Honey and Oatmeal Dinner Rolls are soft with a slightly crunchy crust. Rolled oats give them some chew and make them interesting. Despite the honey, they aren’t overly sweet.
The directions given are for a bread machine because it produces the best bread in my opinion. But you can make it with a stand mixer or by hand if you prefer. See the recipe notes for details.
Wait until you smell these homemade rolls baking in your kitchen! The heady fragrance of yeast will make your mouth water. Of course, you could say that any time you bake rolls.
Why you should make these Honey and Oat Dinner Rolls
These rolls are one of the healthier recipes I have in my collection. That’s one thing.
You can see that the texture is rather close and firm. These rolls make good buns because they are substantial enough to hold up to sauces, condiments, or large loads. Fill them with chicken salad or small meatballs. They can handle it.
The crust is rustic because of the oatmeal bits, but the shiny egg glaze adds sophistication. I like the markings on top. If you want deeper indentations, use the handle of a small wooden spoon to press down the dough in a decorative design.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flour: Substitute unbleached all-purpose flour if you don’t have bread flour.
- Oatmeal: Old-fashioned rolled oats are better in this recipe. They add some chew. You could substitute the quick-cooking variety, but I wouldn’t. One way to intensify the sweet and nutty flavor of oatmeal is to toast it first. Do this before adding to the bread-machine pan.
- Yeast: Instant yeast or bread-machine yeast works best in a bread machine. You can substitute active-dry yeast, but first, it must be dissolved. See the recipe notes for details.
- Honey: The recipe specifies 1/4 cup, but you could cut the amount in half if you don’t want as much sweetness in your dinner rolls.
FAQ about Oatmeal Bread
Because they have no preservatives, these rolls will only stay fresh 2-3 days. However, oatmeal has an antioxidant that helps.
“Breads containing oats stay fresher longer due to the natural antioxidant found in the oat’s endosperm.”—The Bread Machine Magic Book of Helpful Hints
A bread box is good. A paper bag is better than a plastic bag.
Yes, the dough is sturdy enough to hold a sandwich. Make larger portions of dough when shaping, or use the smaller size for slider buns.
Toast your oatmeal before adding it to the other ingredients in the bread-machine pan.
Quick oatmeal will dissolve faster than old-fashioned oats. I avoid it because I don’t want any gooey clumps of oatmeal in my rolls.
Steel-cut oats will take longer to cook. This recipe is not designed for them.
The ambient temperature of the room where the bread is rising makes a huge difference. If your kitchen is quite cool, it can take a lot longer for your dough to proof.
Substitutions like the type of flour you use can also affect the time needed.
Give yourself plenty of time to make bread–any bread really. Unless you’ve used a recipe many times, don’t put yourself in a tight box until you’ve got some experience under your belt.
Kitchen tip
This is really not a big deal. Since I had a picture, I wanted you to see what happens when you get slap-happy with the glaze.
The roll on the right had some excess glaze that dripped and gathered around the bottom. Not all that appealing. However, it didn’t keep me from eating that roll.
How to shape Honey and Oat Dinner Rolls
Pin the picture below to save for later.
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If you make this recipe and enjoy it, consider helping other readers and me by returning to this post. Leave a rating on the recipe card itself underneath the picture. Although always appreciated, comments aren’t required. Thank you for visiting! Paula
Bread Machine Honey and Oat Dinner Rolls
Honey and Oat Dinner Rolls--soft, light and fluffy with just enough oatmeal to give a little chew and make them interesting.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk (lukewarm)
- 2 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
- 2 1/2 cups bread flour (300 grams)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons bread-machine yeast or instant yeast
Glaze:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Add all dough ingredients in the order listed.
- Set your bread machine on the DOUGH cycle and start. If you are new to using bread machines see the video above for a quick tutorial on checking your dough for the right consistency.
- When the dough cycle completes, turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Divide dough in half. Divide each half into 7 rolls for a total of 14. Use fingers to make each portion into a smooth ball.
- Place dough balls onto a greased cookie sheet. Allow to rise until almost double.
- Turn on oven about 15 minutes before you are anticipating rolls will be ready to bake. Use the dull side of a thin knife or a wooden skewer to gently press down 1-3 times in the middle of each roll.
- Whisk eggs and water together for glaze and gently coat rolls.
- Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes. Allow to cool on a rack for a few minutes or eat as soon as they don't burn your fingers.
Notes
Alternate Mixing Instructions:
Directions for making bread with a stand mixer or by hand:
- To make this recipe in a heavy-duty stand mixer, add ingredients to the bowl in the same order. Turn on low to mix until all ingredients are moistened. Using a dough hook, turn speed to 2 or 3 and continue beating/kneading until dough becomes smooth and elastic (about 5-10 minutes). Cover and allow to rise in a warm place. Deflate dough gently and shape as indicated in the recipe.
- If making by hand, combine all ingredients into a shaggy ball in a large bowl. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead with your hands until dough becomes smooth and elastic, a process that will likely take 10-20 minutes depending on your experience. Place the dough ball into a greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise until double. Deflate dough gently and shape as indicated in the recipe.
How to substitute active dry yeast for bread-machine yeast or instant yeast:
If you substitute regular yeast for instant or bread-machine yeast, you must dissolve it first before adding to the dry ingredients. Stir it into about 1/4 cup of the lukewarm liquid called for in the recipe. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Add to other wet ingredients and then add dry ingredients. Proceed as directed to knead and shape the dough.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 14 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 164Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 285mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 7g
Ju
Thursday 4th of July 2019
I read your comment on using whole wheat flour... so I added 3 tbsp of those when the initial dough was too wet; Result — the dough balls had rough surface, and they won’t brown after 18 mins of baking. And I didn’t get them to be as nice as yours ???
Paula
Friday 5th of July 2019
Sounds similar to what I experienced when I added whole wheat flour. It was not an improvement.
Jan
Friday 30th of May 2014
This recipe is great! I just made them, and they are so light, and so so good. I made a few substitutions, but stuck to the proportions for the most part. Thank you!!
SR
Sunday 16th of February 2014
I usually don't comment about recipes unless it is either very good or very bad, mostly because people leave so much excessive praise for recipes on food blogs when often the recipes are not very good.
This recipe, however, is pretty excellent. I am not an inexperienced baker, but often new recipes don't always turn out perfectly. These rolls turned out perfect the first time I made them, and the rolls were extremely soft and delicious.
The oats on top don't do much to flavor the rolls - it's a very light hint of oat. So, if you're looking for a very "oaty" roll, this is not it. However, the light oat taste is a nice compliment to the faint taste of honey.
I have definitely saved this to my personal archive of recipes to hang on to!
SR
Sunday 16th of February 2014
As a follow up, I *did* make the rolls smaller than pictured. I think they'd bake equally well if made larger, though think I will continue to make them on the smaller side to assure a certain kind of very round, ball-shaped rise.
Debbie
Monday 6th of January 2014
I don't understand amount of flour is it 2 and 1/2 cups then add 3/4 cup as necessary?
Paula
Monday 6th of January 2014
Hi Debbie, I just looked at the recipe and changed it to hopefully make it clearer. You guessed right. Add 2 1/2 cups to start with. Then add 3/4 cup as needed. The amount you need can really vary according to the humidity.
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes
Tuesday 27th of August 2013
I made a sweet roll version of your rolls last week. Such a fun way to get a little oatmeal in the morning. I'll have to try the dinner rolls soon too. Thanks for sharing.