Oatmeal Raisin Rolls

Easy Oatmeal Dinner Rolls (with Raisins!) — Lightly sweetened from honey in the dough and are brushed with honey-butter prior to baking, these homemade dinner rolls are subtly sweet and so easy to make! 

Easy Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe

There’s something so hearty and comforting about a bowl of warm cinnamon raisin oatmeal. But after making these oatmeal raisin rolls, I may never make a bowl of cinnamon raisin oatmeal again. The oatmeal ante has been upped.

The oatmeal dinner rolls have a striking resemblance to cinnamon rolls with raisins, but because they’re made with whole-grain oats and use far less butter and sugar, I told myself they were a healthy cinnamon roll. Exactly.

The sweet, soft dinner rolls recipe combine my love of highly textured, really chewy, moist bread and pair those qualities with the rolls I can buy in the Dutch grocery stores when I’m in Aruba, known as muesli rolls.

I didn’t set out to create muesli rolls prior to making these oatmeal rolls are instead they’re based on my Honey Dinner Rolls recipe, for which I have the highest and utmost praise. It will likely be my plain white dinner roll recipe forever, even though there’s nothing plain about them.

Since I love that recipe, and because I also adore oats, raisins, and cinnamon, I wanted to create a roll that combined the best of both worlds.

The resulting rolls strongly resemble my beloved muesli rolls, which I spend most of the year dreaming about until the next time I’m in Aruba. The Dutch-influenced breads and pastries on the island are sinfully perfect and it’s a good thing I enjoy warm weather running.

Although traditional muesli rolls tend to have some nuts, flax, pumpkin, or sunflower seeds, or oats sprinkled on top, those toppings unfortunately tend to either fall off and lay loose in the bottom of the plastic bag the rolls are sold in, or it falls off all over my kitchen floor.

From a flavor and texture perspective, these oatmeal dinner rolls are spot on with my muesli memories, minus the messy topping that I don’t prefer stepping in anyway.

If puff pastry, croissants, and challah are on one end of the bread density spectrum, these rolls are on the other. They are not light and fluffy airy puffballs and instead have teeth-sinking density, with a high degree of texture and chew factor.

Bread flour, which makes any dough chewier to begin with, used in conjunction with the oats and raisins, created a real chewy party, destined to give your jaw a workout.

The dough is lightly sweetened with honey and the plump juicy raisins distributed throughout are plentiful.

Both the honey used in the dough as well as from the honey-butter mixture that’s brushed on the rolls prior to baking lends a rich, buttery, and sweetly discernible flavor, which doesn’t get lost in the shuffle as I find can happen with baked goods sweetened with honey.

It’s akin to topping the best bowl of cinnamon-raisin oatmeal of your life with a little drizzle of melted honey-butter before digging in.

The honey-butter brushed on top also helps the rolls achieve a glorious amber hue and the mixture that runs down the sides and pools in the bottom of the pan creates a gooey, rich, and almost caramelized layer at the base.

I loved every bite of these chewy rolls, with their slightly firm and sweet tops from the honey-butter, contrasted with the soft and dense interior. The bits of oats and chunky raisins did a marvelous job of sticking to my teeth with each hearty bite.

They’d be perfect to put on the Thanksgiving table, the Christmas brunch table, or on any Tuesday afternoon you need a carbtastic pick-me-up.

And as a happy accident, now I have a recipe that’s part whole-grain cinnamon roll and also one that emulates my beloved Aruban muesli rolls, no passport required.

What’s in the Oatmeal Dinner Rolls?

To make the sweet, soft dinner rolls, you’ll need: 

• Warm water
• Instant dry yeast
• Egg
• Honey
• Canola oil
• Salt
• Bread flour
• Old-fashioned oats
• Raisins 
• Cinnamon
• Unsalted butter 

How to Make Oatmeal Dinner Rolls 

To make these rolls, I began with the same amounts of water, yeast, egg, honey, and canola oil used in the Honey Dinner Rolls.

Then, in addition to just using bread flour as I had previously, I also added whole-rolled oats, raisins, and cinnamon, which warmly yet gently spices the dough. 

I was a bit concerned that the oatmeal and raisins would somehow impede the rise, but I had nothing to worry about. I used Red Star Platinum yeast and they rose like champs into big, puffy, beautiful mounds that filled up every inch of my baking pan.

