If you’re looking for soft, flavorful rolls with a little extra nutrition, these bread rolls with freshly milled spelt are one of my absolute favorites. They’re soft and surprisingly easy to work with, and will make you feel like you're eating indulgent crusty rolls, not something extra healthy and tough.
They’re especially great for fall and winter baking, when you want something homemade to serve alongside soups and stews. I also love making them for weekend dinners or family gatherings because they feel special without being complicated.
If you want something a bit more indulgent but similar, give my fresh milled dinner rolls a try!
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Quick Look
- Prep Time: 45–60 minutes
- Bulk Fermentation: 3–6 hours
- Final Proof: 1–3 hours (or overnight in the fridge)
- Cook Time: 16–22 minutes
- Total Time: ~5–9 hours (plus optional overnight)
- Servings: 8–10 rolls
- Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate
- Baking Method: Oven (with steam)
- Best For: Everyday bread, sides, sandwiches
Jump to:
- Summarize & Save This Recipe On:
- Quick Look
- Important Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Spelt Bread Rolls
- Baking Schedule
- 💭Crucial Success Tips
- Recipe FAQs
- How To Store Fresh Milled Spelt Rolls
- Other Delicious Recipes
- Bread Rolls with Freshly Milled Spelt (Sourdough Version)
- Need Help Tweaking This Recipe?
- Other Fresh-Milled Sourdough Recipes You'll Love
Important Ingredients
- Freshly milled spelt flour adds slightly sweet taste +it's an ancient grain!
- All-purpose flour helps keep the dough soft and easier to handle
- Active sourdough starter gives the rolls their rise and flavor
- Water brings the dough together
- Salt balances everything
- Sugar or honey helps with browning and flavor
- Olive oil (optional) – makes the rolls a bit softer
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Skip the oil for a slightly crispier crust
- Use more spelt flour for a more rustic texture
- Swap sugar for honey depending on what you have
- Shape into different sizes or forms depending on how you want to serve them
How to Make Spelt Bread Rolls
Step 1: In a bowl, combine the flours, water, sourdough starter, salt, honey or sugar, and olive oil (if using). Mix until a rough dough forms and no dry flour remains.
Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes (Image 1).
Step 2: Do 2–3 sets of stretch and fold sessions (Image 2) over the next hour or two. To do one round, lift and fold the dough over itself, and repeat about 4-6 times. Cover the dough with a wet kitchen towel or a shower cap between rounds.
Step 3: Let the dough rise for 3–6 hours at room temperature (Image 3).
It should look slightly puffy and airy, but NOT doubled in size. It shouldn’t be overly sticky anymore - you should be able to poke it with a finger and the dough shouldn’t stick to it.
Step 4: Turn the dough out on a lightly floured counter, divide into equal pieces, and shape into loose rounds. You can skip using flour if you think the dough won’t stick.
Let the balls rest for about 10 minutes (Image 4).
Step 5: Shape into round or slightly oval rolls, depending on what you prefer. Oval are a bit more traditional (Image 5). To make them oval, flatten the dough a bit, and roll it up, then flatten it again.
Step 6: Place on a baking tray, cover, and let rise for 1–3 hours (Image 6).
You can also refrigerate overnight and bake the next day.
Step 7: Preheat the oven:
- Conventional oven: Preheat to 220°C (425°F)
- Fan (convection) oven: Preheat to 200°C (390°F) and place an empty baking dish on the bottom rack.
Pour a cup of boiling water into the hot dish to create steam, score rolls in a way that you do a simple vertical line down the longer side (Image 7), then place the rolls in the oven.
Place the rolls in the oven and bake for:
- Fan oven: Bake 16–20 minutes
- Conventional oven: Bake 18–22 minutes
Step 8: For those nicely opened tops, score the rolls a second time once they’ve been in the oven for a few minutes.
Bake for 3–5 minutes, take the tray out, deepen the cuts, then return them to finish baking (Image 8).
Step 9: When they’re done, let them cool on a wire rack (Image 9).
Hint: if your dough feels too sticky to handle, don’t immediately add more flour. Spelt absorbs water differently and often becomes easier to work with after resting. Lightly wetting your hands instead of flouring them can make shaping much easier without drying out the dough.
