Soft Dinner Rolls are the perfect companion to any main dish. These are soft, pull-apart bread rolls that rise beautifully. You will love that they are make-ahead friendly, so you can bake them fresh for dinner.
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Dinner Rolls Video Tutorial
We love easy bread recipes like No-Knead Bread, our famous Banana Bread, and of course Dinner Rolls. They are easy, have simple ingredients, and are approachable for any cook. Watch the easy video tutorial and you will impress everyone with your dinner rolls.
Whether you’re serving Potato Soup, a hearty bowl of crockpot chili, or your family’s favorite meatloaf, any menu is elevated by a good dinner roll. Keep this recipe in your back pocket and soon it will become second nature.
Homemade Dinner Rolls
Simply put, the process of making dinner rolls is split into three parts: preparing the dough, shaping the rolls and baking them. All you need is a very short list of ingredients which are pantry staples: milk, flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and butter.
How to Make Dinner Rolls
- Activate the Yeast: In the bowl of your mixer, combine milk, 1 Tbsp sugar and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Then whisk in melted butter, remaining sugar, and salt. Slowly incorporate the flour 1/2 cup at a time.
How do I know when I’ve added enough flour? The dough should feel sticky and tacky to the touch, but should not stick to clean and dry fingertips. Add the last 1-3 Tbsp flour only if needed.
- Knead Dough: Once your flour is in, continue kneading with the dough hook attachment for about 2 minutes. Kneading releases the gluten and makes it softer (don’t skip this step).
- Dough Rising: After kneading, you are going to oil a bowl and place your dough ball in it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for 2 hours or until doubled.
Can I Mix the Dough by Hand?
You can easily make homemade dinner rolls without a mixer. Mix the dough ingredients together in a large bowl using a wooden spoon or firm spatula. Once it comes together, knead with clean dry hands 10-12 minutes.
To knead by hand, press on the dough with the heel of your hand, moving in a forward rolling motion. Rotate your dough ball and repeat several times. Prepare to work those arms!
How to Shape Bread Rolls
- Divide the dough: Remove the dough and separate it into 15-16 even pieces using a bench cutter tool.
- Form the Rolls: To shape the dinner rolls, cup the dough between your fingers and thumb and roll the pieces into rounds on the countertop or over your other hand (watch the video tutorial to see how easy it is to form perfect dinner rolls like a pro).
- Let Rolls Rise: Place dough rounds onto a greased 9×13 baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for another 30-60 minutes until puffed. (Note: Instead of letting the dough balls proof, you can freeze or refrigerate the dough at this point – see make-ahead tips below).
Pro Tip: Avoid over proofing your rolls. If they rise too much, you will exhaust the yeast and they can collapse.
Can I use a different pan?
If using a different sized pan, you can make more dinner rolls. You can make anywhere from 15-24 dinner rolls using this recipe. If you make the rolls smaller, they will rise a little faster and will need a little less time to bake.
Tips for Yeast Dough to Rise Faster
Yeast is activated by warm temperatures and moist environments. If you are running short on time, here are a couple of hacks to make your dough rise faster.
- Microwave (our favorite method): Place a damp kitchen towel in the microwave on high heat for 1 minute then place the dough covered in plastic wrap in the warm microwave and let rise with the door closed.
- Oven Method: Place your dough bowl into the oven with the light on. We use this method to make our Easy Cinnamon Rolls rise in half the time!
How Long to Bake Dinner Rolls
Bake your dinner rolls at 375˚F until golden brown (about 23-25 minutes). When the rolls come out of the oven, immediately brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt.
How to Keep Dinner Rolls Warm?
After baking, transfer your rolls to a serving dish or bowl and cover them with a kitchen towel. This will trap the heat and keep your rolls warm.
How to Make Dinner Rolls Ahead of Time
- Refrigerate Formed Dough Rolls – once the rolls are shaped and placed into the baking dish, cover tightly with oiled plastic wrap to prevent drying out and place the rolls in the refrigerator up to 24 hours. On baking day, take out the rolls 2-3 hours before baking to allow the rolls to rise at room temperature. They should nearly double in size. Rising time can depend on your room temperature.
