These whole wheat rolls are fluffy, stay soft for days, and make excellent sandwiches! A must-have for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. With a dairy-free option. Check out the reviews if you need convincing!
Continuing on with healthier Easter recipes, I give you the gift of fluffy whole wheat dinner rolls! For me, no holiday meal is complete without dinner rolls.
I have to admit that I really love the frozen ones you can bake in the oven, but homemade and whole wheat is always better, right?
If you’re like me and don’t like your whole wheat recipes to actually taste of whole wheat, then try my whole wheat chocolate cupcakes! They’re every bit as delicious as cupcakes made with all-purpose flour.
The same is true of this whole wheat healthy carrot cake. And this whole wheat banana bread!
Your whole wheat roll search is over!
But back to today’s recipe. These whole wheat rolls could also be called Miracles of Fluff. Because they are. :D I’m so happy I found this recipe on An Oregon Cottage!
I can’t tell you how many 100% whole wheat roll recipes I tried before finding a good one. I even tried 50% whole wheat and couldn’t find a really amazing recipe. But these?! 100% and so ridiculously fluffy and tasty!
One of the best parts about this recipe is that the rolls stay soft for longer than just a few hours after baking. The rolls that other recipes I tried yield rolls that are good out of the oven, but later that night, they’re crumbly and not that appetizing. Or they’re just plain bad.
What to serve them with
Whenever I make brisket or pulled pork, I make these. I don’t know what it is about this recipe, but these always stay soft for days after making them! These rolls would also be great alongside this Paleo Pot Roast from Noshtastic! And if you’ve got an Instant Pot, try this Instant Pot chuck roast. These pork chops with apples also look wonderful.
My favorite way of enjoying these whole wheat rolls is with honey. Just a little is enough. These rolls are already slightly sweetened with honey, but they’re not that sweet. Totally acceptable for sandwiches!
Got leftover turkey? Put it in here and rejoice. :D Turkey leftovers won’t be that boring anymore!
I’ve also made these into cinnamon buns. That recipe is hopefully coming soon! They’re pretty naughty. But at least they’re still whole grain!
I’ve halved the recipe before but I always regret it. Since these wheat rolls stay good for so long, there’s no need to halve the recipe. And you can always pop them in the fridge and reheat in the microwave if needed.
You could also freeze half of the dough and make them into cinnamon buns later, which I highly recommend doing. They’ll no doubt be the fluffiest 100% whole grain cinnamon rolls you ever have.
And just like the dinner rolls, I’ve tried loads of whole wheat cinnamon bun recipes. This is the base you want to use!
I’m also excited to try the leftover rolls in these pizza sliders for a fun treat.
Other flours?
I’ve tried these with whole spelt flour and that didn’t work out. If you adjusted the liquid, it’d work, but none of the formulas for converting whole to spelt recipes have worked for me. Not yet, anyway.
I’m quite confident using a gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour wouldn’t work for this recipe. So for a gluten-free version, try these gluten-free dinner rolls.
Dairy-free whole wheat rolls
For a dairy-free version, use coconut oil instead of butter and homemade buttermilk. Use any dairy-free milk (except canned coconut milk) and 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice.
Pour the vinegar into a 1 cup measuring cup. Fill with milk. Give it a few stirs. Let sit for 5 minutes while preparing the dry ingredients. There you have dairy-free buttermilk!
If you give these rolls a try, let me know how they come out. I love feedback. :)
Photos updated 3/2020. Here’s an old one.
Whole Wheat Rolls - Soft and Fluffy Dinner Rolls!
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 24 rolls
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) warm water
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter or coconut oil1, softened + additional butter for brushing on top, if desired
- 1/4 cup (80 grams) honey
- 3 large eggs (50 gram each, out of shell), room temperature
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) room temperature or slightly warm buttermilk or homemade dairy-free buttermilk2
- 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 1/2 to 5 cups (563-625 grams) whole wheat flour
Directions
- In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the 1/2 cup of warm water. Set this aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and honey until well combined.
- Add the eggs, buttermilk, and yeasty water and beat until well combined.
- Add in the vital wheat gluten and the salt and switch to the dough hook.
- Add in 2 cups of the flour and mix.
