This is my favorite dinner roll recipe. It has a mix of whole wheat pastry flour and bread flour so it gives the rolls just a little more texture and body, but they’re still light and fluffy.
My sister asked me to bring homemade dinner rolls to our family party. So I spent most of the morning Saturday making 5 dozen rolls. I really think they were the best rolls I’ve ever made. Thanks in part to all the bread I’ve been baking for Daring Bakers.
I used my favorite roll recipe, but made a few changes. I added 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 2 teaspoons wheat gluten, and did a double rise. The dough was so easy to work with, the rolls were light but with just enough texture from the whole wheat pastry flour. This will definitely be my go to recipe in the future!
Update: I recently made four dozen of these rolls for Thanksgiving and it was time to update the post with some new pictures. I like to shape the rolls in a crescent shape because they’re easy to roll, and leftover rolls are great for sandwiches.
To make the crescent shape, roll the dough into a 12 inch circle and use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 wedges. There’s more information on shaping the rolls in the Refrigerator Crescent Roll Post.
When they’re hot from the oven, I like to brush the tops with butter.
Favorite Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 cup bread flour divided
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoon vital wheat gluten
- 1 package 2 ¼ teaspoons quick rise (instant) yeast
- 1 cup milk 120º to 130º
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Mix 1 cup bread flour and 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, wheat gluten, and yeast.
- Heat and stir milk, sugar, butter, and salt until warm. Add to flour mixture, add egg.
- Beat at low speed for ½ minute. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. Switch to the dough hooks if you have them. Stir in the remaining flour a low speed to make a moderately stiff dough. (Add more or less if necessary.)
- Knead until smooth (6 to 8 min.). Shape into a ball. Place in greased bowl, turn. Cover, let rise until double (45 to 60 Min.).
- Punch down, let rise again (30 min.), Punch down, let rest 10 min, and shape into desired shapes. Cover. Let rise until double (30 min.).
- Bake at 375º for 10 – 12 minutes.
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Patti
Is the gluten necessary? Is there a substitute for the gluten?
Melissa Griffiths
It adds to the chewiness and texture, you can try it without it or use a bread flour if you’d like.
Alice
These look like just what I wanted to try for Thanksgiving. One question: when you mix the dough, do you use dough hooks or the regular beaters? (I use a Breville hand mixer that has the option of using bread hooks).
Barbara Schieving
Hi Alice – I’ll use the regular beaters to beat the dough initially and then switch to the dough hooks when I add the additional flour and knead the dough with the dough hooks. Enjoy!
Alice
Thank you: gonna’ give this a try. Sounds excellent!
Stephanie
Hi. Can I substitute white whole wheat for the pastry flour or even use all white? Also, is the vital wheat gluten necessary? Thank you.
Barbara Schieving
Hi Stephanie – you can substitute white whole wheat flour for the pastry flour, or use all white if you prefer. The vital wheat gluten is not necessary but does give whole wheat flour more rising power. Enjoy!
Maureen
Thanks, Barbara, for answering my question. Now to grind some pastry flour and I’m good to go. Having a special dinner this Saturday and these will be so perfect.
Carol
Those are some gorgeous rolls, Barbara. You know, in all of the years I’ve been making homemade bread and rolls, I’ve never made crescent rolls? I don’t know why….I swear I’ve made every other shape. My family would love these. I made 2 dozen rolls for Thanksgiving dinner but mine weren’t as pretty as yours! 🙂
Barbara Schieving
Thanks so much Carol! I think you’ll love how easy the crescents are to make.
Maureen
Just want to be sure the 2 cups is bread flour. Up under one of the pictures, you mention all-purpose along with your pastry flour, etc. So excited to try them, love making breads. Thanks.
Barbara Schieving
Hi Maureen – I did use bread flour. I updated the post. Hope you love them as much as we do.
Rosa
Very tempting! I love crescent dinner rolls.
Cheers,
Rosa
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Rosa!
nancy ponert
Enjoy Barbara Bakes you are a wealth of information with great sharing, someone as I am really enjoy baking eclectic it can be relaxing , bringing joy , tasty fun reward with pleasure! Baking always smiling comes from within . Take care! Thank you!
JANE GOMES
hello, my name is Jane and I’m from Brazil, I would ask that this revenue be further specified in the measurement since Google translator did not translate into getting this measurement. For example 2c. or 2 t.
I really want to love your recipes and make them! you are to be congratulated! I really love your recipes! I just need to shoot the measurement of ingredients. Could you help me?
Thank you!
Jane
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Jane for the prompt to update the recipe. Hope that helps. Enjoy!
Maris
I kind of want to make these just so I can smell them baking!
Lorraine E
Thankyou so much for sharing your go-to recipe for dinner rolls! They look spiffing! I hope you had a really lovely Christmas! 😀
Lisa magicsprinkles
I can smell the amazing scent of these. Mmmm. Sending you and your loved ones warm wishes for a very Merry Christmas!
Megan
5 dozen rolls, oh my! You’ve been very busy. They look great and I like the different shapes!
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Jodi
That a lot of rolls! Merry Christmas!
Sara
Your rolls look beautiful – happy holidays!
Pam
I love the different ways you rolled them. They look really tasty and pretty.
Cathy
Homemade dinner rolls are such a treat at a family dinner. I can almost smell these baking.
Merry Christmas to you and your family. And Happy New Year too!
Meg
They look delicious! 5 dozen is a lot of rolls!
HoneyB
Yum. I love homemade rolls! Don’t you love how DB has shown us what we can really do!?