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 I sub rapid rise yeast for active dry ?
Hi Sally, 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.
The perfect roll for Christmas dinner. Thank you!
You’re welcome, John! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Excellent recipe!! Could you please email me the name of the dish you used? My husband wants one. He made these yesterday and wow, yum!
Hello Michelle, thank you! Here’s the baking dish that I used.
I am proofing in my oven on the proof cycle. How long do I need to leave them in?
Hi Lynne, we have a note for that on step 5: “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)” I hope that helps.
Can I use inatant yeast
Hi Damaris, yes 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.
These came out beautiful! I kneaded by hand and ended up using a little more flour. They were super sticky, and I was worried at first, but they ended up great. I divided into 16 pieces, and they seemed the perfect size. 🙂 My rise time was about 1.5 hours, and the second rise about 40 minutes…in case that helps anyone else out.
I’m so happy they worked out and that you enjoyed the dinner rolls.
Hands down best rolls ever they r soo soft its unbelievable
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made these rolls today and they turned out great! I only made 3/4 of a recipe. I used bread machine instant yeast and I made the dough by hand per the recipe. However, I used my bread machine for the kneading. Next time I may try the entire dough process in my machine – mixing, kneading, and rising. Thanks for the great recipe! Keep them coming!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Jeannie! Thank you for sharing that with us!
Natashia, Can I use skim milk instead?
Hi Kim, 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
I used skim milk today, and the rolls turned out fine!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Jeannie!
Can you make the rolls out, refrigerate and set them out the next day to rise and bake?
Hi Patti, you can make this ahead. Please check the Make-Ahead Tips in the recipe.
Sweet perfection!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Cheryl!
I love dinner rolls but never came out good. I hope I can make it now. Thank you Natasha
You’re welcome! I hope this recipe becomes your favorite.
Hi Natasha I am going to try these dinner rolls for Christmas dinner. I always love seeing your recipes and mostly making them
Hi Helen, sounds like a great plan. Enjoy and please share with us how it goes!
Hi what can I put instead of the milk since I’m allergic
Hi Anna, 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.
would you bake them on the middle rack or a lower one
Hi Gary, we try to keep these on the middle rack but it will depend on your oven.
hi. I have a question. Can i double the batch? I need about 40 rolls {its a big crowd} and don’t want to have to just make it twice.
Hi Natalia, if you click on the serving size in the recipe card, you can slide it up or down to scale the recipe ingredient lists to double this recipe. I hope that helps!
Do you have a tip with rolling the dough into balls. Every time I do the bottom doesn’t seem to be nice and smooth. I have to keep pressing it together. Thanks
Hi Amy, try rolling on a clean counter or over a clean hand. The very bottom can have a wrinkle or fold in it and it will still bake up fine underneath as long as the top is smooth.
My 6 year-old daughter and I made these bread rolls. They are super simple to make and are just awesome to taste. Let’s just say, this recipe is a keeper! Thank you so much, Natasha!
So great to hear that, Allison. Thanks to you and your daughter and I’m sure it was also a great bonding experience for you both!
I made these rolls, my whole family love them. I was wondering if I can make them a day before cooking them.
So great to hear that, Donna! 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.
Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then reheat in the microwave or oven. If you freeze them the same day they are baked, they will keep their freshness when thawed.
I made these, they were so soft and just the right touch of sweetness. Absolutely perfect. I think I have make more soon, they finished in no time. Thanks a million Natashaskitchen.
I’m happy to read your comments and feedback. Thank you for sharing that with us, Aleesha!