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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This recipe for dinner rolls looks delicious! I have made lots of your recipes, always so tasty and very easy to follow! I am looking for a good bowl scraper, the red one you are using (when using the Kitchenaid mixer) in your *dinner rolls video* looks great! I looked to see if you had a link for it, but I didn’t see one. Could you tell me what is the brand of that scraper? Thank you! And thank you for your generous and inspiring website/blog/cooking community!
Hello Tricia! Thanks for your message and I’m happy to hear that you are enjoying my recipes. You can go to my Amazon Affiliate Shop to check the kitchen tools that I am using. Hope that helps!
How can I make this recipe into loaves of bread instead of shaping the dough into rolls?
Hi Christa, I imagine that will work but I haven’t tried that version to advise of the timing and measurements.
I love making these, they are my staple rolls!!! BUT, would halfing the recipe work or is there anything I should take into consideration when halfing it? Thanks!❤️💕
Hi Rachael! Yes, you can cut the recipe in half. You’ll just need to adjust the size of the baking dish to accommodate.
I have used this recipe several times and they always turn out great. All we have is skim milk in the house right now. Will that work?
Hi Wendy! One of my readers reported using skim
milk with good results.
I must’ve done something wrong. Everything went well and when I dumped the dough onto the countertop it looked beautiful. I cut the dough into 24 pieces but then I encountered a problem. When I try to roll it in a ball it didn’t roll into a ball. It was almost as if taking an odd shaped piece of dough and trying to turn it into a ball was the problem. Maybe I squeezed out too much of the air? Anyway, I put them on a cookie sheet, let them rise and then put them in the oven. They turned out tough. I’m sure I did something wrong especially since the dough was beautiful when I dumped it on the counter.
Hi Jules, It is important to be gently with the dough when rolling into balls – gently cup and roll the dough pieces without pressing too hard, to avoid pushing out all the air. The toughness could be from over-kneading at this stage or possibly from overproofing before baking, which can exhaust the yeast and make the rolls dense and tough. Try to keep the final proofing short and sweet, and handle the dough delicately. Practice makes perfect, so don’t give up!
Hi Natasha! you are awesome and I love your recipes. I did this one last Thanksgiving and they were awesome!!!! However, I would love to do this again this weekend and considering Easter is on Sunday when we go to church…lol I was wondering can I have these rolls ready the night before and bake them the next day on Sunday.
Hi Yolanda! 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 a batch just now. I put sliced ham and cheese inside, and brushed it with garlic butter. I made it a little bigger to accomodate the fillings. About 14 pcs. YUUUUMMM!!!! I’m a fan from the Philippines!!!
That sounds delicious!
Absolutely love this recipe but I always manage for some reason to get less than 15. About how many ounces do you make each roll?
I didn’t really weigh the per serving size.
These rolls are so good. I am wondering if after the rise and shaping, can you freeze the dough balls and bake at a later date?
Hi Deb! I haven’t tried freezing the dough, i have only frozen then after baking (see my note above). I assume it would work though. Let us know if you experiment.
Thank you. I will let you know if I decide to give it a try
Hi Natasha, I tried these and they turned out really soft 😊just wondering why does it have to rise in a warm spot and why for so long?
Hi Jessica! Yeast is activated by warm temperatures. See my note in the blog above for tips to get yeast to rise faster.
WOW. These turned out so good! This is my third time baking these buns and your recipes are so easy, and yet so delicious! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so happy to hear that, Amanda!
I just made these tonight for dinner and they turned out really really good. These are seriously the best dinner rolls I have ever had in my life. They are so soft and fluffy on the inside and they were really simple to make as well. Your recipes are always a success Natasha!
Hi Lila! I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you!
Thanks for your response Natasha and the buns turned out beautifully. So tasty that I ate two immediately😊
Well now you’re just making my buns blush, haha. I’m so delighted to hear you loved this recipe, Helen!
Hi Natasha, do I need to punch dough down after it’s risen? Thanks for the recipe. I read all of your instructions and am in the middle of the first rising. As a novice baker thought I’d better double-check if I need to punch dough down before shaping it.
Hi Helen! No, that is not necessary. Once the dough is risen you can just turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and prepare them as instructed. I hope you love the recipe!
Thanks for your response Natasha and the buns turned out beautifully. So tasty that I ate two immediately😊
These are the softest, tastiest, BEST dinner rolls I have ever made – and I have tried many recipes! Your recipes never disappoint, thank you so much!
Thank you for the wonderful feedback! That made my day! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes.
What should I do if the tops are too brown but the insides aren’t fully cooked / still slightly doughy?
Hi April! That can happen if your oven runs hot or if your rolls are too close to the heating element at the top. I highly encourage the use of an internal oven thermometer (amazon affiliate link) to help see if your oven is calibrated.
Can I make them a day ahead?
Making double batch.
If yes, shouldn i leave them on counter or refrigerator?
Hi Laura! You can let them cool and then store them on the counter in an airtight container or ziplock bag.
LET ME JUST SAY. I’ve made some breads, but never kneaded. Decided to make these for thanksgiving at my boyfriends house for the first time on a whim. Did it all by hand, was so nervous it would turn out wrong. But it didnt. SO GOOD. everyone loved and asked me to make them again on last Sunday. So good!! Thanks Natasha!
That’s wonderful to hear, Shyla! Thank you so much for sharing that with us.
Hi Natasha, would it be better to use Bread Flour for rolls and cinnamon buns, instead of using all-purpose flour? Many thanks for your help, Avril
Hi Avril, 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.
Just made these for Thanksgiving Dinner, half never made it to the table as it was eaten as soon as it came out of the oven
They sure do disappear fast!
My 9-year-old grandson made these for Thanksgiving. Totally unassisted and they turned out fabulous. By the way, Natasha,his wish for Christmas is your cookbook. You are his go-to for anything he wants to make.
Aw, that’s amazing. Thank you so much for sharing; Marie. I’m so glad to hear that.