Dinner Rolls with Whole Wheat Flour
Recipe by Nicole Thom-Arens
Makes 12 rolls
One of my earliest memories of my Grandma Thom is baking buns with her. No matter how terrible my shaping skills were as a child, she always praised my efforts. The smell of freshly baked bread instantly transports me to her kitchen.
These buns are reminiscent of the ones she used to make. I’ve updated the recipe by using butter and swapping in some whole wheat flour.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast (1 packet)1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar1 cup whole milk, lukewarm1 large egg1/4 cup butter, softened1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour2 cups all-purpose flour + additional 1/4 cup as needed1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions:
1. Warm the milk on the stove top. Do not boil or even simmer. You just want to take the chill off and bring the milk to slightly warm to the touch. 2. Proof the yeast by combining the yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let sit for 5 minutes. The yeast is ready when it becomes foamy. 3. Add egg, butter, whole wheat flour, and 2 cups of the all-purpose flour to the mixer. Mix on medium-low until combined. 4. Add salt while the mixer is running. 5. Increase the mixing speed to medium and kneed for 10 to 13 minutes. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add additional all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it no longer sticks. You may not use all, or any, of the additional 1/4 cup flour. 6. Once the dough is springy and passes the windowpane test, remove from the mixer and add the dough to a lightly buttered bowl—the butter wrapper works great for this—and cover with a tea towel. 7. Allow the dough to rise until doubled. This could take between 1 and 2 hours depending on the temperature of the room. 8. While the dough is rising, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.9. Once the dough has doubled, gently deflate it by pushing your fist into the dough. 10. Remove the dough from the bowl and weigh on a food scale in grams. 11. Divide the weight of the dough by 12. 12. Cut 12 roughly similarly-sized portions of dough. Weigh each one to the desired amount to make them equal. 13. Form each piece of dough into a ball, pinching the dough together at the bottom. 14. Roll each ball on the counter by cupping your hand over the ball of dough and pulling it into itself as you roll the ball. You want to keep a fairly firm grip on the ball of dough, applying pressure, so that it pulls into itself. Here’s a great tutorial video on bun shaping.15. Place the rolls on the baking sheet a few inches apart. I arrange 3 rows across and 4 rows down. 16. Cover the buns with the tea towel and allow to rise for an additional 30 minutes to an hour until they have doubled in size. 17. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 18. Once the buns have doubled, bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until the tops are golden and the bottoms are deep brown but not burnt. Watch the bottoms closely!19. Allow the buns to cool on the pan. 20. Store cooled buns in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days or freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 months.
These buns are reminiscent of the ones she used to make. I’ve updated the recipe by using butter and swapping in some whole wheat flour.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast (1 packet)1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar1 cup whole milk, lukewarm1 large egg1/4 cup butter, softened1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour2 cups all-purpose flour + additional 1/4 cup as needed1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions:
1. Warm the milk on the stove top. Do not boil or even simmer. You just want to take the chill off and bring the milk to slightly warm to the touch. 2. Proof the yeast by combining the yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let sit for 5 minutes. The yeast is ready when it becomes foamy. 3. Add egg, butter, whole wheat flour, and 2 cups of the all-purpose flour to the mixer. Mix on medium-low until combined. 4. Add salt while the mixer is running. 5. Increase the mixing speed to medium and kneed for 10 to 13 minutes. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add additional all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it no longer sticks. You may not use all, or any, of the additional 1/4 cup flour. 6. Once the dough is springy and passes the windowpane test, remove from the mixer and add the dough to a lightly buttered bowl—the butter wrapper works great for this—and cover with a tea towel. 7. Allow the dough to rise until doubled. This could take between 1 and 2 hours depending on the temperature of the room. 8. While the dough is rising, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.9. Once the dough has doubled, gently deflate it by pushing your fist into the dough. 10. Remove the dough from the bowl and weigh on a food scale in grams. 11. Divide the weight of the dough by 12. 12. Cut 12 roughly similarly-sized portions of dough. Weigh each one to the desired amount to make them equal. 13. Form each piece of dough into a ball, pinching the dough together at the bottom. 14. Roll each ball on the counter by cupping your hand over the ball of dough and pulling it into itself as you roll the ball. You want to keep a fairly firm grip on the ball of dough, applying pressure, so that it pulls into itself. Here’s a great tutorial video on bun shaping.15. Place the rolls on the baking sheet a few inches apart. I arrange 3 rows across and 4 rows down. 16. Cover the buns with the tea towel and allow to rise for an additional 30 minutes to an hour until they have doubled in size. 17. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 18. Once the buns have doubled, bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until the tops are golden and the bottoms are deep brown but not burnt. Watch the bottoms closely!19. Allow the buns to cool on the pan. 20. Store cooled buns in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days or freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 months.