The dough can be kneaded by hand or in a stand mixer and after kneading it’s allowed to rise for about two hours. After the first rise, punch the dough down and lightly knead it by hand for about one minute.

Allow the dough to rest for about ten minutes before shaping it into rolls as this resting period helps the gluten to relax and the dough will be more cooperative when trying to form it into rolls. It’s a thick yet springy dough and has a bit of mind of its own, reminding me that bread dough is very much alive.

When I previously made the honey dinner rolls, I divided the dough into one dozen equal-sized pieces but with this recipe, I divided it into 16 pieces because there was more dough volume.

The oats and raisins really bulked it up and only making one dozen would have yielded ridiculously large rolls and sixteen pieces seemed more appropriate.

Be careful when baking your masterpieces because the honey-butter mixture will be prone to burning in the final minutes of baking, and these bake up fast, in just about 15 minutes. I don’t even leave the kitchen after I put them into the oven.

Can This Recipe Be Made in Advance? 

The easy homemade dinner rolls can be made ahead of time, making them from start to finish, freezing the finished rolls, and can be unthawed prior to needing them, and if preferred warming them gently and briefly in a low oven for that just-baked taste is nice.

Although I haven’t tried it, I would guess that after the first rise of 90 minutes, and after the dough has been shaped into rolls and placed in the pan, you could cover the pan and refrigerate it overnight, and bake the rolls off the next morning.

Storage Instructions 

Rolls may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 4 days.

Rolls also freeze very well and can be made from start to finish, cooled, and placed in a freezer-safe airtight container or a ziplock for up to 3 months.

When ready to serve, unthaw them and if desired, immediately prior to serving warm them in a low oven (~175 to 200F) for a few minutes and just until warmed.

Tips for the Best Dinner Rolls

I’ve had muesli rolls and bread that incorporate other types of dried fruit, including apricots or currants, and substituting your favorite dried fruit from dried mango to diced Medjool dates or dried apples would be lovely in these rolls if you don’t like raisins. 

This recipe is baked using a 9-by-13-inch pan, and although some of the rolls in the center were a tiny bit crowded, if given the choice I would still remake them in one pan, rather than using two pans, for less overall dishes and hassle.

If you prefer perfectly round globes, you may consider baking them in two pans. But crowding isn’t all bad because some of those center-cut rolls are extra soft, tender, and moist and are the ones I reach for first. Center pieces trump edge pieces, always.

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4.82 from 16 votes

Oatmeal Raisin Rolls

By Averie Sunshine

Lightly sweetened from honey in the dough and are brushed with honey-butter prior to baking, these homemade dinner rolls are subtly sweet and so easy to make! 

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Inactive Time: 2 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 16

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Ingredients  

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• ▢ 1 cup water, warmed (120 to 130F for Red Star Platinum yeast, or 105 to 115F for most other yeast)
• ▢ 2 ¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast (one 1/4-ounce packet, I use Red Star Platinum
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ ¼ cup honey
• ▢ 3 tablespoons canola oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ▢ 3 ½ cups bread flour (I use King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
• ▢ 1 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats, not quick cook or instant
• ▢ 1 cup raisins, combination of raisins, cranberries, currants, or other dried fruit may be used
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ▢ 2 tablespoons honey