- Then add in enough of the remaining flour so that the dough just comes together. Depending on the day, you may need quite a bit.
- Knead for only 2 minutes.
- Once the dough is no longer tacky, cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour. I like to turn the oven to the lowest setting for 1 minute, then turn it off and let the dough rise in there.
- Turn the dough out onto a slightly floured surface and knead it a few times, then let the dough rest for 3 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 24 balls and place these in a buttered 13" x 9" baking pan (the pieces will touch).
- Let the rolls rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Bake the rolls for 13 – 25 minutes or until golden brown. It's very important not to overbake the rolls!
- Remove from the oven, rub some butter over the top of the rolls, and serve immediately or let cool completely and then cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Anything past that, I'd stick them in the fridge (to prevent mold).
Notes
- For the dairy-free version, use coconut oil. It should about as firm as softened butter and not melted! If you don't want any coconut taste, use refined coconut oil instead of unrefined.
- Use any dairy-free milk (except canned coconut milk) and 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Pour the vinegar into a 1 cup measuring cup. Fill with milk. Stir and ket sit for 5 minutes.
Adapted from Soft 100% Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls from An Oregon Cottage
Join over 12,400 readers and sweeten up
your inbox with new posts for free!
This subscription is free of charge and can be canceled at any time.
274 comments on “Whole Wheat Rolls (soft and ultra fluffy!)” — Add one!
31 comments are awaiting moderation!
I tried this recipe and it got rave reviews. I am use to making homemade rolls for years,trying different recipes. I was looking fora wheat rolls recipe that was light and fluffy. I used my bread machine on the dough setting and worked from there. Making them in to ball,and they rosed perfectly,they came out fabulous ! Thank you soooo much.
That’s great that they came out well with the help of a bread machine! I’m very happy to hear that you finally found a good whole wheat roll recipe. :) Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
At what point would be a good time to freeze these so that I can make ahead and then cook and serve later? Thanks!
I haven’t tried it but this website tells you how to do it. I hope that helps! Enjoy. :)
Hello!
I’m going to attempt these delicious sounding rolls for thanksgiving but unfortunately I don’t have a stand mixer. Would I be able to get away with using the old fashion mixers? The electric one with the two removeable beaters?
Thanks!
Hi! I think you would but haven’t tried it. Make sure to use the dough hooks. You could also do it by hand!
THANK YOU so much for the best whole wheat recipe I have ever come across! All my kids love it!
The recipe has a typo- it should be 2 tsp of yeast- not 2 tbsp
Also for anyone who wants to make it in The bread machine: I make the whole recipe on the dough cycle. Then I take out half the dough and shape it into rolls, and I let the other half do a full rise and bake cycle. Both the rolls and the loaf come out incredible!
There’s no typo! I and all the reviewers below have used 2 tablespoons and not 2 teaspoons of yeast. I’m happy 2 tsp worked for you, though! :) Although I’m really curious how since it’s only 1/3 the amount. Was it rapid rise or something like that? And thanks for the tip of the bread machine! That’s great to know.
I made these last year for Thanksgiving, and they were such a hit then that my mom has asked me to do them again! I looooove how soft and delicious they are. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe with us.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy that you enjoyed them and that your mom liked them enough to request again. :) Thanks for your comment!
These are the best buns I have made. Unfortunately where I am, I am limited with some of the ingredients. I used half white flour and half sorghum flour. I also didn’t have vital wheat gluten. Everything else I followed to the T. These came out great. Will definitely make these regularly.
I’m so happy that they came out well! And awesome that they came out well with your subs. I never would have figured that that’d work! Thanks for your comment. :)
Wow! The comments have made me SO EXCITED to try this recipe! It is so unique from other bread recipes! My mom recently gave us five gallons of wheat and we have a blendtec that grinds it beautifully so we have been trying to find uses for it.
My question is about sugar. I’m allergic to honey…most whole wheat recipes I’ve tried I’ve just used sugar instead, but usually it’s only 1/8-1/4 cup, not 1/2, and I don’t really want to use that much sugar. Suggestions for substitutes? Or do you think I could just cut it to 1/4 cup? I can’t go to the store because babies are napping.
I also only have 2 eggs so one will be replaced with 1/4 c applesauce. I’ll let y’all know how that goes!
