Carbs! Carbs! They’re here!
Allow me to present recipe #6 of Thanksgiving Week Extravaganza: Easy, Vegan 100% Spelt Dinner Rolls. Ready your vegan butter friends – we have bread to bake.
I haven’t posted a recipe that’s not gluten free in a while because I’ve been trying to avoid gluten since January to see if it’s causing of any of my health concerns (which I also wrote about in this Cleanse review).
The jury is still out. I feel fine on the few occasions I have eaten it – i.e. no stomach cramps – but I’m still on the fence about whether it really adds any benefit to my diet. So for now, I avoid it.
With that being said, one exception I think I may make moving forward is whole grain, easy-to-digest flours like spelt or fermented sourdough bread on occasion.
Besides, making fluffy, Thanksgiving-worthy rolls gluten free is virtually impossible in my experience. So today, I make exceptions and indulge.
This recipe is simple, requiring just 7 ingredients and extremely simple methods!
The dough is a mixture of almond milk, yeast, cane sugar, salt, olive oil and spelt flour. After resting, roll into balls and top with oats. Just a 1-hour rise before going into the oven where they bake up to golden perfection (see above)!
I hope you all LOVE these fluffy, tender, slightly nutty spelt rolls that are reminiscent of Cheesecake Factory’s Whole Grain Bread (which is kind of to die for). These are eerily close in texture and flavor.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Fluffy Vegan Spelt Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 cups spelt flour* (divided)
- 1 packet rapid-rise yeast (1 packet yields 2 1/4 tsp // if subbing regular yeast, double rise time)
- 2 Tbsp organic cane sugar*
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (plus more for topping)
- 3 Tbsp rolled oats
Instructions
- To a large mixing bowl, add 3/4 cup (90 g) spelt flour (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), yeast, sugar and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate mixing bowl (or small saucepan over medium heat), microwave the almond milk, water, and olive oil until warm – about 110 – 120 degrees (~55 seconds). It should be the temperature of bath water. If it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast.
- Add wet to the dry ingredients and whisk vigorously or beat on medium/low for 2 minutes, scraping sides as needed.
- Add 1/4 cup (30 g) more spelt flour (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) and beat for another 2 minutes. Then add only enough remaining flour to make a soft dough (I used slightly less than the full 2 cups called for // amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (~1-2 minutes). Then place back in the mixing bowl, loosely cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 10-11 equal pieces (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), carefully shape into balls (handling as little as possible), and place in a greased 8×8-inch baking dish or round cake pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place (such as on top of the oven or in a sunny spot) until doubled in size – about 45 minutes – 1 hour. Then sprinkle with oats.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) . Once the rolls have doubled in size (see photo) bake for 18-20 minutes, or until fluffy and light golden brown. Carefully brush with olive oil for a shiny appearance (optional).
- Let cool a few minutes, then serve as is or with vegan butter and jam of choice. Store leftovers covered at room temperature up to 3 days. See notes for freezing tips.
Notes
*For darker rolls, you could also try subbing up to 1/2 of the spelt flour with toasted buckwheat flour. However, I have not tested it this way and cannot guarantee the results.
*I only tested this recipe with organic cane sugar but I believe you could also try subbing coconut sugar, maple syrup, or raw honey if not vegan. If adding a wet sweetener, combine with wet ingredients before adding to dry ingredients for proper mixing.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without toppings.
*To freeze, prepare the recipe up to the point of rolling into balls and then place the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze, and then store in a freezer safe container up to 1 month. When ready to make, place in a greased baking dish to thaw and let rise (loosely covered) until doubled in size on top of your preheated oven. Bake as instructed. Frozen rolls may mot rise as much as their fresh counterparts, but this is a good way to make bread ahead of time and bake it fresh as needed.
Mia w says
I made This recipe and I messed up because I didn’t divide the flour. I think It would help if the 2 cups of flour wasn’t even listed and maybe less an amount was listed but then we can add more if necessary. Mine turned out dense because it was too much spelt flour. I tried To fix by adding more water and then it may have over glutinized. I may attempt to make it again but at this time, the recipe just didn’t work for me. I’m in high altitude and all the recipes I’ve tested from you work here with no issues but sadly this one did not. If I make It again, I will Make to add 1 cup plus 1/4 perhaps and see if it works better by adding any additional slowly.
Thank you for the feedback and sorry your rolls didn’t turn out right this time around, Mia!
Theresa says
Delicious snow day project but they didn’t doyble in size when rising like they should have… only a little. Not sure if there’s a trick to it? I don’t bake much.
I omitted oats and subbed 4tsp honey instead of sugar and I added orange zest to half the batch. The plain rolls were delish dunked in my homemade turkey soup and the orange were perfect for dessert with a little bit of honey.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Theresa! Depending on the temperature of your house, they might take longer to rise, especially in the winter! Hope this helps for next time!
Gabrielle says
Do you use whole spelt flour or white spelt flour? If I was to use whole spelt flour, would you recommend half whole, half white?
Thanks!
Hi Gabrielle, Whole grain spelt flour, we believe. But either would work! Half whole, half white sounds lovely!
Kathy says
Hi,
Does this recipe use whole or white spelt flour?
Thank you.
Hi Kathy, Whole grain spelt flour, we believe. But either would work.
Jude says
I have no had success with double rising the spelt. I used whole spelt, but white spelt. What aisle did you use?
Amber says
Does regular milk work instead of almond milk? 1:1 ?
Hi Amber, regular milk should work!
Monica L Gordon says
I made these yesterday and the taste was great, but not a big bread or roll baker. I followed the directions exactly as written, but I ended up with a great deal of flour left over, maybe 3/4 of a cup??? Not sure if I needed to sift the flour?
Hi Monica, you might not use all the flour which is why it’s added gradually. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Atara Dahan says
How do I make this with regular yeast?
(Amounts, rise time, etc.)
Hi Atara, we haven’t tried it with active dry yeast, but we think it should work! You might need to let it rise for a longer amount of time until they are doubled in size. Let us know if you try it.
Atara Dahan says
1. can i leave out the sugar? or put less?
2. can i replace milk with water?
3. can I leave out oats?
thanks!
Hi Atara, the sugar is important for activating the yeast, but you could use maple syrup, if desired. Water might work, but won’t be as flavorful. Feel free to leave out the oats! Sesame seeds would be another option. Hope that helps!
eunha says
I made these a couple times now but I feel like something is missing, like they need more fat? Maybe its because I don’t put butter on them like the rest of my fam. Anyone else feel this way? Any suggestions? Would increasing the amount of oil be okay?
Only difference from the recipe is that I’m using sprouted spelt flour. I’m new to this flour so any suggestions on how to make the most of it would be appreciated!
Hi Eunha, We don’t think sprouted would make a difference, but it’s possible it absorbs the liquid differently. They might be a little more dense with more oil, but it should add more flavor. Let us know if you try it!
Eunha says
I found the issue! My oven was too hot. Since they seemed dry I tried turning the temp down to 350 F and it solved it. Enjoying these fluffy rolls now, thank you!
Woohoo! Thanks so much for letting us know, so glad they worked!
VM says
Hi! Thank you for this wonderful recipe! Can I add some plain pea protein powder to the dough? Thanks!
Hi VM, we haven’t tried it and we suspect it might change the texture of the final rolls. Let us know if you give it a try!
Susanne says
Fluffy, tasty and crazy easy…I can’t wait to double the recipe! I added Italian herbs to the dough and mixed seeds on top instead of oats.
Yum, that sounds delicious, Susanne! Thank you for sharing! xo