Soft, fluffy and made with no sugar and freshly milled flour, this simple roll recipe is perfect to serve on a weeknight or to guests. Bake in a cast iron skillet for a buttery crisp edge.

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Homemade Dinner Roll Recipe

On our homestead we try to serve every meal with a healthy carb, preferably made with freshly milled flour. If it is spaghetti night, we make homemade pasta using kamut. Steak is often paired with a slice of spelt bread. Or at snack time, I often eat a little bit of pita bread made with a mixture of hard red and hard white wheat berries. 

Adding whole grains into our diet has made quite an impact on the health of our bodies and how we feel. By consuming this whole food, we are able to receive all of the nutritious vitamins, minerals, oils, fiber, protein and enzymes that are good for the body and digestive system.

Another important component to our diet is no sugar. We prefer to sweeten our foods with natural or low glycemic sweeteners such as fructose, agave, honey, fruit or fruit juice.

If one was to search for a roll recipe using freshly milled flour and little to no sugar, how many recipes would one find?

None.

How about a simple roll recipe with no sugar?

Zilch.

For many years we have made homemade bread, breadsticks and other baked goods but no rolls. Many roll recipes contain cup fulls of sugar and a tremendous amount of other ingredients we don’t exactly eat in our home. Now, I don’t doubt that those recipes are not tasty but we’d prefer to consume whole, natural foods.

On a mission to create a roll recipe with low sugar, a little dairy and a whole lot of flavor, I began experimenting. After some trial and error, and a few batches of dry, hard rolls, I discovered the best roll recipe. These scrumptious, buttery rolls only have one teaspoon of honey that acts as a preservative to help the rolls stay fresh longer. The homemade roll recipe uses freshly ground wheat flour and a couple of tablespoons of flaxseed for flavor and to help support a healthy gut.

Baking the rolls in a 10-inch cast iron skillet helps the rolls to rise higher and gives them a slight crisp edge. If you do not have a Lodge Cast Iron Skillet, you can bake these rolls in a pan or a glass baking dish. I highly recommend using fresh ground flour but if you do not have a grain mill to grind your own flour, you can use whole wheat flour instead. Just skip the the vital wheat gluten. Store bought flour is already packed full of it and does not need it to help the rolls rise.

How to Make Dinner Rolls With Fresh Ground Flour

Let’s get rollin’! If you’ve been searching for a nutritious roll recipe with low sugar, look no further! This recipe is both tasty and good for you. It makes for an excellent addition to serve at suppertime, to share with friends at a potluck or as an Easter dinner roll recipe. Enjoy!

Makes: 12 rolls

Ingredients

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
4 Tbs butter, divided
1 tsp honey
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs yeast
1 scant tsp vital wheat gluten, optional
2 Tbs ground flaxseed
3 1/2 cups freshly milled hard white wheat flour*

Directions

In a measuring cup, add water, milk and 3 tablespoons of butter, cut into 3 small pieces. Warm in a microwave until the butter is melted, about 90 seconds.

In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, combine the warmed milk mixture, honey, egg, salt, vital wheat gluten and flaxseed. Add 2 1/2 cups of flour and mix until a wet batter forms. Add yeast and mix to combine.

Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining cup of flour. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Cover the bowl, place in a warm spot and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Arrange rolls into a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake in oven for 15-17 minutes, until golden brown. Remove rolls from pan. Using the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, brush the tops of each roll before serving. 

Tips for Success

*If you do not have a grain mill to grind your own flour, you can use whole wheat flour instead. Do not add the vital wheat gluten.

A great way to create a warm environment for your bread to rise in is to turn the light on in your oven, add a cup of hot water and close the oven door.

2/3 cup of wheat berries makes approximately 1 cup of fresh ground flour.

Do you love baking? Try out my simple French bread recipe, sugarless apple crisp and whole wheat pita chips using fresh ground flour.

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