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 we use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast
Hi, yes instant yeast will also work and may rise a little faster so be careful not to let it over proof. 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.
Did your rolls. They are delicious. Will be making them from now on.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Hi Natasha
Made a double batch of the rolls, one to bring at family Thanksgiving dinner. The other my husband & I ate some warm with dinner the night before. Well, another great recipe as all of yours that I’ve tried. These rolls were so awesomely fluffy and delicious! Had to restrain myself from eating too many.
Going to make your pies this weekend. Thanks and HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you & the family with blessings!🙏😊❤
Hi Karen, I am so happy to hear that you loved the dinner rolls. Thank you for the wonderful review!
Well Natasha, the rolls that I made to bring to family Thanksgiving dinner were a big hit and everyone loved them! Thanks again for a great recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Karen!
Thanks for all the amazing recipes! My daughter and I just made these rolls for Thanksgiving and could not be more pleased. This recipe will definitely be added to our cookbook.
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Melissa!.I’m all smiles
Can I prep the dough up to rolling out the rolls, and refrigerate overnight? To bake the next day?
Hi Kimberly, that would 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.
Hello! I have a question regarding thawing the dough in the refrigerator. Do we go through all the steps and then stop before we reach the oven stage? Or do we do some other step. If you could please elaborate a bit more on the refrigeration process, that would be great. I am dying to try your dinner roll recipe and want to make it for tomorrow! Thank you!!!
If you are asking about refrigerating the dough before baking it say the next day, you would want to refrigerate after rolling the balls of dough right away then bring it back to room temperature and let it do its final rise on the counter. I hope that answers your question and happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Natasha – I seem to only have quick rise yeast. How would the recipe steps change or what would I do differently?
Happy Thanksgiving,
Bredana Celaya
HI Bredana, I haven’t tried this with instant, but that should work. Once the yeast is mixed in step one, you can skip the 5 minute waiting time since an instant yeast does not need the proofing period.
I love your recipes. I made these rolls today for thanksgiving and had to sneak one. Fabulous. I also made the brioche bread, for French toast and your pumpkin pie Thanks for all the recipes. I’ll keep cookin Happy thanksgiving
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I just made the rolls for Thanksgiving dinner. Everything went well until the rolls were rising, I took them out to bake & they went down to half the size. What did I do wrong??
Hi Judith, it could be that they were proofed at too high of heat (never proof above 110˚F or it can deactivate the yeast). The most likely cause of rolls collapsing is due to letting them rise for a much longer amount of time which could create big air pockets in the dough and can exhaust the yeast in the dough causing it to flatten.
Can these be cooked in muffin tins, one roll per muffin cup?
Hi Dianne, I haven’t tried baking dinner rolls in a muffin/cupcake tin but I assume that would work.
Natasha,
I too made these for Thanksgiving. They seemed to rise ok and then flattened out while baking. They were more biscuit like than roll. Not sure what I did wrong
Hi Natasha! I made rolls today and they are so fluffy and delicious and it was easy to make! Thank you so much for recipe.
In the oven now! I used bread flour and instead of 15 i made mine a bit bigger….I got 12 rolls. Will let you know how they turned out soon!
That sounds great! I would love to know how you liked them with bread flour. I would bake a little longer for bigger rolls.
Can they be baked and then frozen?
Hi Phyllis, yes, please see the freezing instructions above for that.
I just made these yesterday and they are AMAZING!!! I wanted to test them out before Thanksgiving and they are a winner – I will be making another batch on Thursday. Finger lickin’ good!
Also, the microwave hack is a huge WIN! 🙂
You HAVE to have these at Thanksgiving! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi Natasha, It looks good. I was wondering if I can use bread flour.
Thanks.
Hi Blanca, we tested these with Bob’s Red Mill All-purpose flour. I think it should work with bread flour, which tends to have slightly more gluten. If you experiment, let me know how it turns out.
Lovely, soft and fluffy. I browned them a bit more than in the picture, but they were very good and not dry at all. I didn’t add the salt on top, but will next time. We TRIED to wait for them to cool completely, but failed…yummy! Will make again!
Thank you so much for sharing that wonderful review with me! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Natasha, you definitely are my hero! literally every single recipe in your website I try is a huge hit! thank you so much for such perfections! love you so much!!
Blessings!
Hi Ann, thank you so much for that amazing feedback. I’m so happy you love my recipes.
All of your recipes are so easy to follow and delicious so far. I look forward to reading more of your favorite dishes. Thank you so much.
Hello Peter, thank you so much for your good comments and feedback. I hope that you will love all the recipes that you will try!
Hi Natasha! Thanks for all the great recipes. Making these for thanksgiving and very excited! I was wondering if it makes a difference using a clear Pyrex casserole dish instead of ceramic?
Thank you! Hope you have a happy and healthy thanksgiving.
Hi Kayla, yes that would work great to use a glass casserole dish for these rolls.
I don’t know why I can’t get fluffy rolls. I followed your recipe to the T – I used a thermometer to make sure my milk was the right temp. (However I did have to add extra flour as the dough so stuck to my fingers) All went well at first – the dough rose beautifully. I then made the rolls and placed them in the oiled dish. Again they rose however when I took off the plastic wrap they sunk. I waited for a bit to see if they would rise again which they did not. I baked them and they all spread into one another and turned out dense. They look like one big pan of cornbread.
Hi Nanny, I haven’t had that happen, but it could be either due to having them rise in too warm of an oven (which would deactivate the yeast), or letting rise for too long. I have found that if you overproof, they tend to get more air pockets and seem drier inside in the finished product.
I had this exact problem with mine. Almost turned out more like a biscuit than a soft dinner roll. I think they may have overproofed as they were super big after an hour of rising after i shaped the individual rolls. I’ll have to give it another try. Have you tried it again and had better results???
Hi Nikki, I added this tip above which will help: “Avoid over proofing your rolls. If they rise too much, you will exhaust the yeast and they can collapse.”