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These whole wheat sourdough dinner rolls are the answer to your prayers. A simple dough, rich with whole wheat flour and nourishing fats. Perfect for dipping in soup, making sliders, mini sandwiches or breakfast buns!

I like to keep things simple—real, nourishing, and versatile. This dough fits that perfectly. It’s made with just a few staple ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen, and it can be used in so many ways. The dough can be used to make dinner rolls, cinnamon buns, burger buns, savoury rolls and more. I love a versatile dough.

This dough being so versatile, I’ll often double or even triple the recipe to make a couple different things with it! Some dinner rolls for a meal, cinnamon buns for dessert, and maybe a loaf for the freezer. Sourdough baking for your family can’t get any easier than that.

Why You’ll Love These Whole Wheat Sourdough Dinner Rolls

versatile
made with whole, nourishing ingredients
naturally fermented
soft, hearty, satisfying, a perfect soup dipper

Recipe Tips

Make Ahead: Double the batch and store in the fridge or freezer to add to meals throughout the week. They reheat well and can be a lifesaver to fill bellies on busy days.

Make with Freshly Milled Flour: This recipe works great for freshly milled flour for added nutrition and deep flavour. But of course can work for store-bought whole wheat as well.

Hydrate your dough well: Whole wheat flour absorbs more water than white flour. Don’t be afraid of a slightly sticky dough—this will yield soft, tender rolls. You can always flour your hands or work surface very lightly when shaping.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour: I use a blend of freshly milled whole grains but regular whole wheat from the store is perfect.
White Flour: Regular all-purpose adds the right fluffiness.
Sugar: I like brown sugar but you can use white if that’s all you have on hand.
Active Sourdough Starter: For rising your buns. Learn more about knowing when your sourdough starter is ready to bake with here.
Butter: For softness.
Water: Regular ol’ water. Lukewarm is usually best for sourdough.
Egg: For extra fat, protein, and fluff!
Salt: For the dough and to balance and strength.

Materials

9″x 9″ Glass Dish – For baking your buns in.
Medium Mixing Bowl – For mixing your dough.
A Small Saucepan – For melting butter (you can also mix your filling in the saucepan to save a dish).
Silicone Spatula – For mixing and spreading your filling onto the dough and in the pan.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Mixing the Dough:

In a small to medium-sized bowl, combine your whole wheat flour, white flour, and salt. Mix together, then crumble in the butter until evenly distributed.
In another bowl, whisk together the lukewarm water, sugar, egg, and sourdough starter until fully incorporated.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.

Stretch and Fold:

After an hour of rest, perform a set of stretch-and-folds to strengthen the dough. Cover and let it rest until doubled in size (about 3-6 hours in a warm environment, 6-12 hours in a cold one).

Rolling the Buns:

Once doubled, gently turn the dough onto a floured surface. Divide into 9 dough balls and shape into tight circles. Around 70-80g per ball.
Non-stick your baking dish with butter and flour or line with parchment paper. Place your dough balls into your prepared dish.

Rising and Fermenting:

For a long ferment: Cover the buns and place them in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, let them rise in a warm spot for 2-3 hours or until doubled in size.
For same-day baking: Cover the buns and let them rise for 2-3 hours in a warm spot until they have puffed up and reached the rim of the dish.

Baking the Buns:

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Once preheated, remove the cover from the buns and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

Finishing and Serving:

After baking, brush the tops with melted butter for a softer crust. Let cool for at least 15-30 minutes then serve.

Enjoy!

Recipe FAQ

Mmm, no. This recipe is suited for whole wheat flour. If you only used white flour, your dough would come out very wet, sloppy and sticky.

Yes! Make sure they’re fully cooled down first then place them in a bag and freeze. Simply pull buns a couple hours before you need them. You can also wrap the frozen buns in tin foil and reheat

Yes, but expect a denser texture. For a softer roll, a mix of whole wheat and white flour (or bread flour) helps balance structure and tenderness. You can also try white whole wheat flour for a lighter result.

Try to resist adding too much extra flour. Whole wheat dough is naturally stickier. Use wet hands or lightly oil them for stretching and shaping. The stickiness usually reduces as the dough develops strength.

You can cold-proof the shaped rolls for up to 24 hours in the fridge. This helps develop deeper flavour and makes it easy to bake fresh rolls the next day.

How To Store

Room Temp: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Freezer: Freeze in a sealed bag for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat at 325°F for 8–10 minutes.

Tip: Wrap in foil before reheating to keep them soft.