Whole Wheat Rolls

Whole Wheat Rolls are soft, fluffy, and just 50 calories each. A hint of honey makes them tender, wholesome, and perfect with any meal!

These whole wheat rolls are the very first bread recipe that I created! They are wholesome and healthy, with just the right amount of sweetness from the honey and sugar. Fluffy, filling, and only 50 calories apiece, they are like the whole wheat cousin to these graham clover rolls.

Nothing beats a freshly baked dinner roll, so be sure to test these rolls as soon as they are cool enough to eat! (for quality control purposes of course😉) Then serve these rolls alongside this brown sugar glazed meatloaf with creamy mashed potatoes and this rosemary lemon roasted cauliflower for the perfect weeknight dinner.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds hydration, fat, and flavor to the bread, keeping the rolls tender and moist. You can substitute whole milk, homemade buttermilk, or your favorite milk substitution. 
• Unsalted Butter
• Active Dry Yeast: Active dry yeast requires the added step of hydration, but it is fast and controllable. If you don’t have dry active yeast, you can substitute double the weight of fresh yeast or half the weight of instant yeast. If using either fresh or instant yeast, you can add it straight to the dough.
• Water
• Granulated Sugar
• Honey
• Kosher Salt
• Whole Wheat Flour: I prefer either King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour. Both these companies take care to control the temperature of the flour during grinding, which preserves the natural flavors, antioxidants, and vitamins that are destroyed at warmer temperatures. 
• You can substitute half the weight of the whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour or bread flour, like in this whole wheat sandwich bread recipe, for a fluffier, more open crumb. 

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

• Mix in some flavors. Take inspiration from my cherry sourdough bread; you can add your favorite nuts or dried fruit for a delicious twist. 
• Add to the swirl. You can add to the swirl in the bread. Before rolling up the bread, you can add cinnamon and sugar, as seen in these cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing, or make it more savory by adding melted butter and fresh herbs. 
• Change the sweetener. This bread can be sweetened with molasses for a nice, rich, warm flavor. Alternatively, you can use agave, maple syrup, or additional honey. 
• Add more nutrition with seeds and grains. You can add seeds, such as flax seeds, sunflower seeds, or caraway seeds, like in this steakhouse-style pumpernickel bread. You can also add grains like quinoa, grain cereal, or oats, as I do in my multigrain bread recipe. 

Professional Tips 

• Use a scale and a ruler. Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients! Bread is a perfect balance of all the ingredients. And when rolling out your spiral rolls, use a ruler to cut each strip to ensure all your rolls are the same size, to keep them even for baking. 
• Add the flour slowly. Whole wheat flour takes longer to properly hydrate. The process of adding the flour slowly allows it to fully and properly hydrate, ensuring your bread has the perfect texture. 
• Don’t overheat the water or buttermilk mixture. If the buttermilk or water mixture heats past 110°F, place it in the fridge or allow it to cool over an ice bath. If the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast before it has a chance to activate.

How to Make Whole Wheat Rolls

Use these instructions to make perfect whole wheat dinner rolls every time! For further details and measurements, please refer to the recipe card below.

Make the dough: 

Step 1: Heat the buttermilk, butter, honey, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is 110°F, stirring frequently.

Step 2: Proof the yeast. While your milk mixture is warming, proof your yeast. Add ¼ cup of warm water (100°F – 110°F) to the yeast and stir to mix. Then, I added 1 tablespoon of sugar to the yeast/water mixture. Wait 10 minutes and if the mixture has tripled in size, then the yeast is healthy & ready to use.

Step 3: Combine milk and yeast mixtures. Pour the milk mixture and the proofed yeast mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer and whisk together. 

Step 4: Add flour. With the dough hook attachment, add the whole wheat flour one cup at a time, mixing and continuing to add flour until you have a stiff dough.

I then set my KitchenAid mixer with the bread hook attachment on speed 2 and let it work its magic until the dough climbs up the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. 

Step 5: Knead the dough. Once you have a cohesive dough, continue kneading on setting 2 for about 2 minutes. Mix until you have a smooth dough that doesn’t stick to your fingers when you touch it. You can also test by pulling a rough window pane. 

If you are kneading by hand, press the dough away with the palms of your hand. Stretch the dough from the edge, folding the back edge over to the center. Press the dough away with the palms of your hands, exerting sufficient force to cause the part folded over to adhere to the mass underneath, and repeat the folding process. Turn the dough one-quarter around and repeat kneading. Continue turning, folding, and kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticks to an unfloured board.

Proofing and shaping the dough: 

Step 6: Let dough rise. Grease a large bowl with vegetable oil.  Place the dough ball in the bowl and turn it to coat all sides with oil. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm location (80°F – 85°F) for 1 hour, or until the dough has tripled in size.

Step 7: Grease 48 muffin tins for spiral rolls. You can also use cake pans or a regular baking dish if planning on making standard round rolls.

If you prefer a standard roll shape, divide your dough into 48 equal pieces and place them about 1 inch apart in the chosen baking dish. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume.

Step 8: Roll and cut dough. Roll the dough into a rectangle and then, using a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, cut the dough into strips about 2 inches wide, like you would with sourdough cinnamon rolls. 

Step 9: Shape rolls. Fold each strip in half and then roll it up tightly. Place each spiral into each greased muffin tin. Working quickly, repeat this step until all the dough has been used. Cover pans with a damp cloth and set aside to rise.

To make larger ones, I rolled up one strip and then continued rolling with another strip doubled over.

Step 10: Second rise. Let the dough rise for another hour until it has doubled in size and is light to the touch. 

Bake rolls: 

Step 11: Bake the rolls for 8 minutes at 400° and then decrease the temperature to 350° for the remaining 10-20 minutes. Start checking these after 10 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Step 12: Cool. Remove the rolls from the tins and cool them on a wire rack. If you leave them in the tin, the bread will steam itself, causing the bottoms to become soggy. 

Recipe FAQs 

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this flavorful and easy spiral roll recipe. Check out our other delicious dinner roll recipes like these potato rolls or these pumpkin herb dinner rolls!