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.
Recipe Card
Soft Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls with Tangzhong Starter
Ingredients
Tangzhong:
- 1/4 (0.25) scant cup whole wheat flour a bit less than 1/4 cup
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) water
Sponge:
- 1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour
- 1 cup (250 ml) 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 (240 g) 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 (0.25 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
Dr. J
I started making bread some 40 years ago when I was an enlisted guy in the military and our family didn’t even have enough money for groceries. It became a hobby, and I’ve put in my 10,000 hours or whatever it takes to become a bread-making expert. That said, I’ve never heard of this “tanzhong” method, but since I’ve recently switched to 100% whole wheat, I was eager to explore a new way to get soft, pillowy bread. I was not disappointed! I followed the recipe to the letter (I prefer to knead by hand, but opted to use the Kitchenaid as instructed) and the results were perfect. The rolls were a hit at yesterday’s Thanksgiving dinner.
Vegan Richa Support
I’m so happy to hear!
Ks
What does it mean when you say mix the sponge until it gets “gluten-ny”? How would I know? What would that look like?
Richa
Somewhat stringy. When you start mixing there isn’t any resistance and then slowly there will be a bit of resistance and pull. The gluten forms, when it’s a dough you can feel it getting elastic, in the batter it gets a bit stringy and adds slight elastic resistance
Richa
Also answered your earlier questions. My assistant wasn’t answering all comments last year 🤷🏻♀️ 1. It’s a whole grain recipe, you need all possible hydration. Hence the sponge.
2. Nope, too much tangzhong won’t bake out and will stay gummy
3. I use 9 by 9 inch
4. Lemon cuts the strong earthy wheat flavor
Emily
Fantastic recipe! Like others I had to add significantly more whole wheat flour to create a proper consistency, but the finished rolls were unbelievably tender. Love the tangzhong method.
Vegan Richa Support
thank you –
Georgina Newson
Wonderful recipe! Been baking all our bread for several years and got a bit bored with our standard loaf. I use it for rolls and for loaves, and use 100% Spelt due to my husband reaction to C21st wheat and this recipe works a dream – soft, smooshy, but easy to slice. Thanks for sharing it.
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome !
Leon
Why my bread taste yeasty?
Vegan Richa Support
did you let it rise too long possibly?
Kate
My husband and I love these soft and pillowy rolls! I had to add 158g flour to get the texture right but they came out AMAZING!
Ks
1. What is the purpose of the sponge? Can I just add the cooled tangzhong to all the other ingredients and make a dough for the first rise?
2. Since the tangzhong makes the dough soft and moist, can i use a little more for the recipe?
3. What size square pan for 12 buns?
Richa
1. It’s a whole grain recipe, you need all possible hydration. Hence the sponge.
2. Nope, too much tangzhong won’t bake out and will stay gummy
3. I use 9 by 9 inch
4. Lemon cuts the strong earthy wheat flavor
Ks
What is the purpose of Lemon?
Crystal
These rolls are simply amazing! I’ve made them twice in the last few weeks, both times with beautiful results. I did have to add more flour each time, which surprised me since I live in a rather dry climate. But, I do know that there can be great variability in the flour and water requirements from one day to another. I don’t use refined oils so I used applesauce to replace the oil in the dough (as I usually do in baking) and omitted the butter/oil brushed on top when done. These rolls stayed soft and fluffy for 3 days…probably longer but we had eaten them all by then.
Richa
Awesome thanks. Applesauce has a bit more moisture than oil so you will need a little bit more flour
PamG
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.
Richa
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.
Maria
Can I take off the olive oil for oil-free?
Richa
Yes
Samir
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.
Vegan Richa Support
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!!
Samir
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. 🙏
Richa
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://www.veganricha.com/soft-whole-wheat-dinner-rolls/
Georgina Newson
I use 100% Spelt and it rises like a demon!!
Maninder
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.
Vegan Richa Support
🙂
Dawn Niekarz
I don’t have a stand mixer but I do have a Cuisinart food processor. Would that work for mixing & kneading, do you think?
Vegan Richa Support
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
Geneva
I do like to use oil, could I substitute vegan butter instead ?
Vegan Richa Support
Sure, that will be just fine.
NKan
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?
Richa
Yes but they won’t be as light as the white flour pav
Michael
Excellent recipe, thank you.
Barbara
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?
Richa
follow the instructions from this recipe https://www.veganricha.com/2015/07/100-whole-wheat-bread-recipe.html
Myra
These rolls came out delicious! Mine were dense and very bread-like. Perfect with some vegan butter!
Binu
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!
Richa
it might be difference in flours. Just add a bit more flour until easyto handle and then shape into buns and let rise.
