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Soft Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls. Moist and soft Whole wheat Rolls 100% Whole grain rolls with Tangzhong starter. Use as Wheat Buns for Burgers or Sliders. Vegan Whole Grain Dinner Rolls. Soy-free Palm Oil-free Recipe
These rolls are 100% Whole grain and so soft and do not taste like cardboard or dirt! Based off my 100% Whole wheat bread, the rolls have additional help in moisture from the tangzhong (roux), Tangzong starter breads or milk breads are often the softest breads. Tangzhong along with the sponge are the secret to perfectly moist Whole Grain Rolls.
The flavor of these rolls is very dependent on the whole grain flour used. Often the flour goes rancid or is starting to go rancid depending on when the grains were processed. Breads with combination of whole and all purpose/white flour have a milder flavor. In all whole grain baked goods that are sweet or savory, the flavors take over the whole grain flavor and work well. In a bread that is just whole grain flour, water and yeast, the grain flavor comes through very strong. It is the least strong in freshly baked bread and gets stronger (bitter or rancid) as it sits. You can also use aquafaba for additional moisture in these. These rolls are best served fresh and warm.
These rolls can be made ahead (refrigerated or frozen, then thawed and baked). For soft Gluten-free dinner rolls, see these.
I generally use some whole grain spelt with the wheat or a combination of regular whole wheat which is red wheat flour, and white whole wheat which is flour of winter white wheat. Combination flours help with the flavor and texture. It looks like a long process, but its mostly rest and rise time and bake time with just 15- 20 mins active.
More breads from the blog
- Multigrain Dinner Rolls. Yeasted
- Fluffy White Dinner Rolls or Burger Buns Yeasted
- Steamed Bao buns Yeasted
- Garlic Scallion Jalapeno Buns Yeasted
- Rye almond Burger Buns Yeasted
- Yeast-free Dinner Rolls.
These rolls can be made into garlic rolls like these . These rolls make a great side with chili or Soups.
So soft!
Also note that some active or instant yeasts have emulsifiers added to them such as Sorbitan Monostearate which are derived from palm oil. Some other emulsifiers might be derived from animal ingredients. You can use fresh yeast or use active yeast which does not contain additives. Red Star Yeast packets of 1/4 oz do not contain this emulsifier.
Step pictures below: Or Jump to Recipe
Make the sponge batter and let it sit for an hour. 
Add the tangzong, flour, salt, oil and knead into a smooth soft dough. Let the dough sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
Divide into 12 equal parts. Roll each part into an oval and roll the oval into a jelly roll. Place seam side down on greased baking pan.
Sprinkle sesame or oats. Cover and let rise for 35 to 45 mins or until doubled.
Bake until golden. Brush oil or vegan butter on top.
Gorgeous!
Eat some with olive oil, hummus or vegan butter.
Soft Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls with Tangzhong Starter
Ingredients
Tangzhong:
- 1/4 scant cup whole wheat flour, a bit less than 1/4 cup
- 1/2 cup water
Sponge:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 2.5 tbsp maple syrup or other sweetener of choice, i like to use 1.5 tbs mapel and 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp active yeast, 1 tablespoon = 3 tsp
Bread:
- 2 cups whole wheat flour, or 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup whole spelt flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp almond extract, optional, adds nice bakery like smell
- olive oil or vegan butter for brushing
Instructions
- In a small saucepan combine 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup water over medium heat. mix well and cook until gel like, smooth and starting to get shiny, stirring frequently. Set this tangzhong starter lump aside.
- Mix the ingredients under Sponge in a bowl. Mix with a large spoon for 2 minutes until the batter is very smooth and starting to get gluten-ny.
- Let the bowl sit covered for 1 hour in a warm place. (Use a large bowl as the sponge will triple).
- In a stand mixer, add the sponge, tangzhong. Mix the salt into the 2 cups flour and add the flour to the stand mixer. Start kneading. Add in the oil, lemon juice and continue to knead for 5 minutes. Let the dough rest for 2 minutes. Check the dough to see if it needs more flour or water (it should be soft and smooth. not stiff and not sticky). Add more flour 1 tbsp at a time if needed. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky, but not overly sticky or not too stiff.
- Knead for another 5 to 7 minutes. The dough should not break immediately when a small portion is pulled out. (I knead at setting 2 on my kitchen aid). You can let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes at this point.
- Divide the dough in 12 equal balls. flatten each ball into an oval then roll it up like a jelly roll. Place seam side down in the baking pan. Repeat for all rolls. Spray oil on top. Sprinkle sesame seeds or oats. * See Notes for refrigeration or freezing instructions.
- Cover the pan with a towel and let rise for 25 to 40 minutes or until the rolls double in size.
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F/ 190ºc. Bake the bread for 20 to 22 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and brush oil or vegan butter on top. Remove the bread from the pan after 10 minutes. Wait for another 5 before serving the warm rolls with olive oil or vegan butter or as a side with anything.
- Store in a bread container on the counter for upto 2 days or refrigerate for upto a week.
