Oatmeal Rolls Kissed with Honey To Make Dinner Special (Bread Machine)

Preview: Oat Rolls kissed with honey are mixed up with a bread machine, shaped by hand, and baked in the oven for the best of all worlds.

Wait until you smell these homemade Oat Rolls with honey baking in your kitchen! The heady fragrance of yeast will make your mouth water. Bite into them and you’ll find a fluffy roll with chewy bits of oatmeal and the sweetness of honey.

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.

Why you should try these Oat Rolls:

This dough is what some would call an “enriched” dough with eggs, sugar, and plenty of butter.

You can see that the texture is rather close and uniform but soft. These rolls make good buns for something like chicken salad, sloppy joes. or my favorite, a BLT. Make them smaller for slider buns.

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. If you do that, I highly recommend adding vital wheat gluten.
VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN: These rolls can be slow-risers. Adding 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten will speed up the rising process and also make them a bit softer and lighter in texture. You can leave this out but allow extra time for the rolls to rise.
OATMEAL: Old-fashioned rolled oats are better in this recipe. They add some chew. You could substitute the quick-cooking variety if you prefer. One way to intensify the sweet and nutty flavor of oatmeal is to toast it first. Do this before adding it to the bread machine pan.
YEAST: Instant yeast or bread-machine yeast works best in a bread machine. You can substitute active-dry yeast, 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.

oatmeal roll with honey — This is an old picture. I no longer sprinkle the oatmeal on top. The grandkids were not crazy about it.

FAQ about Oat Rolls:

How long will these rolls stay fresh?

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

What is the best way to store oatmeal rolls?

A bread box is good. A paper bag is better than a plastic bag.

I really love oatmeal. How can I intensify the flavor?

Toast your oatmeal before adding it to the other ingredients in the bread-machine pan.

Why don’t you use quick oatmeal in this recipe?

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.

Can I use steel-cut oats in this recipe?

Steel-cut oats will take longer to cook. This recipe is not designed for them.

Why is the time to make any bread only an estimate?

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 Tips

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.

Apply the glaze after making the design on top of the rolls if you want it be more prominent.

honey-oat rolls that were glazed after the designed was pressed in on top

How to shape Oatmeal Buns:

pulling dough out of the bread machine pan onto a floured surface — Pull the dough out of the bread machine at the end of the DOUGH cycle when it has almost doubled in size.

Portioning the dough for rolls with a bench scraper — For dinner rolls, cut dough into 14 pieces. If you want to use these as a larger bun, I would make 7-8 balls.

shaping the dough into balls — Form each piece into a ball. (See the video.)

balls of dough arranged on a cookie sheet — Arrange on a cookie sheet covered with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Cover with a tea towel and set aside to proof.

brushing rolls with glaze — Carefully brush glaze over each roll. NOTE: Brush the glaze on AFTER making the design if you want it to be more prominent.

using a wooden pick to make lines across the top of honey oat rolls — Optional: Use a long, thin, wooden or metal stick (k-bob holder?) to make designs over the top. I did not press down very hard, so the design is subtle after the rolls are baked. Press almost to the tray if you want the design to be more prominent.

Bake at 350˚F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

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Did you try 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. No comment required.

If you have a question or tip to share, please leave it in the regular comments after the recipe so I can answer back. Or email me: paula at saladinajar.com.

Thank you for visiting!
Paula

Yield: 14 rolls

Oat Rolls with Honey Recipe (Bread Machine)

These Oatmeal Rolls are soft, light, and fluffy with just enough oatmeal to give a little chew and make them interesting. Honey adds the right amount of sweetness.

Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup milk (lukewarm) (170 gr)
1/4 cup honey (84 gr)
1 large egg (50 gr)
1 teaspoon salt (6 gr)
1/4 cup unsalted butter (57 gr)
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats (60 gr)
2 1/2 cups bread flour (300 grams)
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (optional) (see note in the post) (9 gr)
2 1/4 teaspoons bread-machine yeast or instant yeast (7 gr)

Glaze:

1 egg (50 gr)
1 tablespoon water (14 gr)

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.
Please note: You can substitute active dry yeast for instant or bread machine yeast. There is no longer any need to dissolve it. Be aware that it may be a little slower acting than instant yeast, but it'll get there.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 164Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 285mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 7g

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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!!

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!

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?

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.

Oat Rolls Kissed with Honey To Make Dinner Special (Bread Machine)