Lisa
I accidentally put 2 cups of flour in the sponge portion. Will that screw the whole thing up? Or is there a chance these will still turn out?
Richa
it will be fine. You will need 1 cup less flour inthe later step to make a dough, thats all
shris
Made these this weekend. They were very tasty. I made one pan of 12 for that day and put a second pan in the freezer for later. My kitchen was extra warm so I reduced the first rise time a bit. My particular whole wheat flour (King Arthur) seemed not to be absorbing the moisture as well as expected, so I ended up putting a bit more in than I thought should be needed to get it to quit sticking so bad (in the stand mixer it left a ring of dough around the bowl). My first pan ended up to be like little loaves of sandwich bread–firm and sliceable as opposed to airy and squishable. They were not super sweet–I used a blonde granulated sugar. Family devoured the pan very quickly.
I am curious about the purpose of the lemon juice here. Does the acid serve a purpose other than to give the bread a very slight twang?
The tangzhong is an interesting technique. I wasn’t sure if I’d cooked mine enough or too much or whatever. I would have been grateful for more photos of that part of the process to confirm whether I was doing it right. Of course, I didn’t think to google it to see if anyone else had pictures online…
Richa
hmm, i think the extra flour might need more rise time. Let them rise until double and when you press the bread with a finger, the dent springs back but not entirely. if the dent doesnt spring back at all, then it needs more rise time. The tangzhong becomes a thick custard and that is a good enough state. the dough also might start releasing moisture after a point of kneading. So once the dough is well formed, smooth and just slightly tacky, it is ready. You want to keep the dough slightly sticky. The tangzhong will release moisture and make it stickier after a point. After the rise though, the dough will not be that sticky. Breads are dependent on many factors, so keep adjusting till you find the right setting for you in terms of measurement, kneading time, rise time etc.
shris
After writing the previous comment, I went looking for Tangzhong on the internet, and found some other photos of white pudding-like stuff. Mine was a good deal stiffer than that, I guess I cooked it longer than necessary. Mine was more of a blob that would slump but not spread. However, that sorta begs the question of how wet that dough would have been if the Tangzhong had yet more water in it.
When I had everything mixed up with your measurements and kneading away in the kitchenaid, I was setting the timer and having the mixer do the kneading and stuff to make sure I wasn’t getting impatient or lazy.. and when I stopped the mixer to let everything rest and touched the dough, dough came away on me. I call that level ‘too sticky’ whereas I would call ‘tacky’ a thing where I can feel the stickiness but I don’t come away coated with dough. Not sure if your definitions would be the same.
Ultimately I was afraid to keep adding flour to the dough so I just coated my hands and surface well with flour and kept going, even though it was still a bit ‘too sticky’ in my opinion. The layer of extra flour made it manageable in hand.
I agree the rolls needed more rise time after shaping. It was difficult to tell ‘doubling’ when they were spreading out as well as up. The springing back is a test I hadn’t used before, I will try that with the second pan and see what I learn from that.
Thank you for your reply and guidance, and your fantastic recipes. I have been so pleased with everything of yours I have made, it all ‘just works’ and I know that represents a huge investment of time and effort on your part to make these as foolproof as possible.
Richa
whole grain flours can vary significantly in terms of moisture absorption and under heat as here to make tangzhong etc. Sometimes the measurements can change quite significantly. For eg, if I use atta- Indian whole ground wheat flour, the rolls will need a whole lot more moisture. I am guessing with this flour, you do need more flour.
If the rolls are spreading too much on the side, then they had enough moisture. The softer more moist dough will spread more sideways than up. So that also points to needing more flour. A bit stiffer tangzhong is ok if the final dough consistency gets adjusted to just tacky(dough shouldnt come away on your hand).
Good luck!!
Tatiana
Would it work with only whole meal spelt flour?
Richa
it should. Keep the dough soft, moist and smooth. Add less flour to begin with when kneading as spelt absorbs more moisture.
Sarah
Would the directions be the same if using instant yeast?
Richa
yes
Emily
I made these for our holiday dinner yesterday and they went down quickly! Many people were surprised that they were whole grain. I brushed with garlic butter(vegan) and herbs, so good.
Ashley
Hi Richa! I made this today and it came out really nice and soft! I can’t believe it’s 100% whole wheat and I used my hands to knead it. The texture was great but it wasn’t as soft as store bought bakery bread.. Just a couple things: 1) the rolls turned hard the next day, how should I make it soft again? 2) the rolls had a taste of bitterness, do you know why that is? Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Richa
Hi Ashley, how did you store the rolls? If they were refrigerated, then warming them in the oven covered will soften them up. If they were stored open on the counter, then they dried out which is difficult to fix. You can convert them into croutons. Make small pieces, bake at 300 degrees F until crisp.
