Healthy Herb Bread Rolls (20-Minute Recipe!) | Amy's Healthy Baking (2024)

Learn how to make healthy homemade bread rolls from scratch — in 20 minutes! These have a deliciously crisp crust that surrounds their supremely soft insides, and comforting herb flavors fill every bite. Enjoy them plain, fresh and warm from the oven, or with a bit of butter for an added treat. They’re quick and easy enough to whip up any day of the week, yet their elevated flavor makes them perfect for guests, dinner parties, and holidays — especially Thanksgiving!

Throughout my childhood, and even as a teenager and adult, I helped my dad make whole wheat bread rolls from scratch every Thanksgiving. As a little girl, I climbed up onto a kitchen chair, at least until I was tall enough to stand at the counter, and I watched as he poured ingredients into the metal mixing bowl before handing me the spoon.

When he proclaimed it ready, he generously floured an oversized cutting board and showed me how to press my tiny palms into the dough, fold it in half, and do that over and over. He explained the finger test, demonstrating how to gently press my index finger into the dough and watch its surface, waiting to see if it quickly sprung back and made my indentation disappear.

After the first hour-long rise, I stood next to him again, this time tearing off small sections and rolling them into spheres between my palms. We placed those dough balls into a pan, covered them with a towel, and waited another hour for them to magically grow to double their size, like fluffy brown clouds, before popping them into the oven.

To this day, the smells of warm yeast and freshly baked bread are still two of the most nostalgic aromas for me, (instantly transporting me right back to those extra special moments of baking with my dad.

However… I realize not everybody has the time (or patience!) to make yeast-based bread rolls from scratch — whether on Thanksgiving or any other day of the year. Sometimes you just want freshly baked bread without all the hassle!

So these healthy herb bread rolls are my solution to that problem! They’re really soft and smell just as comforting as the ones my dad and I made, and I also mixed my dad’s favorite herbs into the dough in honor of him. Yet these rolls are much faster and easier to make than our original recipe. You only need 20 minutes!

QUICK OVERVIEW – HERB BREAD ROLLS

Difficulty: Easy, including for many beginner bakers.

Taste: Cozy and comforting, with prominent earthy herb flavors in every bite.

Texture: Really soft, tender, and moist, encased within a crisp outer crust.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY HERB BREAD ROLLS

Let’s go over the ingredients you’ll need to make these healthy herbed bread rolls. Like I previously mentioned, there are only 6 of them — and I have a feeling you might have almost all of them in your kitchen already!

Flour. To make these healthy herb rolls, I used white whole wheat flour. No, it’s not a combination of whole wheat flour and white (aka all-purpose!) flour… White whole wheat flour is still 100% whole wheat flour — just made from a special type of wheat!

And that wheat is called… “White wheat.” (No surprises there!)

Here in the US, the majority of wheat grown is red wheat, which is a heartier variety of wheat. That’s what’s used to make regular whole wheat flour, which is often a lovely tan color. In contrast, white wheat has a lighter appearance (more of a pale off-white color), as well as a lighter taste and texture. It’s closer to that of all-purpose flour — but it still has the same health benefits (like extra fiber!) of regular whole wheat flour.

Hint: It’s like the difference between red and green grapes. Different color and taste — but the same health benefits!

Tip: If you’d like to make your herb bread rolls gluten free, then see the Notes section of the recipe. I’ve shared my top recommendations there!

Baking soda. This is the leavening agent that you’ll use to make your healthy herbed bread rolls rise. When combined with another key ingredient (more on that in a moment!), the baking soda makes your rolls grow to about double their original size while they bake. No yeast required!

Herbs. In honor of my dad, I used his favorite herb blend to make these healthy bread rolls: herbs de Provence. It earned that name because it’s a mixture of dried herbs often used in Provençal recipes. (Provence is a region in southern France, located along the Mediterranean Sea!)

Some spice brands include additional dried herbs, but staples in herbs de Provence are basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, savory, and lavender. I used Trader Joe’s blend, which included all of these, as well as sage.

Hint: You can find herbs de Provence at many grocery stores. Just remember to check the label first! Since some brands add in more herbs than I’ve listed above, make sure those extra herbs are ones whose flavors you actually like. (For example, some brands include parsley or garlic, which can sometimes be off-putting or an unwelcome surprise to certain people’s palates! 😉 )

Milk. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk to make these healthy herb bread rolls since it’s the milk my family buy and drinks the most. As a result, these homemade rolls are naturally vegan and dairy free!

However… Just about any type of milk will work, so you’re welcome to use whatever you already have in your refrigerator. No need for a special trip to the grocery store!

Vinegar. Remember how I mentioned that the baking soda would make your herb bread rolls rise to double their size when mixed with another key ingredient? That key ingredient is vinegar! Well, more specifically, distilled white vinegar.