Hi there! Where do you see 1/2 cup? The recipe calls for 1/4 cup honey so I definitely wouldn’t sub 1/2 cup sugar for that! I’d go with 1/4 cup sugar and add a little more milk since you’re reducing the liquid by omitting the honey. The problem is I have no idea how much liquid to add since I’ve never tried it in this recipe. I also haven’t tried subbing applesauce for eggs so I’m not sure how that’ll work here. I hope the rolls will still come out well! I’d love to hear how it goes. :)
Oh man I’m crazy!! Haha I think I saw the 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup sugar and got them confused. I will try with 1/4 cup white sugar and probably add about 2Tbsp more liquid (I’m in Utah so it’s very dry, so maybe it will end up being more.) I’m excited!
Haha. It happens to us all! :D Good luck with the rolls!
I made these with 2 eggs and 1/4 c applesauce and white sugar instead of honey. They were amazing! So soft and fluffy. My husband wants them every day for his lunches now and my 2-year-old who generally doesn’t like bread was scarfing them down! We will definitely be making them again!
I’m so happy you and your family liked them! I have trouble not scarfing them down, too. ;) Thanks for sharing your sub and for your comment!
I made your recipe. Added some homemade dough enhancer and the dough rose very quickly. I did have to bake for 20 minutes because the insides were raw at 14 minutes
good, but still said he prefers my white rolls, lol. He’s a very picky eater, so I didn’t tell him they were wheat…he figured it out lol. I will be making again. Thanks!
Dough enhancer sounds like a good addition! And I think it’s pretty much impossible to make 100% whole wheat rolls not taste whole wheaty. ;) You can hide the whole wheat taste in brownies, cookies and cakes where there are some other flavors but nothing but wheat is hard to mask. :) Thanks for your comment and so sorry I just now saw it!
hello!
Erin, how can we make these into cinnamon rolls ? Could you please give me some guidance for the ingredients? (e.g 1 t.s cinnamon? extra sugar??)
I m planning to split the dough! half for dinner rolls, half for cinnamon rolls!!
thank you!
Hi there! I haven’t made them in years so I honestly have no idea. I posted this healthier orange sweet rolls recipe based on the dinner rolls so maybe that’ll help! Or you could just look at other cinnamon bun recipes to see how much sugar, cinnamon and butter they used for the filling. Good luck! :)
thank you! yes, I m gonna use that one!!
I made them today, and they are very nice! soft and fluffy!! Half of the dough iis n the freezer though and cinnamon rolls to be made soon!
I have to say I didnt use the wheat gluten and I cut down a bit the butter using olive oil instead! They still turned out very tasty and I m gonna try the recipe in my bread maker in order to make a proper bread loaf… I believe is gonna be sooo fluffy!!!
thank you!
I hope the buns will come out well! Great that they worked well without the vital wheat gluten. :) Good luck with trying it in a bread maker and thanks so much for your feedback! :)
2nd part of the dough in the oven with cinnamon filling from orange rolls recipe…. smell is amazing!!!!
may I ask if you have a recipe for brioche??
I was thinking to use this one and try it, adding vanila and some orange/lemon zest!!
I unfortunately don’t have a brioche recipe! I’ve tried several and never found one I like. Sorry about that! Hope you can find something that works well. :)
Has anyone tried freezing the dough and then taking them out to rise and then bake them? I love the frozen non-baked rolls in the freezer section but I rarely find whole wheat!
I haven’t but if you try it out, I’d love to hear how it goes. :) Good luck!
I did
All good !!! Still tasted great
Awesome! So happy to hear that. :) Thanks for your comment and sorry for the slow reply! I’m in the process of moving and haven’t had internet since Sunday.
