Bake-and-Freeze Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls Recipe (for Bread Machine)

If you saw yesterday’s post, you learned tips for making a healthy meal plan without losing your sanity. One of the tricks I shared is making large batches of food to freeze and reheat later.

The recipe I’m sharing today is an absolute FAVORITE of mine. (And yes, I meant to use all caps because these rolls are just that good.)

My sister gave this recipe to me several years ago, but for some crazy reason, it got lost in the shuffle and I started buying premade frozen rolls at the store. Once I pulled this recipe out and discovered how ridiculously easy it is to make, I heard angels singing the “Hallelujah Chorus.”

These rolls use a half and half blend of whole wheat flour and bread flour, so they’re not 100% whole grain. But the mixture of flours gives them a perfect texture for my picky kids and hubby. They also have a small amount of sugar and butter that is very minimal when divided out per roll. All things told, a much better alternative than the stuff at the store!

Another thing I love about these rolls is that they’re freezer-friendly. I make a full batch of 24 rolls, then divide them into groups of 4. (If you have a larger family, you can group them bigger.) I wrap each group of rolls in aluminum foil, then place them in a plastic freezer bag with reheating instructions and store them in the freezer until ready to use.

The full recipe, including instructions for freezing and reheating, is below.

Enjoy!

Bake-and-Freeze Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls (for Bread Machine)

Persons

24

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups water
• 2 Tbsp softened unsalted butter
• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1-1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1-3/4 teaspoons yeast

Instructions

• Place all ingredients in bread machine in the order recommended by manufacturer. Select the "dough" cycle.
• Once finished, shape into 24 small rolls. Place 1-2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
• Cover with towels and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. For a soft crust, brush with butter immediately after removing from the oven.
• To freeze for later use, allow rolls to cool completely then separate into desired grouping size. Wrap each group of rolls tightly in aluminum foil and seal in plastic bag. Store in freezer.
• When ready to use, remove rolls from the plastic bag. (For best results, allow rolls to thaw on the counter for approximately 4 hours. If needed, rolls can also be baked frozen.)
• Open aluminum foil at the top and place in preheated oven. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes if thawed, or 20-25 minutes if frozen.

Bonus Tip: I like to write the baking instructions on the storage bag itself, so I don’t have to hunt them down when I’m ready to bake. Here’s what my bags look like with the instructions.