If you have always avoided making healthy bread because you are afraid it will turn out like a dense, heavy brick, this recipe is going to change your mind. These One Hour Soft Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls are the exception to the rule. They are light, fluffy, and genuinely impossible to mess up—even if you are a beginner baker (same goes for these cinnamon rolls, while we’re at it.)
One Hour Soft Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls (No-Fail Recipe)
We love serving rolls or bread with our dinner, especially during soup season! Usually yeast breads require several hours of advanced planning, which isn’t always do-able on a busy weeknight. These quick dinner rolls, however, cut out the first rise on the dough and are ready in under an hour. If you want an easy dinner recipe to go with these, that kids LOVE, check out this Hamburger Gravy. My son’s very favorite!
Back to the rolls… our kids love these–because what kid doesn’t love bread?! So we like to make them with whole white wheat flour for added nutrition. They are definitely delicious made with white flour as well, but making them with whole wheat flour doesn’t mean you’ll have to sacrifice flavor or texture. They still stay perfectly soft and fluffy and are a welcome side to just about any dinner at our table. If you’re lucky enough to end up with extras, we like to freeze them and use them to make meat and cheese sandwiches to send to school in lunches.
We haven’t finalized our Thanksgiving menu yet, but they will likely be making an appearance there as well. We always make WAY more rolls than we need at Thanksgiving because leftovers are life. And a turkey and cranberry sandwich on one of these rolls is heaven. If you’re not in a hurry, you can let the dough rise after kneading and it definitely won’t hurt with this recipe.
Quick Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 2 ½ - 3 ¼ cups white wheat flour
Instructions
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Dissolve yeast in warm water in the bowl of a bread mixer. Add sugar, salt, oil, egg and 2 cups of flour. Mix until smooth. Add in remaining flour ¼ cup at a time (you likely will not need all of it) until dough is tacky, but not sticky and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead 5 minutes.
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Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes. Shape into 2 dozen rolls (they fit nicely 4x6 on a half size baking sheet). Let rise until doubled. Preheat oven to 375. Bake rolls in preheated oven for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown.
Recipe Notes
Notes:
You definitely don’t have to use whole wheat flour here and these are as tender and yummy as ever made with white flour.
3 Tips for Preventing Dense Whole Wheat Bread
The biggest complaint about whole wheat rolls is that they turn out heavy, dry, or “brick-like.” This usually happens because whole wheat flour absorbs liquid differently than white flour. Here are the three secrets to ensuring your rolls stay soft and fluffy every time:
1. Measure Flour the Right Way (Don’t Scoop!) If you take your measuring cup and scoop it directly into the flour bag, you are packing the flour down. This can result in adding up to 20% more flour than the recipe calls for, which guarantees a dry, dense roll.
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The Fix: Use the “Spoon and Level” method. Fluff your flour up with a spoon, gently spoon it into your measuring cup until it’s overflowing, and then level it off with the back of a knife. Do not pack it down!
2. Embrace the “Tacky” Dough Whole wheat dough should be slightly sticky. Many beginners panic when the dough sticks to their fingers and immediately add more flour. Resist that urge!
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The Fix: The dough should feel “tacky”—like the sticky side of a post-it note—not dry like Play-Doh. If the dough pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl but sticks slightly to the bottom, it is perfect. The wetter the dough, the softer the roll.
3. Use White Whole Wheat Flour If you are using traditional “Red” Whole Wheat flour, your rolls will have that bitter, nutty taste and a heavier texture.
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The Fix: Look for White Whole Wheat Flour at the grocery store. It is still 100% whole grain with all the nutritional benefits, but it is ground from a lighter variety of wheat. It has a milder flavor and a lighter texture that mimics all-purpose flour, making it much more kid-friendly.
Check out our other Turkey Day faves:
Cranberry Sauce | Perfect Pie Crust (Oil Pastry)| Cinnamon Banana Cream Pie
For more great recipes, check these out:
- 25 Scrumptious Thanksgiving Pies
- 32 Thanksgiving Sides – Sure To Be Crowd Pleasers!
- Family Friendly Minestrone Recipe
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