100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Name: 100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 810 min
Ingredients: 500 g Whole Wheat Flour; 100 g Sourdough Starter ((fed and bubbly)); 300 g Water; 30 g Honey; 15 g Salt; 40 g Olive Oil; 25 g Butter ((softened at room temperature)); 20 g Butter; 20 g Honey

If you want to make sourdough dinner rolls using 100% whole wheat flour, then this is the recipe you're looking for. Super soft, naturally leavened with sourdough starter and sweetened with honey, these are going to be your new favorite dinner rolls!

If you're looking for other whole wheat sourdough recipes, you might also enjoy this 100% whole wheat sourdough loaf or this whole wheat sourdough sandwich loaf.

A baking tray filled with whole wheat sourdough dinner rolls that have been brushed with melted honey butter.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

100% Whole Wheat Flour - If it's important to you not to use white flour when baking sourdough, then this recipe is what you're looking for.

Make Them Any Size - You can make these rolls as big or small as you want to. I've make the rolls in this photo 80g for dinner rolls, but you could make them larger and use them as whole wheat sourdough hamburger rolls if you want to. You can do a simple calculation to increase or decrease the size and quantity of the rolls to suit their purpose.

A rectangle baking tray containing 12 whole wheat sourdough dinner rolls.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour - when developing this recipe, I've used stone ground whole wheat flour. I've used no added bread flour or other white flour. You can use whatever whole wheat flour you prefer.
Sourdough Starter (fed and bubbly) - my sourdough starter is fed with white bread flour, but that's ok, even when using whole wheat flour to create these 100% whole wheat sourdough dinner rolls. You need to make sure your starter is active and bubbly before you make these rolls.
Water
Honey - I've used raw, unprocessed honey to make this recipe, but any honey you have on hand his fine for this recipe. I've used honey in the dough and on the top of the rolls once baked too. If you don't want to use honey, you can substitute with maple syrup. I think the rolls need some sweetness to create a depth of flavor.
Salt - use whatever salt you would normally use to cook with.
Olive Oil - I've use olive oil in this recipe to keep the rolls soft and supple. You can use the same weight in melted butter if you don't want to use the olive oil, but honestly, try the olive oil first, I'm sure you'll love the texture and flavor that it brings.
Butter - I've use a little butter in the dough for flavor and then a little butter on the top once baked to keep the rolls soft. If you want to keep the rolls dairy free, you can omit the butter and replace with olive oil.

How To Make 100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Premix & Autolyse

Add your sourdough starter, whole wheat flour, water and honey into the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix the ingredients for around 30 seconds until they are just combined into a shaggy dough. I use the dough hook attachment on my stand mixer. Leave to autolyse for around 30 minutes.

A shaggy dough that has been formed when mixing whole wheat flour, water and honey together.

Now add the salt, oil and butter. It's ok if the oil and butter look like a big greasy mess to start wth - just give them time to work into the dough.Mix the ingredients for around 1 minute or until they are combined together. Now leave to rest for around 30 minutes.

Kneading The Dough

Using your stand mixer with hook attachment, knead the dough for around 3 minutes.The dough should become very elastic. If the dough is getting a little warm from being mixed in the mixer, give it a 10 minute rest. If it seems ok, knead for the full 3 minutes. Now give your dough a 30 minute rest.

Knead your dough in the mixer for another 2-3 minutes.You'll know it's ready when it is slapping the sides of the stand mixer bowl.The dough will be very elastic and smooth (a little bumpy from the wheat germ). It shouldn't be sticking to the sides of the bowl at all. If it's not quite there, it's ok to knead for a few more minutes to develop the gluten and get it to where it needs to be.

Bulk Ferment

Once your dough is kneaded sufficiently, you need to bulk ferment it at room temperature. If you're using a stand mixer, it's fine to leave it in the mixing bowl. Just cover it with a plastic food cover or lid.As with any sourdough bread, the bulk ferment time will depend on the temperature in your kitchen and of course the strength of your starter.