Here’s the nerdy reason why…

Vinegar is an acid. Baking soda is a base. When you combine them together, they make bubbles (carbon dioxide!). Those bubbles make the dough rise, and they also create a lovely tender texture in your rolls.

I used to be a chemist before I became a baking blogger, so I love geeky baking science like this! 😉

No butter or eggs? That’s right! These homemade bread rolls contain no butter or eggs, yet they’re still beautifully soft and tender. Without those two ingredients, your herb bread rolls are also naturally vegan, dairy free, and egg free!

HOW TO MAKE HERB BREAD ROLLS

Now that you’ve assembled your ingredients (the last one is regular ol’ table salt!), let’s cover how to make these healthy herb bread rolls. This recipe is really easy — I promise! — but I still have a few tips to share. I also included a step-by-step video directly above the recipe, if you’re more of a visual learner!

One bowl. To make this recipe as simple as possible, you only need one mixing bowl. I also love how one-bowl recipes usually end up with fewer dishes for me to wash!

You can mix together the dry ingredients for as long and as much as you’d like, but things change once you add the milk and vinegar. The baking soda begins to react as soon as it comes in contact with these wet ingredients, so you want to do two things…

Work quickly. You don’t want the baking soda to finish reacting before you pop your rolls in the oven! If that happened, your rolls wouldn’t rise at all, and they’d end up like dense hockey pucks. Flavorful hockey pucks (with all of those cozy herbs!)… But they’d lack the soft and tender texture we’re after. 😉

Do not over-mix or over-work the dough. When you mix the dough too much or for too long, you begin to squish out those initial carbon dioxide bubbles that formed when the baking soda first started reacting with the vinegar. This then affects how high your rolls rise and how tender they are on the inside. If you over-mix or over-work the dough, you’d also end up with short, squat, puck-like rolls.

So the moral of the (dough) story? Mix just until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, and you’ll end up with beautifully moist and tender bread rolls!

Shape and score. Once you’ve made the dough, divide it up into individual portions, and gently roll them into spheres. The dough should be tacky, so moisten your hands with water to prevent it from sticking to your skin.

To score them, use a sharp knife to cut a + sign into the top of each one. You want to slice about halfway through the dough — not all the way! These slits allow the steam (and those carbon dioxide bubbles!) to escape in a nice, neat, orderly way. If you didn’t score the tops and left them flat instead, the steam would find another way out of the dough…

As you can see in the photo above. It usually comes out around the base of the rolls instead, which results in a big ol’ crack around the bottom. That doesn’t seem to affect their flavor or texture though — only their appearance!

Bake. These herb bread rolls bake at a higher temperature than some other bread recipes, which helps create that lovely crust on the outside. As a result of the higher oven temperature, they also finish baking faster!

Tip: If you want a thicker and crisper crust on the outside, just leave them in the oven for a few extra minutes!

FAQS ABOUT HEALTHY HERBED BREAD ROLLS

Are these bread rolls vegan, clean eating, sugar free, low fat, or low calorie?
Yes! These herb bread rolls are vegan (aka dairy free and egg free!), clean eating (with no refined or artificial ingredients!), low fat, low calorie, and made with no sugar. I’ve also included gluten free recommendations in the Notes section of the recipe, if you’d like to make your healthy bread rolls gluten free instead!

Where do you find herbs de Provence?
Many grocery stores carry herbs de Provence, right alongside the regular spices and herbs. I used Trader Joe’s blend. Just remember — different brands use different herbs to make their blends, which can affect the taste of your bread rolls. (See the “Herbs” section in my blog post above for more information!)

Can I substitute something else for the herb blend you used?
Yes, you’re welcome to use a different blend of herbs if you prefer — or make your own custom herbs de Provence instead! See the “Herbs” section above for more information about which herbs are generally included.

Can I use a different milk?
Yes again! Just about any milk will work, so feel free to use whatever you already have in your refrigerator. No need for a special trip to the store!

Can I substitute something else for the distilled white vinegar?
If you can’t find distilled white vinegar, then try using lemon juice (its pH is very close to distilled white vinegar!) or another vinegar with a similar pH level to achieve the same texture in your bread rolls.

Can I make a full-sized loaf instead of individual rolls?
Absolutely! I’ve included an alternative about how to use this dough to make a full-sized loaf of herbed bread in the Notes section of the recipe.

Why do you score the dough before baking?
This lets the steam escape from the dough while the rolls bake. If you don’t, the steam finds an alternative route out — usually resulting in a deep crack around the base of your bread rolls. See the “Shape and Score” section in my blog post above for more information (and a photo, if you’re a visual learner!).

How should I store these herbed bread rolls? And how long do they last?
They’re best if eaten the same day they’re made, but you can store them in an airtight container. When left at room temperature, they should keep for a day or two (maybe longer!). If refrigerated, they’ll keep for a few additional days. After scoring, their crust loses some of its crispness, and the insides won’t be quite as soft — but their flavors will remain the same!

And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy herb bread rolls!

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