Before I was born, Dad began the tradition of baking bred on Thanksgiving morning. He developed his whole wheat rolls recipe while in grad school, but that sweet moist bread quickly became every person’s favorite dish on the holiday table.
As I grew, I started following Dad into the kitchen, asking to help measure flour or shape the dough. A year or two later, Dad allowed me to stir and knead the dough—no easy task for a seven-year-old girl’s tiny muscles!
The last two years, Dad named himself the Thanksgiving sous chef and handed me the title of head chef and breadmaker. While he chopped and cooked just as many ingredients and dishes as I did, it meant a lot that he would put me in charge of his recipe.
Although I don’t feel right sharing the official Thanksgiving rolls recipe we’ll make tomorrow morning (it is my dad’s, after all!), I will give you my second favorite. They turn out just as moist, and they disappear just as quickly!
modified from this recipe
These taste delicious warm out of the oven, or even at room temperature as a post-feast snack before bed! Store in an airtight container on the counter for 4-5 days.
- Mix the yeast and warm water together in a small bowl, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1½ cups of flour and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the yeast mixture and remaining ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon, adding more flour as necessary, until a dough forms and is only slightly tacky.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured dry surface, and flour your hands. Knead in more of the remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky. It should bounce back when you press your finger into it.
- Shape the dough into a ball. Coat a bowl with nonstick cooking spray, and place the dough inside, rolling it around to coat all of the sides with the oil. Cover the top with a clean towel, and set in a warm place to rise for 30-45 minutes until doubled in size.
- Lightly coat a 9” round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. On a clean, floured surface, punch the dough down until it’s approximately the same size as before it rose. Divide the dough into 12 equal balls, and place in the prepared pan. Cover the top with the towel, and let the rolls rise in a warm place for 30 min or until doubled in size.
- While the rolls rise, preheat the oven to 350°. Uncover the rolls, and bake at 350° for 25-30 min or until the tops are golden and the rolls sound hollow when tapped. Cool in the pan for 5 min before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.
Such a sweet story! Seems like your dad has the perfect whole-wheat roll recipe.
Thank you for your kind comment! He definitely does. They’re so good that we make them for Christmas and Easter too!
These rolls look amazing! I love the simplicity of the ingredients too! SO YUM!
Thanks! I know they aren’t quite vegan from the honey, but a little brown sugar substitution instead and they’d be vegan-friendly!
Whats they nutritional Value of the serving size
This is the free nutrition calculator that I use, if you’d like to know Amy! While I wish I could go back and provide the nutrition information for all of my older recipes, it’d take months to do… And I’d much rather focus on creating new recipes for you to try! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these rolls!
Home made bread is always a winner isn’t it 🙂
Yes!! And the house always smells so good while it bakes, which makes the bread even better!
While I thought your story was dear and the pictures of the bread looked yummy, I have to admit that I was disappointed that you didn’t share your Dad’s secret recipe. It felt like a cheap shot after reading the story and getting all warm fuzzies about how you and your Dad bonded and he passed the torch on to you. But you didn’t share. Disappointed!
My dad developed his recipe by himself while in grad school. Because I understand how much time and effort goes into developing a recipe, I posted a recipe for similar whole wheat rolls, out of respect for him, that we’ve enjoyed baking together at holidays as well. Once he gives me permission to share his secret recipe on the blog, I’ll publish it then.
I will look forward to the post. I admire your bond and respect for your Dad and the time he spent developing the recipe. I have some terrific recipes and I always am flattered when someone asks for any of them. Some of them have taken quite a bit of tweaking for a consistently good product, so I understand what you are saying. It is always a huge compliment if someone asks for a recipe or advice on another one they may already be using and I’m glad to share what I do when I bake. Thanks for your reply. mj
Thank you for being so understanding MJ. I love sharing stories of spending time in the kitchen with my dad, and someday I hope to be as good of a bread baker as he. It must be really rewarding when friends ask for your recipes; I’m sure you’re an excellent cook and baker! 🙂
I thoroughly understand. My Gram taught me to bake and knead dough when I was still just a kid. I can still hear her tell me not to put in too much flour and to just ‘keep kneading and it will get unsticky’ – wonderful memories and she is present every day when I bake. I’m sure you are as good of a bread baker as your Dad, so give yourself all the credit you deserve in continuing his legacy and love for baking. I’d love to share some recipes if you contact me at my email address, if you’re interested. Merry Christmas!! mj
Those sound like lovely memories MJ. Your Gram was right about the flour and kneading! 🙂 Have a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones!
Thank you for the continued contact. Yes, Gram was a wonderful baker and taught me how a dough should feel to the touch. Awesome memories! I tried the recipe today, but I didn’t taste it – I made it for a friend’s Christmas Eve dinner, but they look wonderful. The dough was alive with yeasty bubbles. It’s a delight to pop those when forming the rolls, knowing more will develop for a good rise before they bake. I anticipate rave reviews. Thank you and I hope your kitchen smells as wonderful as mine did today. Merry Christmas to you and yours. mj
You have amazing self-control if you didn’t sneak a taste test! I can never resist stealing a little nibble (or an entire roll…). I’d love to hear what you and your friends think, and have a wonderful time at the party!
Do you use active dry or rapid rise yeast? Thanks!
I used active dry yeast for these rolls, but either should work just fine!
Hi Amy, how long does this bread take to make from start to finish (roughly)? Can this bread be made a day in advance and refrigerated until ready to bake? After letting it rise the first time, I am thinking about stuffing cooked sausages into the rolls, then letting the stuffed rolls rise, then baking them. To save time, I wanted to fridge the dough after the first rising time, and stuff/rise/bake them the next day. I’m not experienced with yeast dough…what are your thoughts? Thanks!
I haven’t tried refrigerating this bread dough, so I’m not entirely sure. For the best results, I’d recommend making the dough the same day you’re baking it. It doesn’t hurt to let the dough rise a little longer than the times listed in the recipe, so if you made the bread dough first and let it rise for the first cycle while cooking the sausage, you should be fine.