I made these today and I can say is WOW!!! I halved the dough and made 12 dinner rolls and 8 Cinnamon rolls. The cinnamon are just to darn delicious. The rolls did not rise as much as the cinnamon rolls, because I over kneaded them, but they were still good. The taste is phenomenal!!! I added 1/2 cup of honey instead of quarter, next time I will add 1/3 cup. The cream cheese icing I made for the cinnamon rolls, I used Swerve sweetner, (I’m diabetic) and it was soooo good. I use Zing Baking Blend and Swerve for all of my baking needs. You absolutely do not miss that poisonous white sugar, and white flour. My Mom is addicted to sugar and she could not tell the difference. I am so happy I can have rolls again. This will be made often. Thank You for this wonderful recipe. I am going to use this base to make Cheese Danish! Yum!!! Jennifer V
Oooh! It’s been way too long since I’ve made these as cinnamon buns! It’s great to know that they work well with Swerve and Zing. Thanks a ton for your feedback! I’m so happy that you found a way to have rolls again. I can’t wait to hear how your danishes come out! Thanks again. :)
I was a bit nervous about making these because I never usually use egg / butter / milk in bread recipes but Oh. My. God. So fluffy! New favourite roll recipe ❤️
Woohoo! So happy that they came out well. Thanks a ton for your comment! :)
Hi
The recipe says you require 4.5v to 5 cups of flour. But we add in only 2 cups of flour . Is that correct?
Hi! You add in 2 cups of flour in Step #5 and then in Step #6, you add in enough of the remaining flour so that the dough is no longer sticky.
Can I add rapid rise instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?
I’m pretty sure that’d work fine! Make sure to follow the directions on the back of the package. Hope you’ll enjoy them!
I am making these today and am out of eggs. I have unsweetened applesauce, ground flax and chick pea brine that I could use in place. Are these more savory or a sweet roll? Is Xmas Eve and I don’t want to battle a crowd for eggs. Thanks for your help! Happy Holidays
They’re slightly sweet due to the honey. I’ve never used applesauce or chickpea brine as a sub in bread so I’m not sure how well it’d work. I’m thinking a flax egg or chia egg might work, though. Good luck and happy holidays! :)
Used flax (3.5 eggs worth) for half and the brine (3 tablespoons) for the other for experiments sake. Both turned out so beautiful and tasty. I’m going to try applesauce next time, I think even though naturally sweet, theyd still turn out delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe. It’s a good’un.
Wow! That’s great that that worked out well. Thanks for coming back to let me know what you tried! I really appreciate it. :)
Can you tell me how to make this without a mixer? Also can I make these and keep in fridge until next day?mary
Do you have a hand mixer? If not, then just do everything by hand. I think the only thing that will be different is that you’ll probably need to knead it longer in Step 7. I have no idea how much longer but once it’s no longer tacky, it’s ready. I’m guessing it may be difficult to make these by hand. The dough is quite sticky! I’d use a spoon to mix in the flour until it’s manageable. You can make them and even keep them at room temp for a day. :)
I do have a hand mixer. This is my first try at homemade rolls so EEEEK! I hope they turn out well. Thanks so much.
Ah, okay! Then just use that. There’s probably a dough hook attachment that came with the mixer. :) Good luck!
Why did you add vital wheat gluten? It was not in the Oregon recipe.
It improves the elasticity and rise of the raw dough and the crumb and chewiness in the final loaves. It’s especially effective when baking with low-protein flours like whole wheat (which has trouble developing enough gluten). You can just omit it if you want.
Erin, I love a nice fluffy dinner roll, and these look terrific!
Thanks so much, Jean! :)
Where is the recipe????? Yak yak talk talk yakity yak!! NO RECIPE!!!!!!!!!!😠😠😠😠😠
If you’re on desktop, just scroll down the page past all the “yak yak talk talk” and if you’re on mobile, click on the big, bright pink button that says, “Get Recipe HERE.” Hope you’re able to find it now. :)
Hi, I just wanted to say these are incredible!! Thank you so much for posting the recipe. I normally exclusively bake gluten free & pack in as much fiber as possible, but my daughter has been swapping her pack lunch sandwiches for the worst refined white bread you can imagine. Whats the point of making optimally nutritious buns if she can’t stand the taste… These buns seem to be the answer, she loved them! :D
I didn’t have all the ingredients at hand, so used coconut oil instead of butter & coconut milk/lemon juice instead of muttermilk, nutritional yeast instead of vital gluten. They still turned out so light & fluffy… I couldn’t resiste trying them too (paying for it now) Delicious! Thank you :)
You mean she swaps it at school? Haha. That sounds like something I would’ve liked to do. ;) The nutritional yeast sub is interesting! I’ll have to try that, too. I’m so happy that you both enjoyed them and I hope you feel better soon! Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)