- To Freeze dinner rolls – instead of refrigerating the dough rolls, put them in the freezer. Once they are frozen solid, you can transfer them to a freezer bag if desired. Remove them from the freezer to thaw and rise about 4-6 hours before baking.
How to Store Dinner Rolls
- At room temperature – once rolls are fully cooled, place them into a resealable bag to keep them from drying out and store at room temperature for 2-3 days. Do not refrigerate or they will dry out.
- How to freeze baked dinner rolls – once the rolls are cooled, roll them individually in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight, freezer-friendly zip-top bag or airtight container. Freeze up to 3 months.
- Thaw frozen bread rolls at room temperature, then reheat in the microwave or cover with foil in the oven at 300˚F for 10-12 minutes. If you freeze them the same day they are baked, they will keep their freshness when thawed.
There is nothing like fluffy, warm bread rolls with honey butter or jam.
What to Serve with Dinner Rolls
A holiday table isn’t complete without homemade dinner rolls. Serve these alongside your roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and of course Turkey Gravy for an unforgettable dinner. We also love to pair dinner rolls with:
- Beef Stew – with tender morsels of beef
- Cheeseburger Sliders – dinner rolls make great sliders
- Creamy Carrot Soup – silky smooth and so satisfying
- Cabbage Soup – hearty and satisfying
- Minestrone Soup – pairs so well with rolls
Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed to 110F
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp salt, (we used fine sea salt)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, (minus 1 to 3 Tbsp) measured correctly
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted to brush the tops of dinner rolls
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, to sprinkle finished rolls
Instructions
- In the bowl of your mixer, whisk together warm milk (about 110F) and 1 Tbsp sugar. Sprinkle the top with 1 Tbsp yeast and let sit 1 minute. Whisk together and let it sit for about 5 minutes until yeast looks foamy. Add 4 Tbsp melted butter, remaining sugar and salt.
- Add flour half a cup at a time until the dough whisking to incorporate. Once the dough gets too thick, switch to the dough hook attachment and mix on speed 2 (you can also continue mixing by hand with a stiff spatula). Add about 4 cups of flour, adding the last 1 to 3 Tbsp of flour only if needed. The dough should feel sticky and tacky but should not stick to clean/dry finger tips.
- Knead the dough with the dough hook in a stand mixer for 2 minutes or knead by hand (10 min), then place dough in an oiled bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise about 2 hours in a warm place or until doubled in size.
- Once the dough rises, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and cut it into 15-24 even pieces depending on the shape of your baking dish. Roll each piece of dough into a ball and place them onto an oiled 9×13 casserole dish or baking sheet.
- Cover the dinner rolls with plastic wrap and let them rise another 30-60 minutes in a warm place or until puffed (do not over-proof). Bake at 375F for about 23-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
- Immediately brush tops of dinner rolls with melted butter and set aside to cool to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Per Serving
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Today I shared your Soft Dinner Roll recipe to my best friend’s Facebook page and challenged her to make them. She immediately accepted the challenge and we both make them today, sharing pictures throughout our process. Ohhh my goodness! These were soft, tender and scrumptious! Not only did we have fun making them, our husband’s were delighted. For me, these rolls are another keeper, right up there with your pizza dough recipe. Thanks for your wonderful recipes and videos!
I’m so happy you both tried and enjoyed this recipe! How fun to share and make it at the same time! That’s a great idea.
My family and I are from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. My mother was a bread and bun maker. But I just never seemed to take interest. Although who doesn’t like fresh baked bread. I saw your video and had enough interest to give it a try. I love them, in fact today was -35C out and I’m making the kids and my daycare kids warm dinner roll buns for breakfast with jam. Great way to start to the day. Thank you for your inspiration. They are just as as amazing as my aunties Irene’s buns who is 90 years old. Light and airy. 😋
Hello Anne Marie, thank you for sharing that with us. I’m glad you liked these dinner rolls!
Can you make dairy free? Plant butter and soy milk. Granddaughter allergic to dairy.