You're looking for your dough to be just UNDER double.

Shaping the rolls

Once your dough has finished its bulk ferment you can shape your dough into dinner rolls.

Before you start shaping, lightly oil the pan you're going to use (I've used olive oil but you can use butter if you prefer). My pan is 8" x 12" and is basically a pan I use to bake slices in but I've repurposed it here.

Ease your dough out of the bowl using a silicone dough scraper, remembering to have the smooth side on the counter and the sticky side facing up. You shouldn't need any flour for this as your dough shouldn't stick (it's such a beautiful silky, enriched dough). I've made 12 rolls weighing 80g each.

You just need divide the total dough weight by the number of rolls you want. You can make them as big or small as you like.

Whole wheat sourdough divided into 80g portions ready to make whole wheat sourdough dinner rolls.

Second Rise

Once your bread has been shaped, arrange the whole wheat sourdough dinner rolls in your chosen pan. I like to make them fairly close together so they will touch by the time they finish the second rise. My pan measures 8" x 12".

A rectangle metal baking pan containing 12 whole wheat sourdough dinner rolls.

The second rise should only take a few hours, but like the bulk ferment, this will depend on the strength of your starter and the temperature of your kitchen. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and place them somewhere warm.

You want the rolls to get really soft and puffy before you bake them, otherwise you'll end up with gummy, dense rolls.

A rectangle baking tray containing whole wheat sourdough dinner rolls that have been proofed and allowed to get soft and puffy.

Baking Your Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Preheat your oven to around 180C/350F. Let your oven warm for around 10 minutes and then place your whole wheat sourdough dinner rolls in the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until they're golden brown.

Once they're baked, remove them from the oven and brush the top with honey butter (optional). Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Baker's Timeline

This recipe has 100g of active sourdough starter - you can reduce the amount of starter if you wish to ferment the rolls overnight. I would not however recommend increasing the amount of starter as it will make the dough too sticky.

Here's a sample timeline to help you manage your bake. Remember though, that this is just a sample and the times listed are just a guide. You'll need to adjust this based on your sourdough starter and the temperature of your kitchen.

TIME	PROCESS
8 PM	Feed your sourdough starter before you go to bed so it's ready for you to use when you get up.
7 AM	Mix and knead the dough.
8 AM	Bulk ferment the dough at room temperature (remember you'll need to read your dough here - this timeline is just a guide).
2 PM	Shape the rolls and allow them to proof for a few hours before you bake them - remember you want them to be light and puffy.
5 PM	Preheat your oven.
5.30 PM	Bake the rolls for 30 minutes, smothering them in honey butter when you remove them from the oven.
6 PM	Allow rolls to cool for around 30 minutes.
6.30 PM	Enjoy!

12 100% whole wheat sourdough dinner rolls in a baking tray. 2 of the rolls are turned on their sides so you can see the soft crumb.

How To Store + Freeze

These whole wheat sourdough dinner rolls are best eaten on the day you bake them. Remember you can create a baking timeline to suit your needs so you can have them ready, freshly baked when you need them.

They also freeze very well! Once they've been baked and cooled, place them in a ziploc bag and into the freezer for up to 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I knead this recipe by hand?

Yes, you can knead this recipe by hand. I've used a stand mixer because it just makes life easier. But if you don't have one, or you just prefer to do things by hand, you can definitely knead by hand. When you add the oil and butter, you may find that it gets messy, but persevere, they will work into the dough and it will come together.

Do I have to use a whole wheat starter?

No you don't. I have used a starter fed with white flour. You can create a whole wheat levain if you want to, but it's really not necessary.

Do I have to use butter in this recipe?

You don't have to use butter, you can replace the butter in this recipe with oil if you prefer. You don't have to brush the top of the rolls with butter or oil when they come out of the oven, but this does keep them nice and soft.