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
Can these be made with bread flour? I’m out of all purpose flour but I have bread flour.
Hi Amy! 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.
Hi!
Love this recipe and so many of your other dishes as well!
I just have a curiosity question.
I scanned through tons of yeast roll recipes and luckily found your recipe, which turned out amazing.
I noticed several recipes called for an egg (obviously not needed) but was curious to know what impact an egg would have on a yeast roll recipe.
Thank you!
Hi Meg, an egg isn’t necessary in all breads but adding an egg to rolls can contribute to their moistness and tenderness.
The roll came out nice and fluffy however on the next day it became a bit dense, is it meant to be that way?
How do I keep it as fluffy and soft as the first day?
Hi Ivy! Bread always tastes best the day it’s baked. After that, they aren’t quite as soft and fluffy. If you are making it ahead, the best way to preserve dinner rolls is to freeze them the same day they are baked and then thaw and enjoy when needed. I found that if they are frozen in their fresh state, they will thaw and taste freshly baked. I hope that helps!
Just made these, they turned out beautiful and fluffy. Husband is on his 2nd one and keeps saying how “they just melt in your mouth, I can’t believe this”
That’s amazing! I’m so glad they are being enjoyed. Thank you for sharing.
Totally dud something wrong. Maybe too much flour when I turned it out. Couldn’t make perfect balls and it didn’t double in size on the second proofing. And didn’t rise much at all when baked 🙁
Oh no, I recommend using the ingredients exactly as written especially on your first try to be sure that you will get a great result.
I have tried do many times to make bread /bread rolls and cant do it for the life of me..
When I mixed the yeast in it never went fluffy in the milk mixture..
I continued with the other stages.. it never really rised much at all ..come to the end and they are dense and raw in the middle when taking them out of the oven..
What went wrong.. was it the beginning?
Hi Megan, check the expiration of the yeast. It could be expired or inactive. If you don’t see it turn foamy at the beginning, either the yeast was expired or the liquid was too hot which can inactivate the yeast. Also, if you proof the yeast in an oven that is too hot, it can inactivate the yeast. I hope that helps.
Can I refrigerate these like the cloverdale rolls recipe you have?
Hi Alisha, We usually bake them right away, but I think it could work. When we make overnight cinnamon rolls we cover and refrigerate the rolls before the last rise then we bring them to room temperature and let them do the last rise on the counter before baking.
I made it and it’s so yummy 🤤fluffy with the honey butter recipe to!
Thanks 😊
Yum! So glad you liked the recipe.
Will it change the rolls much if I decrease the sugar to 1 tablespoon?
Hi Janine! I haven’t tested the recipe without sugar or using less sugar. If you experiment, let us know how it turns out.
Natasha, can I use this recipe to make hot cross buns for Easter ?
Hi Sandra! This is the recipe that we use hot cross buns HERE.
Best I ever made. They turned out perfect. Even after freeze and thaw…they were still great. Very soft. Browned nice. Flavourful. Will be my go-to for dinner rolls. Thank you.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Jerri!
Forgot to add the stars in my comment. 5 star recipe hand down!
Thanks a lot, Brooke!
I have been in a bread kick lately and seem to make a new roll or bread each week. I’ve tried a few different roll recipes that were okay but didn’t have the ending product I was looking for. I stumbled across this recipe and I am so glad I did. They are exactly what I have been looking for, soft/fluffy absolutely delicious rolls. I will be making these over and over again and will be sharing this recipe with many. Thank you for this fantastic recipe!
We’re glad that you tried out this recipe! Good to know that you enjoyed it, hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try from us.
About yeast. One tablespoon yeast on this recipe for dinner buns and I have three packages of 8g instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons each package) so should I use one and half packages?
Hi Birgit, if you’re going by teaspoon measurements. There are three teaspoons in a tablespoon. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha
I’ve made this several times now and it is always comes out soft and delicious!!! Can I cut this recipe in half for a smaller batch?
Good to know that, Roxanne. I think that will work, please share with us how it goes.
I am in the UK we only have self raising and plain flour what would be the same as your ‘All Purpose Flour’ thank you.
Hi Ann! Plain flour would be the equivalent. 🙂
Tried this recipe last night, it was the first time I ever activated yeast and now I feel like a rockstar! I followed the recipe and video step by step and they turned out great! This is definitely a forever recipe! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s wonderful! Thank you for sharing.
Natasha
I have enjoyed your recipes and love watching your videos.
You make cooking look so fun and delightful, and tasty.
Thank you.
Alison
Thanks so much, Alison! I’m glad you are loving them. 🙂
the rolls are fantastic
everyone at home loves them
everyone at the fir hall loves them
I’ve made this recipe about 10 times in the past 6 mths
Hi Lorne! That’s wonderful to hear! I’m glad they are a hit. Thanks for sharing.
I was looking for a new recipe to avoid the same ones I’ve been using for decades, and was grateful I’d bookmarked your website. Just watched the video and you’re delightful! The recipe is similar to what I already use, yet I was tickled by how darling you are, so I’m using this one and I’ll follow the measurements too :). Warmly, Jacqueline in Northeast Georgia
Aww, thank you, Jacqueline! That is so very kind. I hope you love this recipe!
Hello!
Tried this recipe a few days ago and came out great! Looked fantastic and tasted amazing. They were soft and fluffy right out of the oven, but when they cooled to room temperature, they became kind of hard :(. Not sure if that’s supposed to happen. We stored them in ziploc bags. Thanks!
Hi Tiffany! Bread will lose moisture and heat as it cools so it is natural for bread to slightly harden when it’s cooled. Since it is homemade, it also does not have any preservatives (like those from the store), and added preservatives also help keep it moist. To reheat, wrap the bread in a damp (not soaking) towel and microwave on high for 10 seconds.