Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
Tender and soft, these whole wheat dinner rolls contain extra dietary fiber and nutrients but they don’t skimp on texture or taste!
Fluffy whole wheat rolls
These fluffy wee rolls are such a treat! Soft on the inside with a golden and tender crust. They are made in a pull-apart style, like these pumpkin dinner rolls. Small dough balls are left to rise in a baking tray so they fit snugly and touch together. After baking, they can be pulled apart from each other. This keeps the sides of the rolls softer without creating a crust around the entire bread roll.
Ingredients
Find the full list of ingredients for these soft whole wheat rolls in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a run down of what you need.
Equipment
- Stand mixer – This dough can be made by hand, but a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook makes things a lot easier.
- A 9×13 inch baking pan – Or similar-sized pan.
Method
1. Mix yeast with milk
Add warm milk, sugar and yeast to a stand mixer bowl and let it go foamy.
2. Add eggs and flour
Add in the eggs, flour and salt to the yeast mixture.
3. Mix
Turn the mixer on low speed and combine it into a shaggy dough.
4. Mix in the butter
Add the cubed butter a few cubes at a time, and mix it on medium speed until the butter has been incorporated. At this point, the dough will be very sticky.
5. Keep mixing
Keep mixing until a soft dough forms and gathers strength, pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Then let the dough rise until doubled in size.
6. Shape
Punch down the risen dough and shape it into 15 tight dough balls. Place in a 9×13 inch lined-baking pan and let them rise again.
7. Bake
Brush the tops of the dough balls with milk, then bake until golden brown.
Overnight dough
Overnight dough
The dough for these dinner rolls can be made on day 1 and refrigerated overnight. The next day the rolls can be shaped and risen before baking. Giving the dough a cold rise increases the flavor of the bread. Mix the dough until strong, and place in an airtight container or greased bowl covered with plastic wrap.
Let the dough rise in the refrigerator. In the morning the dough will feel clammy and cold. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before shaping.
Storing
- Leftover dinner rolls can store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. On the following days, rewarm them gently in the microwave to soften them.
- The dinner rolls can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the rolls overnight in the refrigerator and warm them up in the microwave or a low-temperature oven before serving.
Related recipes
For more bread ideas, you could look to bake this easy focaccia bread recipe or this easy homemade brioche bread! Or, for another homemade dinner rolls recipe, try these sourdough bread rolls!
Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 240 g whole milk lukewarm (95-104°F / 35-40°C)
- 2 tsp active dry yeast or instant yeast
- 25 g soft brown sugar
- 220 g all-purpose flour or bread flour
- 220 g whole wheat flour
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 85 g unsalted butter room temperature, cut into cubes
- Milk for brushing
- Melted butter for brushing
Instructions
- Add the warm milk and stir the yeast and brown sugar in a stand mixer bowl with a dough hook. Leave it to sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Add whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, egg, and salt. Turn the mixer on low and combine it into a shaggy dough. If mixing by hand, knead the dough into a shaggy dough ball, then transfer it to a workbench and knead on there.
- Add a few cubes of cubed butter at a time and mix it on medium speed until the butter has been incorporated. At this point, the dough will be very sticky.
- Keep the mixer on medium speed and keep mixing for around 6 minutes, or by hand for 8-10 minutes until the dough gathers strength and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will be soft and sticky, but it should be strong and hang off the dough hook in one cohesive mound.
- Pull the dough from the mixer bowl and shape it into a ball. Lightly grease a clean, large bowl and place the dough ball in the bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel or plate and let it stand in a warm spot until the dough has about doubled in size, for about 1 hour, depending on room temperature.
- Gently deflate the dough by punching it down, remove it from the bowl, and place it on a lightly floured bench. Roll the dough into a 15-inch length and cut it into 15 1-inch pieces. Shape each piece into a tight ball.
- Grease or line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper. Place the dough balls into the prepared baking tray. Cover the tray with a clean tea towel and let it stand in a warm spot until the dough balls have doubled, around 40-60 minutes, depending on room temperature.
- While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Brush the tops of the dough balls with milk.
- Bake the rolls in the oven for approximately 22-25 minutes until deep golden brown. If they are browning too fast, loosely place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the rolls.
- Brush the warm baked rolls with melted butter for extra soft tops. The bread rolls are best served warm.
- On the following days, the rolls can be reheated in the microwave for 10 seconds.
Notes
Overnight dough
The dough for these dinner rolls can be made on day 1 and refrigerated overnight. The next day the rolls can be shaped and risen before baking. Giving the dough a cold rise increases the flavor of the bread. Mix the dough until strong, and place in an airtight container or greased bowl covered with plastic wrap.Let the dough rise in the refrigerator. In the morning, the dough will feel clammy and cold. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before shaping.
Storing
- Leftover dinner rolls can store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. On the following days, rewarm them gently in the microwave to soften them.
- The dinner rolls can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the rolls overnight in the refrigerator and warm them up in the microwave or a low-temperature oven before serving.
The whole wheat dinner roll is yummy.
Thank you for your recipe.
Thanks so much for making them!
There is any substitute for egg ?
You could leave it out and add in a little extra milk to bring the moisture. I haven’t tested this so I can’t say the amounts for sure.
Thanks for this recipe. For some reason I can’t see the reviews so was crossing my fingers. However it was very straight forward with my stand mixer. I used dark muscovado sugar as it was the only soft sugar I had and the family and neighbours loved them. Will definitely make again.
So happy to read this! 🙂
Made these and they are absolutely delicious. I made them more as a roll for sandwiches so divided into 10 and that was perfect. Thank you Elien for another amazing recipe
is this 190 fan oven?
No, it’s regular oven