The bitterness is most likely from the flour. Whole grain flour has strong flavors, which a- feels slightly bitter if one isnt used to 100% whole grain baked goods, or b- the flour has become rancid or is on its way to being rancid and it is adding the bitter rancid flavor. Spelt generally has a slightly better flavor (if not rancid) compared to whole wheat. Some of the types or brands of whole wheat are pretty strong flavors. You can add herbs and garlic to the rolls to mask the flavor or brush with herbs and garlic and oil.
Ashley
Thank you for the fast reply! I think the taste his comes from the whole wheat flour itself so it’s fine 🙂 as for the rolls, I stored them on a counter but I found reheating then in a microwave for 22 secs makes them soft again!
Just one last thing, is it normal if the bread didn’t turn out as soft like store bought breads? Your recipe is really nice but I was just wondering because my bread wasn’t as soft as bakery breads (which I’m fine with) and I don’t know if it’s just that the bakeries add dough softener..?
Anyways thank you for the response and the recipe!! 😀
Richa
yes dough softener, also vital wheat gluten would add the additional softness. These are very soft rolls. Maybe let them rise a bit longer and then bake. Brush with vegan butter immediately after they are baked.
Ashley
To be honest these were actually on a bit of the denser and thicker side but still soft but not very soft.
Anyways I’m you posted a couple pictures, I would really hope you can make a detailed and thorough video on it so maybe I can be more successful next time! Thanks again!
Richa
hmm, maybe they needed a bit more kneading then, or a longer rise time or something. i’ll make a video eventually. You want the rolls to also be airy along with soft for the best result.
Ian
These turned out great! I made a half batch and then shaped the dough to make 12 bunny rolls! Very soft and tasty with pumpkin butter and almond butter
Richa
awesome
Ks
Can I refrigerate the dough before rolling into balls a night before ? Instead of Putting the entire pan in the refrigerator
Emily
Made these with your Grillable Burgers. Everyone loved them! Spelt tastes so much better than plain whole wheat.
Zahra
Hi.made these the other day…the dough was so sticky and I ended up adding 6-7 tablespoon of flour.I don’t have a stand mixer and I kneaded by hand.the rolls were not as fluffy as they should,which I think is because I added too much flour.but they tasted good.and also they smell so yeasty! don’t know what I did wrong.anyway Im happy I tried it,Thanks
Richa
Yes, all of the above will cause that. If you are kneading by hand, you will need to knead for atleast 10 minutes continuously or 15 mins with breaks. Whole grain breads need the gluten to rise and stay airy else they end up baking up dense.
If they are smelling yeasty, the rolls probably needed to be baked a few minutes longer.
Try my white bread recipe with hald wheat flour, that one doesnt use tangzhong. Tangzhong and sponge add a lot of moisture which makes it harder to knead by hand as it is sticky for the first few minutes. https://www.veganricha.com/2013/07/white-sandwich-bread-vegan-recipe.html
Zahra
Thank you for the explanations.I’ll definitely try your other bread recipes soon.
Linda Sandlin
The buns came out exactly as pictured….yummy and fluffy!!
Joanne
Can these be made substituting all purpose gluten free flour?
Richa
it would be easier to make this recipe which is already gf. https://www.veganricha.com/2016/11/vegan-gluten-free-dinner-rolls-garlic-basil.html
converting a non gf recipe is a hard task.
Priya
Thanks for the recipe richa. Made this today and it came out really soft. Just one question. If I want bake a loaf how long should I bake and at what temperature?
Richa
350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes.
sue
Made these last night and they were just as advertised! Thanks for another winner.
Richa
Awesome!
Sue
I know my family will love these! Thanks Richa, for another great-looking recipe. (I’m sure it will be delicious like your other recipes!)
Aimee Mars
Wow, these look amazing. I’ve actually never made dinner rolls, or rolls really at all for that matter. Best of all I have all the ingredients listed above. I need to get right to making these…
Colleen
How would you do it without a stand mixer? Thanks!
Richa
You can knead it by hand. 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
Jennifer
OMGoodness! This looks like pure heaven deliciousness!
Richa
Thanks!
Ameena
Hi Richa! This recipe sounds delicious! Will the rolls come out the same with a durum/ wheat bran flour blend? Thanks.
Richa
I am not sure what flour that is. Is it durum flour? Durum flour is also wheat flour but without the bran. I dont know what wheat bran flour is. Whole wheat flour is a flour of the entire wheat berry including the bran.