First of all, I need to be honest…please don’t let this scare you off…but, this isn’t one of those fool-proof recipes that you can throw together 5 minutes before dinner.
I know, that would be awesome, but in all reality…homemade 100% whole wheat rolls are a little tricky and temperamental.
Actually, I guess that’s not true. Whole wheat rolls are super easy. Fluffy, edible, whole wheat rolls, that don’t double as bricks are tricky. It took me 3 tries to figure out exactly what works for me, so don’t give up! I promise I’ll share all my little tricks.
Soft & Fluffy Whole Wheat Rolls
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 16 rolls
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons dry yeast
- ½ cup warm (not hot) water
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 eggs (at room temperature)
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 3-4 cups whole wheat flour
Instructions
- In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit for 10 min until nice and bubbly.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and honey.
- Add eggs and beat well.
- Add yeast mixture.
- Mix in salt and flour to form a soft, wet dough. See tips for amount of flour to add.
- Let rise in a warm/moist location until doubled. I usually give it an hour and a half. Do not knead dough yet, just cover the bowl with a clean towel and let rise.
- Once it's doubled, then knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes.
- Let rest for 5 minutes before shaping rolls on a greased pan or cookie sheet.
- Let rise again until doubled (usually another hour and a half) and then bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 roll Calories: 160 Carbohydrates: 21g Fiber: 3g Protein: 5g
Tips
In my experience, the three keys to making fluffy whole wheat rolls are temperature, moisture, and time.
Pay close attention to the temperature of all your ingredients. You don’t want to add anything super hot, or you’ll kill the yeast, but you want all the ingredients to be room temperature or a little warmer. I even wait to grind wheat in my Blendtec until right as I get started so I can add it fresh and still warm. If you forget to leave the eggs out {of course, I’ve never done that! ;)} let them sit in a bowl of hot water for a whole before cracking and adding to the dough.
Be careful not to add too much flour! You want the dough to still be wet and a little sticky. I live in dry Utah, so I only ever use 3 cups of flour. You may need more if you live in a more humid location, but start with less and then add some later if you need it. Dry dough just won’t rise as well.
Create a moist/warm environment for the dough to rise each time. Before the first rise, I microwave a cup of water until it boils. Then I put the bowl of dough in with the water and shut the door. Of course, you’d never actually want to microwave the dough, but a just-used microwave and the boiling water create a perfect environment for the yeast. The second time I use the “bread rise” setting on my oven and dump a cup of boiling water into a pan placed on the rack below the rolls.
Don’t rush these. You probably noticed that I usually give my rolls a total of 3 hours of rising time. You’ll want to check them more often during the second rise so that they don’t rise and then fall again, but if you rush and don’t give them enough time to rise you’ll end up with some new rocks for your yard. 😉
Do you think I could make one big loaf of bread with this recipe instead of rolls? I don’t know why I’m craving homemade bread.
I’ve never tried Nadia, so if you try it let me know how it goes! I’ve always been too scared to try homemade bread! 🙂