dough hook until the flour is incorporated and a sticky dough has formed. This will take about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with the spatula and then test the texture of the dough. It should stick to the bowl and feel lightly tacky when gently touched with your finger. If the dough is too sticky, add a couple of tablespoons of flour at a time, up to ½ cup of additional flour.
TIP: This is a very sticky dough. The whole wheat flour will absorb more moisture as it proofs, so resist the urge to add more flour.
Continue kneading, for about 3 minutes, until it starts to pull away from the bowl. Do not add more than 4 ½ cups of flour total, and do not knead for more than 6 minutes.
Food Science Alert: Be careful not to over-knead the whole-wheat roll dough as this will create a dense texture. Since whole wheat flour contains the bran of the wheat kernel, these super tiny slivers of wheat bran “cut” the strands of gluten when it is over-mixed. In other words, over-kneading will damage the stretchy gluten and will therefore inhibit its ability to rise. You’ll wind up with a dense and dry texture, rather than the light and fluffy rolls we want.
Step 4: Proof Dough
Take a sheet of plastic wrap and spray it with cooking spray before using it to cover the bowl of dough (just in case it sticks). Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free location until the dough does not spring back when touched. This should take about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, set 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter at room temperature to soften.
Step 5: Prepare to Bake
Spread the softened butter onto the bottom and up the sides of a 13” x 9” baking dish or pan, and heat the oven to 350°F.
Step 6: Shape Dough
TIP: Move quickly as the dough will continue rising as you’re shaping. You don’t have to speed through this step, but definitely don’t take your time with it either.
Lightly flour your surface and turn the dough out. Pat the dough into a 12”x14” rectangle and divide the dough into 24 equal pieces, approximately 1 ¾ ounces each. Shape each piece into a ball by using your index finger and thumb to pinch one side of the dough piece and pull it under itself. Turn the dough and continue to pinch and pull until a round shape forms.
Step 7: Second Proof
Set the balls of dough in the prepared baking dish and cover it with sprayed plastic wrap while it rises until it’s doubled in size. This should take about 30 minutes.
Step 8: Bake
Bake the rolls until golden brown for about 18-24 minutes. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan over low-medium heat and then brush the butter over the rolls. Sprinkle the top with kosher salt, if desired. Serve warm and enjoy!
FAQs and Expert Tips
These rolls could work great for sliders or with Barbecued Pulled Beef. For a cold day when all you want is slow-cooker vegetarian chili, enjoy the hearty bowl with some whole wheat rolls. You can also serve your rolls alongside roasted pork loin or pan-seared salmon at Sunday supper! We always have homemade rolls at Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas too.
They’re best freshly baked, but they can be made up to two days ahead. Wrap them well with plastic wrap and keep them at room temperature. Then, wrap the rolls in aluminum foil and bake them at 350 for 15 minutes to warm through before serving.
Yes, they can be frozen for up to 6 weeks while wrapped in plastic wrap. Let them thaw at room temperature for a few hours and then reheated in a 300-degree oven for 5 minutes.
The Trick to Rapid Rise Yeast
Contrary to popular belief, the rapid rise instant yeast can be mixed directly with the rest of the ingredients. Make sure to heat the liquid to 120-130 degrees, but do not heat it above 140 degrees. The high temperature can kill the yeast.
Additional 100% Whole Wheat Recipes To Try
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
Author: Stephanie Olson
Total Time: 1 hour and 45 mins
Yield: 24 rolls
Description
These soft and fluffy 100% Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls are the perfect from-scratch baked good for your holiday table or a Sunday Supper. We love the pillowy soft texture and classic sweet buttery taste. You’d never guess that they are made without refined flour or sugar!
Ingredients
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
4 – 4 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour, plus additional for dusting the work surface
3 envelopes instant yeast or rapid rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, optional
Instructions
Cut 6 tablespoons of butter into 6 pieces. Combine with milk and water in a 2 cup liquid measuring cup and heat in the microwave until very warm (120° to 130°F), approximately 1 1/2 minutes on high. (Alternatively, heat in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.)
Place 4 cups whole wheat flour, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Combine using a spatula. Add the heated milk mixture, maple syrup and eggs and stir by hand until just combined.
Mix on medium-low speed with dough hook until the flour is incorporated and a sticky dough has formed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with the spatula. Test texture of the dough. It should stick to the bowl, and feel lightly tacky when gently touched with your finger. If the dough is too sticky, add a couple of tablespoons of flour at a time (up to 1/2 cup additional flour.) Continue kneading until it starts to pull away from the bowl, about 3 minutes. Do not add more than 4 1/2 cups total flour and do not knead more than 6 minutes.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free location until the dough does not spring back when touched, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, set 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter at room temperature to soften.
Spread 1 tablespoon of the remaining softened butter onto the bottom and up the sides of a 13” x 9” baking dish or pan. Heat the oven to 350°F.
Pat the dough into a 12” x 14” rectangle on a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into 24 equal pieces, approximately 1 3/4 ounces each and shape into balls. Set in the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise until approximately doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Bake the rolls, turning the pan once, until golden brown, 18-24 minutes. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Brush butter over the rolls and sprinkle with kosher salt, if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
Ingredient Note: Rapid-rise instant yeast can be mixed directly with the rest of the ingredients. Make sure to heat the liquid to 120-130 degrees. Do not heat above 140 degrees because that can kill the yeast.
Tip: This is a very sticky dough. The whole wheat flour will absorb more moisture as it proofs, so resist the urge to add more flour. Do not over-knead the dough as this will create a more dense texture.
To shape the rolls: Use your index finger and thumb to pinch one side of the dough piece and pull it under itself. Turn the dough and continue to pinch and pull until a round shape forms.
Make Ahead: Remove leftovers from the pan and wrap well with plastic wrap. Well-wrapped rolls can be left at room temperature for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature and reheat in a 300-degree oven for 5 minutes. Well-wrapped baked rolls can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature and reheat in a 300-degree oven for 5 minutes.
Active Time: 22 minsCook Time: 18-24 minsCategory: Side DishesMethod: Oven
Nutrition
Calories: 134
Sugar: 4 g
Fat: 5 g
Carbohydrates: 18 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 4 g
Keywords: Whole wheat dinner rolls, wheat dinner rolls
