Delicious homemade 30 minute honey wheat rolls that are made from scratch in about half an hour. Easy recipe for busy weeknights or holidays!
One of my favorite (and one of the most popular) recipes on i heart eating is my 60 Minute Dinner Rolls. Sometimes, though, one hour is still too long wait for fresh, hot rolls.
These 30 Minute Honey Wheat Rolls are ready – start to finish – in about 30 minutes. So, they’re perfect for those nights when you want some fresh bread but don’t have a lot of time.
Unlike a lot of whole wheat rolls, these rolls are soft – thanks to the mixture of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour.
The rolls also have a mild honey flavor which works really nicely with the nutty whole wheat flour.
How to Make 30 Minute Honey Wheat Rolls
Can I use active dry yeast?
Yes! You can use an equal amount of active dry yeast.
Just wait for 5-10 minutes for the yeast to foam up after step 5. Then continue with the recipe as written.
Can I use low-fat milk?
You can! Anything from skim milk to whole milk will work in these whole wheat rolls.
More quick roll recipes!
More quick roll recipes!
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30 Minute Honey Wheat Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup butter plus extra for brushing on
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 Lightly grease a half sheet pan or a 9x13-inch rimmed cookie sheet.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter.
- When butter is mostly melted, stir in milk, and heat mixture to 100-110 F.
- Meanwhile, add yeast and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or a large mixing bowl if mixing by hand).
- When milk mixture is at temperature, add to yeast and honey; stir to combine.
- Add salt and egg, and stir until combined.
- Stir in all-purpose flour.
- Add 1 cup whole wheat flour, and stir in.
- Add remaining whole wheat flour until dough clings to the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl. Dough will still be pretty sticky.
- With lightly floured hands, shape dough into 12 rolls, and place dough on prepared baking sheet.
- Cover, and let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Recipe published 7/29/13. Recipe updated with new photos and information 7/5/18.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Noreen says
If rolls are frozen prior to baking, do I need to do anything special when baking? Should they be thawed first, temperature of the oven remain the same, etc.? Looking forward to serving these with Christmas dinner this year.
Kate says
To freeze the unbaked rolls, shape the rolls and let them rise partway. Then, freeze the rolls on a baking sheet until frozen solid. Once the rolls are frozen solid, you can place them in a freezer bag. The night before you want to bake them, place the frozen rolls in your baking pan and let them thaw, covered, overnight in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake the rolls, take them out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature, covered, to finish rising. Once the rolls have risen, you can bake them like normal.
Merry Christmas!
Leanne says
Made these buns today and they came out beautifully! Light and fluffy.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked the rolls! =)
Elizabeth says
Can these be frozen prior to baking or after baking for later use?
Kate says
Yes, they can be frozen prior to baking.
Sherri French says
Easy recipe. Taught a 12 year old how to make rolls.
Dough was very nice to work with.
I had leftover meatballs. I’ve made the dough today to make a meatball stromboli. Can’t wait for results. Dinner in less than an hour with prep!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that they came out well for you. Thanks for commenting! =)
Jen says
This is fantastic!! I made them for my mom tonight and they turned out excellent!
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so glad that the rolls turned out well for you. Thanks for commenting! =)
Bee says
Awesome!!! Fluffy and soft! Used extra butter lol
Kate says
Thank you! Extra butter is always a good thing. =) Thanks for commenting!
Maria says
Just made these for dinner with a chicken stew. They were very easy and quick to make, I used powdered skim milk and 2 packets of active yeast. They are a little drier than I expected but all in all excellent for stew. Thank you for the recipe!!!
Kate says
Great! I’m glad that you liked them! Thanks for commenting. =)
Hannah Marie says
These were super dense. Great taste but not fluffy at all.
Kate says
Hi! I’m sorry that they were dense. There are a few things that could cause that – too much flour in the dough or a cooler kitchen that slowed the yeast down. If you would like help troubleshooting, please let me know!
Rebekah says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I made these to go with our Thanksgiving dinner. This recipe is the best. I even made gluten free rolls for my children using Bob Red Mill Gluten free 1 to 1 Baking flour. The rolls were delicious and not one was left. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the rolls! Thank you for commenting! =)
kjc says
thanks for the recipe! When do I brush on the butter? Novice baker here!
Kate says
Great question! You can brush the rolls with additional melted butter after they are finished baking. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. =)
Adrianna says
I finally found a quick wheat roll recipe that works at my altitude that is soft and delicious! All the rolls I’ve tried to this point we either to much yeast, only white flour, or turned out dense and dry.
I used white whole wheat for the recipe in place of the whole wheat. I live in Santa Fe NM, which is 7,000 ft and very dry dessert. We luckily had rain today! I used the warming/proving drawer under my oven because my oven has a proofing setting, and I find it helps get a good even rise that isn’t over the top here. My oven has also convection which I used for this recipe.
Thanks for the recipe, this combined with the tricks I’ve learned about my altitude and my oven it works like a charm! My search for a great wheat dinner roll ends today.
