These easy whole grain honey wheat rolls are tender, slightly sweet, and so simple to make!  They don't require any special mixers or equipment, and the dough comes together in 10 minutes! 

Everyone loves a nice warm dinner roll (or three...) fresh out of the oven!  To me it's one the ultimate comfort foods!  I have a tried and true go-to basic yeast roll recipe that I've used for years, and it has never once failed me.  I've done a few variations on these rolls throughout the years, but I have to say, this is probably my favorite version, and it also happens to be the easiest!  This month The Recipe Redux challenged us to turn on our ovens and share our favorite bread recipes, so this recipe couldn't come at a better time!  

If you've never made bread or rolls with yeast, it can be intimidating.  Some recipes require multiple rise-times, you have to get the temperature of the water for the yeast just right, then there's the kneading, rolling, cutting of the rolls...it can be a lot.  But here's the amazing thing about these rolls:  they only take 10 minutes to make, and 30 minutes to rise! 

Oh yeah, and there is absolutely no special equipment involved.  I used to roll the dough for these rolls out, and then use a round metal ring cookie cutter for these rolls, but with the amount of time I spend in the kitchen being really limited these days, I wanted a way to cut that step out...no pun intended!  ;)  So I went with pull-apart rolls, and instead of rolling the dough and cutting out rolls, I just used a knife to cut the dough into 16 equal pieces and rolled each piece into a ball.  And I was so pleasantly surprised that they came out perfect!  

So if you're a newcomer to making yeast-breads, or you just want a completely delicious roll recipe that's easy enough to make on a weeknight, you've got to give this recipe a try!  I added some white whole wheat flour, which is made from a different variety of wheat that is lighter in color.  It adds some whole grain goodness to these rolls, and honey adds the perfect touch of sweetness.  

Let me walk you through the whole process (don't worry, it may seem long, but everything comes together really fast!).  Note:  I always use quick-acting yeast for this recipe so the rolls rise faster . Here we go! 

First, put the yeast in a cup of warm water (I heat cold water in the microwave for about 25 seconds and that temperature works well for me). 

Add the honey and let the mixture sit and start "working"  for about 5 minutes.  The yeast combined with the warm water and sugar will begin to make a foamy bubbly mixture. 

While that's working, add the flours and salt to the bowl and give it a quick mix with a fork or whisk.  Add the oil to the yeast/honey/water mixture, and pour that mixture into the flour.  Mix with a fork (yes, that's all you need!) until the mixture comes together to form a dough.  If the dough is too sticky to come together and pick up, you can add more flour  2 tablespoons at a time until it's not too wet. 

The last steps involve the kneading and rolling the dough.  For this, all you have to do is sprinkle some flour on a cutting board and knead the dough for 1-2 minutes, just until you have a nice texture to the dough, meaning not too sticky, and it comes together nicely in a large ball. 

Then use your hands to form the dough into a log shape - this is so the dough can easily be cut into equal pieces.  Use a knife to cut 16 equal-sized pieces of dough out of the log, and roll each piece into a ball.  They will look small, but once they rise and bake, you'll have perfectly-sized rolls!  

I use and recommend a non-stick 9x9 square pan to get the right size on these rolls.  Lightly grease the pan and line the balls of dough up in 4 rows with 4 rolls in each row - say that 5 times fast! ;)  Cover the pan and let the rolls rise for about 30 minutes.  If your house is cold, you can heat the oven to the lowest temperature for a few minutes, turn it off, and let the rolls rise in there.  

Finally, the baking!  These rolls bake in about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.  Once they're done, you can brush the tops with a little bit of melted butter for beautiful, glossy rolls!  If you have leftovers, these rolls freeze beautifully!  Just pull them apart and freeze in a resealable freezer bag.  I hope give these rolls a try, and if you do be sure to let me know how they come out!  

Honey-Wheat Yeast Pull Apart Rolls

Makes 16 rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 packet quick-acting yeast 
• 1 1/2 cups flour (all-purpose flour)
• 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons light olive oil (can also use melted butter)
• 1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing the baked rolls 

Directions:

1. Put the water, yeast, and honey in a bowl and use a fork or whisk to lightly mix the ingredients.  Set the mixture aside and let it start to "work" for about 5 minutes.  The mixture should become slightly foamy on top.   

2. While that's working, add the flours and salt to the bowl and mix with a fork or whisk.  Add the oil to the yeast/honey/water mixture, and pour that mixture into the flour.  Mix with a fork until the mixture comes together to form a dough.  If the dough is too sticky to pick up, you can add more flour  2 tablespoons at a time until it's not too wet.  

3. Sprinkle some flour on a cutting board and knead the dough for 1-2 minutes, until the dough easily comes together in a large ball.  Then use your hands to roll the dough into a log shape - this is so the dough can easily be cut into equal pieces.  Use a knife to cut 16 equal-sized pieces of dough out of the log, and roll each piece into a ball. 

4. Lightly roll each piece of dough into a ball and place each piece in a lightly greased 9x9 nonstick pan (can also use glass pan).  There should be four rows with four rolls per row.  
5. Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes in a warm place (If it's cold in the kitchen, you can set your oven to the lowest temperature to slightly heat up, then turn it off and let them rise there).  The rolls should be about doubled in size.  
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake the rolls for 15-18 minutes, or until golden on top.  Remove from the oven and brush the top of the rolls with the melted butter, and serve!  

Happy Eating!

~Amber 

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