Posted Nov 19, 2021, Updated Feb 20, 2024 Fresh, homemade dinner rolls compliment just about every meal. They’re a staple in our house for holiday celebrations, but I also make them throughout the year. These whole wheat dinner rolls are soft & fluffy, lightly sweetened with honey and are rich and buttery. They are a healthier wheat roll to go with your favorite main dishes, easy enough to make on a typical weekday or to enjoy for a special occasion. I especially like to use them to make the most delicious BBQ chicken sandwiches!
Whole Wheat Rolls: Ingredients & Substitutions
Let’s chat about possible substitutions that can be made in this recipe. If I don’t mention an ingredient I don’t recommend any substitutions.
Whole milk. possible substitutions include half and half, heavy cream or 2% milk. I don’t suggest a lower fat content than 2% milk. All-purpose flour. to keep this recipe light and fluffy we use a little bit of all-purpose flour. I don’t recommend changing this. You can use bread flour, if desired. Whole wheat flour. white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour can also be used. Honey. sugar can be used in place of honey Salted butter. There is no substitute for butter in these whole wheat rolls. You can use unsalted butter. Fine sea salt. iodized salt can be used, just reduce the amount by half.
How to Make Wheat Rolls
Let’s walk through how to make whole wheat dinner rolls step by step, and don’t forget to watch the video. Note. I use a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, but you can mix and knead by hand.
Proof the Yeast
Begin by combing water, honey and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
Make the Dough
Once the yeast is proofed add the butter/milk and egg and stir on low speed until combined. Then, add 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour and sea salt and knead with dough hook. Next, add more flour ½ cup at a time until a slightly sticky ball forms. Transfer the sticky dough ball onto a floured surface and knead until it’s no longer sticky. Lightly grease a large bowl, put the dough inside and cover with a damp cloth. Put it in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Once the dough has doubled, flour your hands and squeeze it to remove the gas. With floured hands, form 12, equally sized dough balls. (use a food scale to weight full batch of dough, then divide that number by 12 and make sure every dough ball weighs the same). Roll each dough portion into a smooth ball. Place the dough balls into the prepared baking sheet evenly spaced into 4 rows of 3. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 30-60 minutes). (do not let the towel touch the dough).
Bake
When you notice the rolls have risen about halfway, Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place fully risen rolls into preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the rolls are golden-brown on the top and sound hollow when tapped with a wooden spoon. (Be very careful not to overbake). Remove rolls from oven and immediately brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt.
Serve
Serve warm with a slather of butter, or better yet, homemade cinnamon honey butter. They are a great Thanksgiving recipe or served alongside this balsamic pot roast on Christmas. You can use them to make sandwiches with this crockpot BBQ chicken.
Store/Freeze
Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Make Ahead & Freeze
You can make these rolls ahead and freeze them for up to 3 weeks. Make the recipe as written, put the rolls in the baking pan and before the start ot rise cover them tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil or a lid. Remove them from freezer and let the rolls come to room temperature and rise fully before baking.
How to Bake Frozen Rolls
Only use these instructions if you are baking frozen rolls. Remove the foil and plastic wrap from the rolls, then bake the frozen rolls at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes, then increasing the baking temperature to 375 and baking for 10 minutes longer. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
