These easy-to-make Eggless Honey Whole Wheat Rolls are tender, fluffy, and delicious. And the best part is that you only need a few simple ingredients. Freezer-friendly. The recipe includes step-by-step instructions and lots of tips.
Eggless Honey Whole Wheat Rolls Recipe Highlights
So if you are something like me, you are always struggling with school lunches. That is the reason, I wanted to share this Eggless Honey Whole Wheat Rolls recipe, which is perfect for taking our kids’ lunch to the next level.
In my opinion, there’s nothing quite like homemade bread! And these Eggless Honey Whole Wheat Rolls won’t disappoint. Now, imagine how different the humble sandwich becomes when made with a homemade whole-grain bread roll.
These eggless whole wheat rolls are super easy-to-make, tender, fluffy, and flavorful. And the best part is that you only need a few simple ingredients.
This recipe makes 16 rolls, depending on how big you make them. But what I love most about these rolls is that they freeze well, so I’ll have fresh bread stored in my freezer whenever I need it!
Ingredients You’ll Need, Substitutions & Notes
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
- Milk: For baking, I like to use whole milk. However, you can use any milk you have handy.
- Yeast: For this recipe, I use Active Yeast. But you can totally use instant yeast, in that case, since it doesn’t need to be activated; just mix it with the dry ingredients.
- Honey: These are honey buns, so don’t skip the honey!
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called in the recipe.
- Flours: You’ll need all-purpose flour or bread flour and whole wheat flour. Make sure to measure accurately. A kitchen scale is the best way to measure your ingredients, in my opinion.
- Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half.
- Black sesame seeds and pretzel salt or coarse sea salt for topping (optional)
Differences between Active Dry Yeast and RapidRise® Yeast (Instant Yeast)
- Active Dry Yeast needs to be dissolved in warm water before use, while RapidRise® Yeast (instant yeast) can be added with the dry ingredients.
- Active Dry Yeast needs 2 rising steps, while RapidRise® Yeast (instant yeast) needs just one resting time (about 10 min) and then shape and let it rise until it doubles in size.
- Both Active yeast and Instant yeast, need warm liquids in order to be activated. The liquids need to have a temperature around 100 – 110º F (37 – 43 º C). If they are too hot, they can kill the yeast, and your bread won’t rise.
- RapidRise® Yeast is the same as Bread Machine Yeast and Instant Yeast.
How to Make Eggless Honey Whole Wheat Rolls Step-by-Step
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down)
- Make the dough. Continue reading below to learn how to make this dough recipe.
- Cover the dough and let it rise. The dough rises in about 1-2 hours.
- Punch down the dough to release the air and shape it into rolls.
- Let the rolls rise again for about 30 minutes or until puffy.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Pro Tip – How do I know if the dough is well-kneaded?
The dough must be not too sticky, not too dry, and not too springy. If your dough feels tight and springy, continue kneading until the dough is completely smooth, slightly tacky to the touch, springs back slowly when pressed on with your fingers, and is no longer sticky.
You can also test it with the windowpane test: To do so, pull off a golf-ball-sized piece of dough and stretch it gently from the center outward with your fingertips. If it tears, keep kneading. It should stretch into a paper-thin film, and you should be able to see the light pass through it, like a window.
Recipe Tips
Using a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients is highly recommended.
You can use all-purpose flour instead or bread flour, but the bread flour gives these rolls the perfect texture, in my opinion.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, you may knead the dough by hand. It may take a bit longer, up to 10 minutes by hand.
Make sure to knead the dough long enough, so your rolls are light and fluffy and not dense or heavy. Heavy rolls can be the result of not kneading the dough long enough.
Making the whole wheat rolls the same size ensures an even baking time.
Overnight Instructions
Prepare the recipe through step 7. Cover the shaped rolls tightly and refrigerate for up to about 12 hours. Remove the rolls from the refrigerator 2 -3 hours before baking, and let them rise again over the counter. Then bake as instructed.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Store
Store baked rolls in a sealed plastic bag for up to 3 days.
Freeze
These Eggless Whole Wheat Rolls are freezer-friendly! To freeze them, let the rolls cool completely, then place them in a plastic freezer bag and freeze them for up to 2 months.
Thaw
To thaw, take it out of the freezer and let it come to room temperature, for about 1-2 hours.
Reheat
Wrap the bread in foil and place it in an oven heated to 400º for about 5 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Probably the oven was too hot, or they were too close to the heat source. Moving the pan away from your heat source should help next time.
I haven’t tried it, but you can certainly try using this dough for different shapes.
I haven’t turned this whole wheat roll recipe into a loaf of bread before, so I can’t be certain.
I think it is a great idea! You can add 1 cup. If desired, you can plump up the raisins first. To do this, soak them in hot water for 5-10 minutes, drain, then pat dry before adding them to the dough. Add them when you add the flour.
All of the recipes on my site are written for conventional settings. I found that the flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly. If you do use convection settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25º F (5º C) and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
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Recipe Card 📖
Eggless Honey Whole Wheat Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup (320 ml) warm whole milk (about 110º F)
- 1 cup (240 ml) warm water (about 110º F)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons ( 7 g) Active Dry Yeast (1 envelope or packet)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoon (36 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 ½ cup (350 g) all-purpose flour or bread flour
- 2 ½ cup (350 g) whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Whole milk for brushing
- Black sesame seeds (optional)
- Pretzel salt or coarse sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Important
Don’t forget to check out the step-by-step photos above in the post—they’ll guide you through the process and make everything super clear!
Instructions
- Whisk the warm milk, water, yeast, and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to sit for 5-8 minutes until the mixture is foamy. Note: if using instant yeast, you don't need to wait; just go to the next step.
- Add all-purpose flour (or bread flour) and whole wheat flour; mix on low speed until the dough pulls away from the bottom of the bowl and a dough forms, about 3 – 4 minutes. Note: if using instant yeast, you need to add the yeast along with the flours.
- Add butter; mix until incorporated, about 2 – 3 minutes. Then, increase the speed to medium and continue kneading the dough on low speed for 5-8 minutes until smooth and pliable. Note: If you do not have a stand mixer, you can mix this dough with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula and then knead with your hands over a clean surface. It will take a bit of arm muscle, but it's doable.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours in a warm place, or until double in size. When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air.
- After the dough has doubled in size, dust your work surface with a bit of flour and turn the risen dough out; gently punch it down to release the air. Divide the dough into 16 pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. I do this entirely with my hands, so take one piece and just roll the dough against the counter until round and smooth.
- Grease a large baking sheet.
- Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, cover them, and let them rest, in a warm place, for 30 minutes or until puffy.
- Preheat oven to 425º F (218º C).
- Brush each roll generously with whole milk, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and pretzel salt, if desired.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the rolls are golden brown and baked through. Remove them from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool. Optional: Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter for a softer, richer flavored crust.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with the National Honey Board, all opinions expressed are my own, as always. Thank you, though, for supporting them and the other brands which help make this site possible.
This recipe was originally published in August 2016. The recipe remains the same, but more notes, tips, photos, and information were added to the post in January 2023 to make it as helpful as possible!
