The best way to complete dinner is with bread, and we are huge fans of all things bread and rolls in our house! Our Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls are completely irresistible when topped with honey and whipped butter, and our Soft Homemade Potato Rolls are fluffy, soft, and my favorite way to use up leftover mashed potatoes! I’m not the kind of person to cut carbs. I don’t know if there’s a day that goes by where I don’t eat bread! Toast in the morning, sandwiches for lunch, and of course bread goes with all kinds of dinner recipes. Grains are definitely my favorite food group, and soft, fluffy dinner rolls pretty much reign supreme in that category. My Sweet Molasses Brown Bread is one of the most popular recipes, and rightly so! It is savory with a hint of sweetness and depth from the molasses and cocoa. So why not turn it into roll form? That’s exactly how these babies were born. These rolls have all of the goodness of my Sweet Molasses Brown Bread but are made in individual portions, making them perfect for sharing at special dinners like the Holidays, Easter, or even Sunday lunch and potlucks. I love how easily these whole wheat dinner rolls come together. It takes just 15 minutes to prep them (and really, the mixer does all of the hard work – you just add the ingredients), and then I just wait for the dough to rise, shape it into rolls (my favorite part), rise again and bake! Most of the time is spent waiting, like with all good bread recipes. And of course, the extra bonus is at the end: that aroma of freshly baked bread filling your whole house. So cozy!
Brown Bread Dinner Rolls Ingredients
It’s always amazing to me how just a handful of pantry ingredients can be combined to make something so delicious as a batch of fresh bread or rolls!
Yeast: Make sure to use fresh active dry yeast in this recipe as expired yeast won’t give you the rise you need for light and fluffy rolls. If you choose to use instant yeast, you can skip the proofing. Honey & warm water: We have to feed the yeast in order for it to activate, and it loves sweetness and warmth so I added honey and warm water. Honey also adds a little to the flavor of these brown dinner rolls. Molasses: Molasses (also known as treacle in other parts of the world) is a black, sticky tar-like syrup that is loaded with flavor. If you’re wanting to add something more than sweetness to your bread recipes, give molasses a try! Cocoa powder: Yes, there’s cocoa powder in these rolls, but don’t worry, they don’t actually taste like chocolate! Instead it gives a wonderful depth of color and flavor. Flour: Both whole wheat flour and bread flour are added to this whole wheat dinner rolls recipe. The balance is perfect, adding enough gluten structure and protein for a great rise and texture. Butter: Melted butter is just made for dinner rolls, right? You can skip this ingredient if you want to, but personally, I think it is a must! Old-fashioned oats: The oats are more for appearance and texture, but can be left off if desired.
How to Make Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls from Scratch
Storage and Freezing Instructions
You can store these Brown Bread Dinner Rolls in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll last for up to about a week. This recipe also freezes really well! After the dinner rolls have cooled completely, individually wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw them completely at room temperature before serving! You can even wrap them in foil and toss them in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes to warm them up.
Are sweet molasses brown bread dinner rolls sweet or savory?
Despite the name, these rolls are primarily savory with just a hint of sweetness. Yes, they do have honey, molasses, and cocoa in them, however, they are not very chocolatey, and wouldn’t pass as a dessert recipe. This whole wheat dinner rolls recipe is very similar to the mini-loaves served at the Outback or Cheesecake Factory restaurants.
What is Molasses?
Molasses is a thick, dark syrup that some claim to be healthier than sugar. It is the by-product that’s leftover after sugar crystals are removed from the sugar cane or sugar beets juice. The liquid is boiled down into a thick syrup, which is molasses. You can easily buy it at health food stores or online, and some supermarkets also sell molasses.
What to serve with dinner rolls?
We love these rolls with some cold salted butter spread on them after they are split down the middle. But they would also be delicious with some cinnamon honey butter, raspberry butter, or your favorite jam!
More Bread Recipes Like This
Soft Garlic Parmesan Homemade Breadsticks Farmhouse Baking Powder Biscuits Better Than Papa John’s Garlic Knots BEST Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits Homemade Brioche Hamburger Buns Moist Cottage Cheese Cornbread Roasted Garlic & Rosemary No-Knead Artisan Bread
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