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Instructions 

• Add water to a glass measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power to warm it, about 30 seconds. Testing with a thermometer is highly recommended, but if testing with your finger, water should feel warm but not hot.
• To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the water and sprinkle the yeast on top of it. Beat on low speed for about 10 seconds, just to combine; let mixture stand for 10 minutes.
• Add the egg, 1/4 cup honey, oil, salt, and mix until well-combined, about 2 minutes on low to medium-low speed. Add 3 cups flour, oats, raisins, cinnamon, and beat until a dough forms.
• Scrape off any dough bits stuck to the paddle and remove the paddle attachment. Put on the dough hook.
• With the dough hook attached, turn mixer on low speed, and slowly sprinkle in remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Knead dough for about 8 to 10 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl and dough hook as necessary. Dough will be firm, smooth, not sticky, and elastic.
• Place mounded ball of dough in a lightly greased large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place bowl in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours. Tip - Preheating your oven for 1 minute to 400F, then shutting it off (make sure you shut it off), and quickly sliding the bowl in so the hot air doesn't escape is one way to create a warm environment; think 85 or 90F summer day warm environment. A cooler environment simply means dough will take longer to rise.
• After dough has risen and doubled, punch it down to release the air bubbles, and turn it out onto a Silpat or floured work surface. Knead for about 1 minute.
• Mound dough into a ball, place it back into the bowl, cover it, and allow it to rest and relax for about 10 minutes, making it easier to shape into rolls.
• Prepare a 9-by-13-inch baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
• Place dough on Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat or floured work surface, and using your hands, roll it into a long cylinder, about 16 inches in length. Divide the log into 16 uniformly-sized pieces with a dough cutter or sharp knife.
• Roll each piece into a ball, creating surface tension on the top of the ball by stretching the dough over itself a bit and pinch off the bottom, tucking the dough into itself. Place each piece into the prepared pan, seam side down, uniformly spaced, four rows of four. (Dough may also be rolled into just a simple 'plain ball', without pulling on the top surface of dough to create tension and not bothering to pinch off the bottom a bit, but I find they rise better and are fluffier if they're pinched off rather than just round dough globes)
• After all pieces are in the pan, cover it with plastic wrap and allow to dough to rise for about 1 hour, or until rolls are nearly doubled in size.
• While dough rises, preheat oven to 400F. A good place for this rise is placing baking pan on the stovetop while oven is preheating for the carryover warmth.
• Prepare honey-butter mixture by melting butter in a microwave-safe bowl on high power, about 1 minute. To the melted butter, add 2 tablespoons honey and stir to combine; set aside.
• After the rolls have risen and before baking, brush tops and sides of dough with the honey-butter mixture, getting into the sides and crevices and with a pastry brush.
• Bake rolls for about 15 minutes or until golden; they bake up very fast and watch them closely so the honey-butter mixture doesn't burn in this very hot oven.
• Allow rolls to cool before serving. Serve with Honey Butter or Cinnamon-Sugar Butter.

Notes

Flour and yeast: I highly recommend Red Star Platinum Yeast and King Arthur Bread Flour because they gave great results.

If you don't have a dough hook: The recipe can be made by hand and kneaded by hand, it will just take you a bit longer. I am unsure if this recipe can be made in a bread machine as I don't have one.

To make 1 loaf: I suspect the dough could also be baked in loaf pans; I'd use two 9-by-5 inch loaf pans, but I have not tried it.

Make ahead option: The rolls can be made ahead of time, making them from start to finish, freezing the finished rolls, and can be unthawed prior to needing them, and if preferred warming them gently and briefly in a low oven for that just-baked taste is nice. Although I haven't tried it, I would guess that after the first rise of ninety minutes, and after the dough has been shaped into rolls and placed in the pan, you could cover the pan and refrigerate it overnight, and bake the rolls off the next morning.

Storage: Rolls may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 4 days. Rolls also freeze very well and can be made from start to finish, cooled, and placed in a freezer-safe airtight container or a ziplock for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, unthaw them and if desired, immediately prior to serving warm them in a low oven (~175 to 200F) for a few minutes and just until warmed.

Recipe adapted from Honey Dinner Rolls

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 246kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 74mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 14g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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ALL OF MY BREAD RECIPES! 

Honey Dinner Rolls — Lightly sweetened from honey in the dough and are then brushed with honey-butter prior to baking, which lends both a golden color to the rolls and infuses them with a subtle sweetness.

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls — These rolls are soft, slightly chewy, and the pumpkin puree keeps them moist and adds just enough tooth-sinking density.

No-Knead Rolls with Honey Butter — These soft, light, fluffy yeast dinner rolls are so easy to make! They’re practically work-free because there’s no-kneading involved. 

Parker House Rolls — The BEST homemade dinner rolls because they’re so light, airy, fluffy and practically melt in your mouth! They have a wonderful buttery flavor that will make them an instant family favorite at your next holiday gathering or make them for a special meal! 

No-Knead Whole Wheat Rolls — These 100% whole wheat dinner rolls are soft, light, fluffy, and so easy. They’re practically work-free because there’s no kneading.