Imagine the warm, nutty aroma of freshly baked bread filling your kitchen as you pull a tray of golden Einkorn Dinner Rolls from the oven. Savor the rich flavor of Einkorn flour, an ancient grain prized for its nutritional benefits and digestibility. Transform your meal with these soft, pillowy rolls, perfect for pairing with hearty stews or festive holiday spreads. Elevate your table with their rustic charm and wholesome goodness.
Make a more traditional dinner roll recipe with my Snowflake Dinner Rolls or make large roll to use for sandwiches with my Soft Onion Rolls recipe. Serve dinner rolls with a comforting dish like my Cabbage Roll Casserole or my Italian Meatball Soup.
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What is Einkorn Flour
I was inspired to try using Einkorn flour, after reading a great blog post by Jill Winger on How to Use Einkorn Flour. Read that article and listen to her podcast about Einkorn flour to learn more about how this flour has to be worked with, VERY differently then regular All Purpose Wheat Flour.
Einkorn flour is a type of flour made from Einkorn Weat, one of the oldest cultivated forms of wheat. Einkorn (Triticum monococcum) is an ancient grain that has been grown for thousands of years and is considered one of the first domesticated wheat species.
Characteristics of Einkorn Flour:
- Nutritional Profile:
- High in protein, antioxidants, and essential minerals like iron and zinc.
- Contains more carotenoids, which give it a slightly yellowish hue.
- Easier to digest for some people compared to modern wheat, though it still contains gluten.
- Flavor:
- Enjoy a Nutty and rich with a slightly sweet flavor.
- Adds depth to baked goods, making it popular for rustic bread, pancakes, cookies and other pastries.
- Texture:
- Produces a lighter, more delicate crumb in baked goods.
- Has less elasticity compared to modern wheat due to its lower gluten strength.
- Processing:
- Usually stone-ground to preserve its nutrients and flavor.
- Comes in both whole grain and all-purpose varieties.
How is Einkorn Flour Used?
- Use for traditional bread, muffins, cookies, and pasta.
- Substitute for regular wheat flour, but because of its unique gluten structure, it requires recipe adjustments (e.g., less liquid or gentler mixing).
Ingredients for Einkorn Dinner Rolls
Find below the list of ingredients I used to make my Einkorn Dinner Rolls.
- Whole Grain Einkorn Flour (not the same as All Purpose Einkorn Flour)
- Water
- Active Dry Yeast
- Plant Butter
- Almond Milk
- Eggs
- Granulated Sugar
- Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
Make the Einkorn Dinner Roll Dough
Note that this section is split in two parts, because Einkorn Flour needs a lot more time to absorb liquids, hence the resting and the two additions of flour.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar in the warm water (95°F to 110°F or 35°C to 43°C) and stir in the yeast to dissolve. Set aside to let it foam up.
- Combine in the bowl of a stand mixer, 4 cups of the Whole Grain Einkorn Flour, the remaining granulated sugar, and salt.
- Place the bowl on the stand mixer, equipped with a dough hook. Mix the dry ingredients for just a minute.
- Add to the dry ingredients, the melted butter, proofed yeast, eggs, and milk.
5. Mix until all of the dry ingredients have been absorbed. Notice that the dough will still be very wet and loose. Scrape down the side of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are gathered at the bottom.
6. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a draft free place for 30 minutes.
Finish the Einkorn Dinner Roll Dough
7. Return the bowl to the stand mixer equipped with the dough hook. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour to the bowl and stir until the dough comes together in a ball.
8. Remove the dough from the bowl and transfer to a floured surface. Flatten the dough of ball with your hands and fold it onto itself. Repeat this about 5-6 times to create tension in the dough.
9. Shape the dough into a large ball and place on a floured surface. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for another 20 minutes.
10. Shape each piece of dough into a ball with your finger. Stretch out the piece to create a smooth surface and bunch up the dough underneath, pinching it closed.
11. Put the balls of dough into a lightly greased 9"x9" baking dish, creating 4 rows of 4. Cover the baking dish in plastic wrap and let them rise for 40 minutes or until they have doubled in size.
12. Place the proofed tray of Einkorn Dinner Rolls into the oven once they have proofed just past the edge of the dish. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated 380F oven.
Remove the baked Einkorn Dinner Rolls from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Remove the buns carefully from baking dish and transfer to a cooling rack.
Remember that the finish texture of these buns will resemble more closely, the texture of cake, since it does not have as much of a gluten structure to it, making it more crumby and fragile. Cut the buns with a bread knife, as they will not pull apart.
Substitutions
- Dairy - Feel free to use regular butter and milk in this recipe.
- Flour - Be careful to NOT substitute the Einkorn Flour with regular wheat flour, because it does not contain the same gluten properties.
Storage
Store the leftover Einkorn Dinner Rolls in a resealable freezer bag. Keep in the bag, on the counter for up to tow days, or place in the freezer for up to a month.
Recipe
Einkorn Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
Yeast Mixture
- ½ cup Warm Water (95°F to 110°F or 35°C to 43°C)
- 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- 1½ tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
Dry Ingredients
- 6 cup Whole Grain Einkorn Flour divided (see notes)
- 3 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- 1½ teaspoon Salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup Almond Milk
- 2 large Eggs
- ½ cup Plant Butter melted and cooled
Instructions
- Add the 1 tablespoon of the sugar in the warm water (95°F to 110°F or 35°C to 43°C) and stir in the yeast to dissolve. Set aside to let it foam up.
- Combine in the bowl of a stand mixer, 4 cups of the Whole Grain Einkorn Flour, the remaining granulated sugar, and salt.
- Place the bowl on the stand mixer, equipped with a dough hook. Mix the dry ingredients for just a minute.
- Add to the dry ingredients, the melted butter, proofed yeast, eggs, and milk.
- Mix until all of the dry ingredients have been absorbed. Notice that the dough will still be very wet and loose. Scrape down the side of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are gathered at the bottom.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a draft free place for 30 minutes.
- Return the bowl to the stand mixer equipped with the dough hook. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour to the bowl and stir until the dough comes together in a ball.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and transfer to a floured surface. Flatten the dough of ball with your hands and fold it onto itself. Repeat this about 5-6 times to create tension in the dough.
- Shape the dough into a large ball and place on a floured surface. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for another 20 minutes.
- Shape each piece of dough into a ball with your finger. Stretch out the piece to create a smooth surface and bunch up the dough underneath, pinching it closed.
- Put the balls of dough into a lightly greased 9"x9" baking dish, creating 4 rows of 4. Cover the baking dish in plastic wrap and let them rise for 40 minutes or until they have doubled in size.
- Place the proofed tray of Einkorn Dinner Rolls into the oven once they have proofed just past the edge of the dish. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated 380F oven.
- Remove the baked Einkorn Dinner Rolls from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Remove the buns carefully from baking dish and transfer to a cooling rack.
