Whole Wheat Sourdough Dinner Rolls Recipe
Simple, delicious, fun to make dinner rolls, perfect for the festive season, or anytime!
We like to make these and store them in the freezer for a quick and easy snack. See all the variations you can employ in making them in the written recipe below.
You might also enjoy my Hot Cross Bun video and recipe if you enjoy making festive little rolls!
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Whole Wheat Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Makes 10-12 small dinner rolls, or 6-8 larger sized buns
My baking tray: 28 x 18cm (11 x 7 inches) inside measurement
Ingredients:
500g whole wheat flour
I used a combination of 250g each soft white wheat and hard white wheat, which I milled in my Mockmill 200.
You can use any type of whole wheat flours you like in this recipe, even spelt or other farro wheats (einkorn and emmer) or kamut/khorasan. This recipe is very forgiving!9g salt
200g yoghurt
You can substitute this with milk of any kind, or buttermilk might also be nice.150g water
1 tablespoon (metric, 20ml) melted butter, non-dairy spread or olive oil.
1 tablespoon sugar
I like brown sugar, but it’s optional. Honey or maple syrup can also be used.100g sourdough starter
Method:
Mill flours from the whole grain if you are home milling, or otherwise weigh out your flours into a mixing bowl.
Melt butter or substitute spread and set aside.
Weigh salt and mix thoroughly into flour/s.
Add yoghurt/milk, water, melted butter, sugar and sourdough starter to the flours and start mixing with a rigid spoon.
Complete mixing the dough with a brief hand kneading (just to incorporate the ingredients), then cover the dough and leave to rest for one hour.
After one hour, knead the dough again for a few minutes, or as long as you can or until it becomes smooth (my hand kneading days are over, so I never last too long). You can also use a mechanical mixer if you have one, which will give a lighter finished result. (This is the little mixer I’ve been using lately - I really love it! USA link or Australia link).
Cover the dough and leave to ferment for 3-8 hours. The speed of fermentation depends on the temperature of your ingredients and environment, which can all vary quite a lot! Watch the dough and not the clock, it’s ready when it has visibly increased in size, feels a bit light and airy and there are some bubbles in the dough when you look under the surface.
Once risen the first time, degas the dough and form into a ball or log shape. Divide the dough into equal portions (I make 12 small dinner rolls, you may prefer larger ones) and roll into shape as I demonstrate in the video.
Cover the little rolls with a tea towel or a solid container if you live in a dry climate (don’t let them dry out!). Leave to proof for 30 minutes to up to 3 hours, depending on level of fermentation, dough and room temperatures. Find a warm place for them if your kitchen is too cool (around 25°C/75°F is ideal).
When risen again and nearly ready to bake, preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (or 200°C/390°F if you want a faster bake time).
Bake the rolls for approximately 30 minutes at 180°C/350°F (or 20-25 minutes at 200°C/390°F).
When baked, remove tray from the oven and brush rolls lightly with melted butter or olive oil. This softens the crust and adds a little more richness.
Cool slightly and enjoy as soon as possible. Fresh is best!
Variations:
Make them in advance by par baking!
Par bake the rolls for approximately 15 minutes, then cool and store in the freezer until needed. When fresh rolls are in order, remove from freezer and bake in a 200°C/390°F oven for 10-15 minutes to complete baking. Voila! Fresh rolls with minimum effort on the day.Do the final proof in the fridge
Another great option for advance preparation. Once the rolls are shaped and placed on their greased baking tray, enclose the entire tray in a plastic bag or other container and refrigerate for 12-24 hours to proof slowly before baking. To bake, preheat oven and place cold dough on the tray (use metal), straight into the oven. These may need a slightly longer baking time, I haven’t tested this method but I’m certain it would work.Mix at night and bake the next morning
This would be a great option if you’d like to serve your rolls freshly made with a lunchtime meal. Just ensure that the dough does not get too warm overnight, or it will over-ferment and the gluten will break down. About 15-18°C /60-65°F is ideal for a longer, cooler ferment. The next morning, shape the rolls, proof and bake as usual.Freeze them for quick snacks
We love to have these little rolls for impromptu snacks, especially when there is little other bread around. Give them a quick defrost on low power in the microwave (or warm them in a pan), then cut in half, toast if desired and top with your favourite spread or other fillings. They make great last minute soup dippers too!
Looking for more?
Find out about my Mockmill 200 and where you can purchase one from just about anywhere in the world!
(There are discounts available in some locations).See my state-by-state listing of grain suppliers in Australia
Buy me a coffee if you’d like to support my work further in providing these resources 🙂
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