Kate says
I’m so glad you like the rolls, and thank you so much for sharing your tips! I get questions about high altitude adjustments, but I don’t have the ability to test them out. I really appreciate when other people can jump in and share what has worked for them. Thanks again! =)
Ashley says
These were awesome! I let them rise a little longer. They tasted like biscuits.
Kate says
Thanks! I’m so glad you liked them! =) Thanks for commenting!
Caroline says
I love these rolls! Especially hot with butter or honey on top!
Kate says
Thanks! Me too! So good, right?!
Leora Jaeger-Siegel says
i live at 7000 feet. What do you suggest as an adjustment?
thanks
Kate says
I’m afraid that I haven’t done much baking at higher altitudes, but King Arthur Flour has a great guide to making adjustments for high altitude baking.
Erin says
I’d love to make these, but my sheet pans are larger than13x9. Would a 13×9 glass pan work or would it work to use the larger sheet pan and just have empty space on one end?
Kate says
I think that a glass 9×13-inch baking dish should work. You may need to adjust the temperature because of the glass pan, but I don’t see any reason that it wouldn’t work.
Jessica GH says
I like to bake, and I have made all sorts of bars, cookies and cakes. However, bread baking with yeast is out of my comfort zone. I would like to make these a day or two in advance. I am having company over, and baking is a messy process for me; I basically want to be able to pop these into the oven like frozen or storebought and have homemade taste.
Do you know how to do that? Would I just make the dough up until the baking point and then place them in the refrigerator? Would it be better to freeze? When heating up, would I bake as directed? Any guidance would really make my meal! My father is borderline diabetic, and I am trying to make sure I serve more complex carbs when he comes over.
Kate says
I would make the dough up to step 10 and then freeze at that point. I would uncover, and let them sit out while the oven preheats to rise before baking. You may find that you need to add a few minutes. I haven’t baked these when frozen, and oven temps can vary. Also, if you’re going to freeze them, you’ll want to add a little extra yeast to the dough – about 1/4 tsp. or so.
I wouldn’t put it in the fridge. Even though it will be a slower rise, the dough will continue to rise for that day or two in there, and you don’t want it to overrise.
Hope that helps! If you have questions, please feel free to ask!
Elaine says
Hi. May I know why u heat up the milk since I stand yeast doesn’t require warm liquids to activate it? Also if doing this bread by hand is it necessary to knead longer to get to window pane? Does the time taken to roll into smaller buns affect the softness?
Kate says
Since these are quick rolls, we need the milk to be warm to help encourage the faster rising time. If the milk was cool or at room temperature, it would mean a slower rising time (and thus we wouldn’t get a 30 minute roll).
Yes, if you’re kneading the dough by hand, you will need to knead it longer.
I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what you mean by the smaller buns affecting the softness.
Elaine says
Thanks Kate. I will try using warm water then. :)
Kate says
If you have any other questions, please let me know! =)
Teresa says
Can I just use all white whole wheat for this recipe? Also, I noticed for the white honey rolls you used 1/3 cup honey, but for these wheat rolls you only used two tablespoons? Just wondering why. They look delicious; thanks for sharing your recipe.
Kate says
I don’t see why you couldn’t use that. From what I understand, white whole wheat can be substituted cup for cup for whole wheat flour.
Thanks! There’s really nothing more to it than I was going for a sweeter roll with the other recipe. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!
Kim says
Can plant based milk be used?
Kate says
Yes, you can use a plant-based milk like almond milk in this recipe.
thatkewlgirl says
I made these substituting oats (Regular old Quaker hot cereal, milled in my Ninja) for the wheat flour. OMG! A new family favorite!
Kate says
I’m glad they worked out for you! The oatmeal sounds like a yummy addition. Thanks for sharing! =)
Jocelyn says
These are delicious rolls! I served them for Christmas dinner, and they were greatly enjoyed. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, I used a longer rise technique, so decreased the yeast to 1 T. They rose beautifully. Thanks so much.
Kate says
Thanks so much!! That doesn’t sound ridiculous at all! I’m glad you were able to adapt it for your needs! I hope you had a Merry Christmas, and thanks for the tips! =)
Martin Kucera says
Kate,
I am a very novice baker, matter of fact, these were my first rolls ever. I don’t have the patience for ‘normal’ bread baking, so 30 minute rolls were the ticket.
I need to know, are wheat rolls and bread always more dense than white, or am I doing it wrong? The flavor was great, but not as airy of a texture, that I would hope for. Also, would this recipe work for smaller size tea rolls?
Will be trying your 60 minute roll recipe, next!
Thanks!
Kate says
Yes, wheat rolls do tend to be more dense. I think the more whole wheat flour the rolls have, the less airy they are. Also, since the rising time on those rolls is so short, they are a little heavier. You could add another 10-15 minutes to the rising time and end up with a roll that’s a little lighter.
If you liked the idea, then I think you would like the 60 minute dinner rolls. This recipe is just as easy, but it produces a lighter roll.
I hope that helps! If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.
Kate says
PS Congrats on your first rolls! =)