Baking Schedule
- Morning: Mix and start fermentation
- Midday: Stretch and folds + bulk rise
- Afternoon: Shape and final proof
- Evening: Bake
Or:
- Day 1: Prepare dough
- Day 2: Bake after overnight proof
💭Crucial Success Tips
The biggest key to success with fresh milled spelt (and any other (part) fresh milled dough) is not over-proofing. Spelt ferments even faster than regular wheat, so it can go from perfect to overdone quickly. The dough should feel slightly airy but still hold its shape. If it spreads too much when you turn it out, it likely fermented too long.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but you'll likely need to add a bit of water too. Spelt has weaker gluten, so the rolls may spread more and be slightly denser.
This is usually due to an inactive/acidic sourdough starter or under-fermentation. Your starter should be bubbly and active before mixing the dough, and make sure to give dough enough time to ferment.
This recipe is designed for sourdough. If you want to use yeast instead, it’s better to follow a yeast-based roll recipe because fermentation timing and hydration will change.
How To Store Fresh Milled Spelt Rolls
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days.
They can also be frozen for longer storage, just let them cool completely before freezing.
Other Delicious Recipes
- Bread Rolls with Freshly Milled Spelt (Sourdough Version)
- Sourdough Pizza Rolls with Fresh Milled Flour (Soft + Cheesy)
- Sour Cherry Chocolate Cake with Fresh-Milled Flour
- 100% Fresh Milled Sourdough in a Loaf Pan (The Two-Pan Method)
If you tried these bread rolls with freshly milled spelt (sourdough version) or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below! Happy Baking!
Bread Rolls with Freshly Milled Spelt (Sourdough Version)
Ingredients
- 300 g all-purpose flour
- 200 g freshly milled spelt flour
- 320 g water
- 100 g active sourdough starter
- 9 g salt
- 5 g honey (or sugar); I prefer sugar
- 10 g olive oil optional
Method
- In a bowl, combine the flours, water, sourdough starter, salt, honey or sugar, and olive oil (if using). Mix until a rough dough forms and no dry flour remains. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Do 2–3 sets of stretch and fold sessions over the next hour or two. To do one round, lift and fold the dough over itself, and repeat about 4-6 times. Cover the dough with a wet kitchen towel or a shower cap between rounds.
- Let the dough rise for 3–6 hours at room temperature. It should look slightly puffy and airy, but NOT doubled in size. It shouldn’t be overly sticky anymore - you should be able to poke it with a finger and the dough shouldn’t stick to it.
- Turn the dough out on a lightly floured counter, divide into equal pieces, and shape into loose rounds. You can skip using flour if you think the dough won’t stick. Let the balls rest for about 10 minutes.
- Shape into round or slightly oval rolls, depending on what you prefer. Oval are a bit more traditional. To make them oval, flatten the dough a bit, and roll it up, then flatten it again.
- Place on a baking tray, cover, and let rise for 1–3 hours. You can also refrigerate overnight and bake the next day.
- Preheat the oven:- Conventional oven: Preheat to 220°C (425°F)- Fan (convection) oven: Preheat to 200°C (390°F) and place an empty baking dish on the bottom rack.Pour a cup of boiling water into the hot dish to create steam, score rolls in a way that you do a simple vertical line down the longer side, then place the rolls in the oven.Place the rolls in the oven and bake for:- Conventional oven: Bake 18–22 minutes- Fan oven: Bake 16–20 minutes
- For those nicely opened tops, score the rolls a second time once they’ve been in the oven for a few minutes.Bake for 3–5 minutes, take the tray out, deepen the cuts, then return them to finish baking.
- When they’re done, let them cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Starter flexibility
Your starter can be fed with spelt, wheat, or all-purpose flour. It just needs to be active. - Why add all-purpose flour
It strengthens the dough and helps the rolls hold their shape. - Oil = softer crust
→ No oil: more crusty
→ With oil: softer and more everyday-friendly - Hydration feel
The dough may feel soft at first. Let it rest before adjusting. - Sourdough timing
Spelt ferments faster, so watch the dough closely. - Slight sweetness helps
Improves browning and balances flavor. - If the dough feels sticky
Do another fold before adding more flour. - Steam improves texture
Helps with oven spring and crust, but not strictly required. - Flexible shaping
You can shape these however you like.
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