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
Filed Under
These are by far the best rolls I’ve ever made! Is it possible to use the same recipe for a 2-3 loaves instead of rolls?
Thank you for your great review, Ashley. I have not tested that as a loaf, but I imagine it could work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe!
Mine were browned way to early. I took them out so they didn’t get too dark, but the inside seems a littler underbaked. Maybe decrease my oven temp to 350 next time.
Hi Gen, that would be my recommendation also. Make sure your oven is calibrated to the correct temperature.
If you want to treat yourself to some beautiful home made bread… make these rolls. I filled mine with cantonese sticky pork and they turned out to be beautiful, soft, pork buns. My kids and husband loved them. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS SUPER EASY TO MAKE ROLLS ❤️❤️❤️.
God bless you Natasha 🌺🌹💕.
Hi Meriel, thank you for the recommendation. I hope your family will love all the recipes that you will try!
Hi Natasha
I would love to make these for Thanksgiving. Is there any point in the recipe that I could refrigerate and then bake Thanksgiving morning??
Hi Meil, that should work. You would want to cover refrigerate right away after rolling the balls of dough and placing them in the baking dish. Before baking, bring it back to room temperature and let it do its final rise on the counter until puffed, then bake as directed.
Hi Natasha,
I tried your recipe and it it turned out pretty good for my first attempt at making bread. My second proof didn’t rise as much as I thought it should have, so my rolls were not as light and fluffy as everyone else. What could I have done wrong? Could I have overworked the dough when I rolled it for the second proof? Also, I was able to get 15 rolls in a 9×13 glass baking dish. With 10 dough balls leftover that went into a 9″ round. Should I have gotten more dough balls in the 9×13 dish? Each dough ball weighed out at 1.6 oz. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Scott, it sounds like you made smaller dinner rolls which still works, but they would bake slightly faster. Make sure when they are rising that they are in a warm spot in your kitchen (even in the oven with just the light on), but keep it under 100˚F so they don’t start cooking which will kill the yeast and it will stop rising. If they are in a cold room, they will rise much slower. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha,
would you please make a recipe of bread with wholewheat flour and olive oil please. to go for a healthy option for my mom. I trust your recipes.
Hello Sali, have you seen my Whole Wheat Bread recipe here?
Yes Natasha i have seen it. It says a total of 4.5 cups whole wheat flour, i.e. whole wheat, rye flour and bread flour. Can i make it only with whole wheat flour. avoiding rye flour and bread flour.
Hi Natasha
thanks a million for this recipe. Came out so perfect and so much better than the store bought breads. I have tried many bready recipes before but nothing came as perfect as this. And the way you explain the measurement and method is so simple and I made it exactly the same way. thank you so much.
You are very welcome! I’m glad you really enjoyed this recipe, thank you for your good comments and feedback too!
Made these tonight and they are so freaking good! I could eat the whole dish! Your recipes never disappoint!!
Love it, Mary! Thank you for your awesome feedback.
I’ve just made these rolls… WOW, they are fantastic! Thank you for such a perfect recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Angela! Thank you for that great review!
Hello!
Can you use any kind of milk instead of whole milk? Because I only buy skim milk from the store and I’m not sure the results would be the same.
Hi Han, without experimenting with skim milk or just water, I can’t make a recommendation for or against it. If you test that out, let me know how it goes
Hi Natasha,
Hello from Singapore.
I made the recipe today and the dinner rolls turned out perfect. Super soft. My family loves it. Thank you so much.
Great to hear that they loved it. Mya. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha, thank you for sharing your recipe! May I ask if I could substitute milk with water? Thank you!
Hi Sylvia, you’re welcome. Without experimenting with just water, I can’t make a recommendation for or against it and I have not tried any other substitute for milk to advise. If you test that out, let me know how it goes.
I never leave reviews but I just had to for this….These rolls…they are so fantastic! Made them yesterday. They remind me of a restaurant I went to in my childhood where dinner rolls and honey butter were served exactly like this. So fluffy. So amazing. Thank you so much for this recipe. It will be in rotation for every holiday season for my family for life.
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
Hi Natasha!
Absolutely love all your recipes!
My dinner rolls aren’t browning on the top. May I know why that’s happening? :/
Hi, make sure to fully preheat the oven and bake in the center of the oven. Also, brushing with butter after helps bring out the color and lastly, make sure not to skip the sugar in the recipe.
Hello Natasha! This is so good! I think I will be making this regularly. I prefer to eat it fresh out of the oven. Is it possible to make the dough ahead of time and freeze it? I do this with cookie dough but im not sure if it will work with bread dough. Thank you!
Thank you, Mary Eileen. Yes, you can freeze it but I only tried it this way. For Freezer-friendly dinner rolls, bake your rolls as directed. Allow them to cool completely and then place them in an airtight, freezer-friendly container.
These rolls are amazing! So soft and fluffy and make the kitchen smell sooooo good!
The best way to make the house smell good and tummies full! I’m so glad you enjoyed these rolls, Stephanie!
Hi,
I love your recipe, never failed on me AND it always received a lot of loves!!
Thank You!
Btw,
Whenever I clicked the measurement from US to metric, on this recipe at least, the amount of tbs/tsp changes (on salt, yeast, butter for example)
I’m not sure if it’s a bug, or I’m misunderstanding anything.
Hi Blue, that is odd and I’m not sure why that is happening. It looks like it is just this recipe from what I can tell and I have fixed it. I will do some more spot-checking to see if I can find more. Thank you for letting me know!
Can you use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?
Hi there, instant yeast will also work and may rise a little faster so be careful not to let it overproof. With instant yeast, you can skip the proofing step initially and just whisk together the wet ingredients then add yeast with your first cup of flour.
Hi Natasha,
Just wondering, are the two different pictures shown on this website of the dinner rolls(one in a white pan and one in a metal one) both made with your recipe? The one in the metal pan looks different from the video provided on your channel.
Hi Tess, yes they are both the same recipe. One was made in a slightly wider pan so they are a little shorter.
Hi Natasha, I have one more question.lol
Can I use bread flour?
Thanks
Hi Jacki, we tested these with Bob’s Red Mill All-purpose flour. I think it should work with bread flour though, which tends to have slightly more gluten. If you experiment, let me know how it turns out.