Notes
Follow the recipe to Step 6. To refrigerate, cover the pan with plastic wrap or other and refrigerate overnight. Let the pan sit on the counter for an hour before baking.
To freeze, let the rolls rise for 15 mins before freezing the pan. Freeze the pan in ziplock or wrapped in wrap. Thaw and rise for 1 to 1,5 hours before baking. Use Aquafaba: Use a 1/4 cup aquafaba + 3/4 cup water in the sponge instead of 1 cup water. You can use aquafaba instead of oil, i havent tried these without oil. To make burger buns: Shape the rolls and place on parchment lined baking sheet atleast 2 inches apart. Follow the rest of the instructions to bake. Nutritional values based on one serving
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It was not hard to make following the very clear instructions. I just didn’t like the after taste. I followed the recipe without deviation, and they turned out perfect, but the after taste was different. This is the only recipe that I had problems with.
Can you describe the after taste? Was it yeasty or wheaty? If it was yeasty then just bake the rolls a few mins longer next time.
Can I take off the olive oil for oil-free?
Yes
Just what I was looking for. Your total hydration % seems 96%. Is that too high or perfect for the flour that you are using? I understand that it will differ based on the flour, but am concerned that the dough may turn out too sticky. Should I just go by feel? Also, is there a reason to add flour to the sponge? Since it’s WW, why not add all the flour to the sponge itself? Does autolysing all the flour make a difference? Will be trying this out today. Thanks.
96 is perfect. yes – always go by feel with breads and doughs. and the Tangzhong along with the sponge are the secret to perfectly moist Whole Grain Rolls. During the autolyse the flour absorbs the water, becoming fully hydrated. This activates enzymes in the flour that stimulate the proteins to start gluten development. At the same time, further enzymes are starting to break starch down into the simple sugars that will feed the yeast during the bulk prove. Enjoy!!
Thanks, Richa. I tried them yesterday. While they didn’t rise as much as I expected, they tasted well. I halved the quantity and made 5. Also, I shaped 2 like burger buns (bigger in size) and the remaining 3 as rolls. Interestingly, the rolls turned out more fluffy though it was the same dough. The only slight difference I can think of is that the rolls proofed a bit more longer. I was afraid they would be overproofed, but they were ok. Not sure if it’s the domestic variety low-gluten flour I am using or anything else that makes them a bit dense and flat, or whether I need to proof them more to make them more fluffy. Do you think adding all-purpose flour (maida) may help? (I am on a whole food lifestyle, so wanted to avoid it). I guess like you mentioned the autolyse and tangzhong helped, but at 96% hydration my dough was too sticky and I had to add some flour. I kneaded by hand for close to 15 mins. Lastly, do you have a recipe for burger buns or do I use this recipe? Thanks for the recipe and response. 🙏
Different flour s behave differently. If you used atta then it is low gluten and that could cause flattening and the gluten development helps them rise taller. Try my dinner rolls witb tangzhong for buns. You want to shape the buns similarly and place them not too far apart so they rise verticallly
https://fettabbau-trim.today/soft-whole-wheat-dinner-rolls/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I use 100% Spelt and it rises like a demon!!
I’m from India and also had the problem of ‘denser” whole wheat bread from our wheat which has substantially lower protein then wheat in the West. I now add Vital Wheat Gluten to compensate for the low protein. In the above recipe I added 3 1/2 Tbsp of Vital Wheat Gluten. In spite of that I had to add extra flour like many others to get the right consistency. The final outcome was absolutely fantastic. I use the same recipe to bake a fantastic bread except I added 6 tsp of finely chopped seeds and baked at 170 C for 30 when the internal temperature was 88 C. Thank you once again for a fantastic recipe.
🙂
I don’t have a stand mixer but I do have a Cuisinart food processor. Would that work for mixing & kneading, do you think?
sure can – just use the dough blade on cuisinart and follow these instructions but keep to the amounts in my recipe: Also you can knead it by hand and get your frustrations out!! it will take 10 to 12 mins to become a smooth dough. Once the dough comes together after the first few mins, throw the dough on the counter a couple of times. That helps gluten formation and is also a good frustration workout. :). continue to knead and throw on the counter
I do like to use oil, could I substitute vegan butter instead ?
Sure, that will be just fine.
Hi, can I use the Indian whole wheat like Pillsbury brand to make this roll and can these rolls be used as pav for pav bhaji?
Yes but they won’t be as light as the white flour pav
Excellent recipe, thank you.
Baking a loaf instead of rolls and mixing and kneading by hand, do I still follow the knead 5, rest 2, knead 12-15, rest 15-20 and place in loaf pan and put in warm place for 25-40 until doubled in size, then bake at 350 for 40-45 min?
follow the instructions from this recipe https://fettabbau-trim.today/2015/07/100-whole-wheat-bread-recipe.html%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
These rolls came out delicious! Mine were dense and very bread-like. Perfect with some vegan butter!
It came out softer than my usual buns. I found it difficult to knead by hand. So I left it in the fridge for 24 hrs n then baked it the next day. Will be making them again. Thanks Richa!
it might be difference in flours. Just add a bit more flour until easyto handle and then shape into buns and let rise.