Thank you, tried these and they came out amazing… just one tiny hiccup. The very inside was a little underdone even though the tops and general outside was wonderful. Would you advise changing the rack position to lower next time and bake for the same temp/time or to reduce the temp and extend the baking time?
You might extend the baking time. If you made them taller or larger (with less rolls), it would require a longer baking time.
Thanks for the reply. I actually made 15 rolls as you suggested, but will definitely try them again and try to reduce temp. Thank you! Looking forward to trying your other recipes as well!
I am in LOVE with these rolls!! I used SAF Red instant yeast because I didn’t have any active dry on hand, and they came out amazing! Also, for some reason I thought this recipe called an egg wash and then realized afterwards it doesn’t, but that’s okay because the tops of the rolls browned beautifully. Using a kitchen scale made it super easy for me to measure out all the dough balls. This recipe, like all of the others on this site, is a total keeper! Thanks so much Natasha!
Hello Natalie, so great to hear from you. Thank you for your wonderful review, I appreciate your good feedback!
Hey, I loved the softness of my dinner rolls thanks to you. I couldn’t have done it without you.
It’s my pleasure. I’m so happy to know that you loved these rolls!
I’ve made these twice now. Just do fluffy and consistent in flavor. So easy to make. Thanks Natalia! I use so many of your dishes, techniques and tips. Best cooking site there is.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Greg!
So, so, GOOD!!!
Thank you for this recipe
I substituted one cup of wheat flour
They turned out fabulous!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Natasha can we skip the sugar ?
Hi Roshni, I have always added the sugar – it helps feed the yeast but also balances the flavor of the rolls – they don’t really taste sweet. I think they would still work without the sugar but I always add it.
Great recipe. I used half white flour and half whole grain and they turned out delicious. I find the buns to be a bit too salty. Perhaps I will try using unsalted butter instead of regular butter or less salt.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I really love this recipe. I make it a lot. but I make aways to much. what is the best way to store them for the next day?
Hi, please see the make-ahead instructions in the post.
A perfect recipe to make during our first major storm day, they are delicious!
Natasha, are you sure you used 4 cups flour. my dough wasn’t as soft as yours and I measured the flour exactly how you showed in your other video. I am not sure what I am doing wrong 🙁
Hi Uzma, are you possibly using a different type of flour? Some flours have higher gluten content which would require less flour.
Thank you so kindly for your receipe there is not one that I am not happy with thank you again Janet
You’re welcome, Janet. I’m glad you’re enjoying our recipes.
AMAZING dinner rolls! I’m in love. So soft and fluffy. So happy I found your website. Can’t wait to try other recipes.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I’m so happy you discovered our blog. Welcome! 🙂
Has anyone tried this with buttermilk? It is all I have on hand besides 2 percent milk.
Hi Cari, I haven’t tested that substitution.
Is 1 tablespoon of yeast correct?
That’s correct; we used 1 Tbsp active dry yeast for this recipe.
Hi made these with my granddaughter today they tasted nice but were quite heavy where am I going wrong ? The grand children still ate as with sliders they really enjoyed them.
Hi Jackie, it could be how the flour was measured (assuming you used the same kind of flour without substituting) and also it could be that the rolls just needed a little bit longer of a proofing period. If your room temperature is colder, the dough takes longer to rising and proof. I hope this helps.
Hi thank you I used strong bread flour weighed out. they did rise quite a bit I proved them in the microwave like you advised. I will try them again
Made these tonight with some ham soup (leftovers from Christmas Eve) and it was a hit! I didn’t use a mixer…and it was definitely a bit of effort to knead. But well worth it! Family ate it all up!
So glad to hear that, Jenny! Thank you for your great comments and feedback.
I used way too much yeast. I read it as one Tablespoon and in packets one tablespoon is equal to 6 packets. I now know that one packet should have been enough.
Oh no, lesson learned and I hope it will already be perfect on your next try!
The recipe says 1 Tablespoon of yeast, is this right?
Yes, I am wondering that too!
I’m noticing you didn’t add any egg/s. Why is that? I thought eggs were a necessary Ingredient? Kindly reply.
Hi Bernadine, I have tested with and without and the recipe works best as written.