This post may contain affiliate links.
Dinner Rolls made from scratch are soft, buttery, and so pillowy they practically melt, and they are far easier than you think. I pulled a hot pan out one Sunday afternoon and Lizzie ate two before they even cooled. They are the must-have side for any holiday meal, especially next to our classic stuffing.
Once you smell these baking, you will never reach for the store-bought brown-and-serve kind again.
Dinner Rolls Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 25 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 15 rolls
- ⚡ Calories: 193kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft, buttery, and lightly sweet with a golden top
- ✋ Difficulty: Beginner friendly, a great first yeast bake like our English muffins
Quick Answer
Stir sliced butter, sugar, and salt with warm milk, then add foamy yeast and a beaten egg. Mix in flour with the dough hook and knead until smooth, then let the dough rise until doubled. Divide it into 15 pieces, shape each into a ball, arrange them in a buttered baking dish, and let them rise again. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until golden, then brush the hot rolls with melted butter for that soft, bakery-style finish.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Enriched with butter and egg. Butter and a whole egg make the dough rich and tender, for rolls that are soft and pillowy instead of dense.
- Two rises for a fluffy crumb. Letting the dough rise before and after shaping builds plenty of air for that light, cloud-like texture.
- Warm milk wakes the yeast. Warming the milk to the right temperature activates the yeast quickly so the dough rises strong and even.
- Baked snug in one dish. Crowding the rolls together makes them rise up instead of out, giving you those soft, pull-apart sides.
- A butter brush at the end. Brushing melted butter over the hot rolls gives them a glossy, golden top and an extra hit of flavor.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are unbelievably soft and buttery, way better than store-bought.
- The dough comes together in the stand mixer with very little hands-on work.
- They are the perfect partner for a holiday spread, right next to a pan of classic stuffing and a juicy turkey.
Key Ingredients
Six simple ingredients are all it takes for a batch of soft, golden rolls. Here is what you will need.
- All-Purpose Flour: Builds the structure; added gradually so the dough stays soft and workable.
- Active Dry Yeast: The lift that makes the rolls rise tall and fluffy.
- Whole Milk: Warmed to activate the yeast and add richness to the dough.
- Butter: Goes into the dough and gets brushed on top for flavor and that glossy finish.
- Sugar and Egg: A little sugar feeds the yeast and the egg makes the crumb rich and tender.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Easy ways to dress up your rolls.
- Garlic herb rolls: brush the hot rolls with garlic butter and a sprinkle of parsley for a steakhouse vibe.
- Sweet rolls: brush with a honey butter glaze right out of the oven for a touch of sweetness.
- Cheesy rolls: tuck a cube of cheddar into the center of each dough ball before the second rise.
- Make sliders: bake them in a slider pan and split for pulled pork or ham and cheese.
- Everything rolls: brush with egg wash and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning before baking.
How to Make Dinner Rolls
- Add the thinly sliced butter, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Warm the milk to 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour 1 cup over the butter, then stir the yeast into the remaining milk and let it foam for 5 minutes before adding it to the mixer along with the beaten egg.
- Using the dough hook, mix in the flour 1 cup at a time, then knead on medium-high for about 3 minutes until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover, and let it rise in a warm spot 1 to 2 hours until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough, divide it into 15 pieces, shape each into a smooth ball, and arrange them in a buttered 9×13 baking dish. Cover and let rise about 1 hour.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and hollow-sounding, then immediately brush the hot rolls with the remaining melted butter.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Mind your milk temperature. Keep it between 105 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit; too hot kills the yeast and your rolls will not rise, the same rule we follow for our homemade English muffins.
- Weigh the dough. For evenly sized rolls, weigh the whole batch and divide by 15 so each one bakes at the same rate.
- Find a warm spot. A turned-off oven with the light on is the perfect draft-free place for the dough to rise.
- Do not rush the rise. Let the dough fully double both times for the softest, fluffiest rolls.
- Shape them smooth. Tuck the edges under and pinch the seam so the tops bake up round and pretty.
- Brush while hot. The butter soaks in best the moment the rolls come out of the oven.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These rolls belong on every holiday table, so serve a basketful with a whole roasted turkey, a scoop of classic stuffing, and plenty of gravy.
They are just as good on a weeknight, perfect for sopping up sauce or building little sliders with leftover meat and cheese.
Warm leftovers wrapped in foil in a low oven, or split and toast them with butter the next morning. They also make a great base for loaded mashed potato sliders.
Dinner Rolls FAQs
Yes. Shape the rolls and refrigerate them overnight after arranging them in the dish. Let them come to room temperature and finish rising before baking, or bake and reheat them wrapped in foil.
Definitely. Freeze baked and cooled rolls in an airtight bag for up to 3 months. Reheat in a low oven wrapped in foil until warm and soft.
The most common reason is milk that was too hot and killed the yeast, or yeast that was past its prime. Keep the liquid around 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit and check that your yeast foams before using it.
Yes. You can skip the blooming step and add instant yeast right to the flour. The rises may go a little faster, so keep an eye on the dough.
Do not add too much flour, let the dough rise fully both times, and bake just until golden. Brushing with butter at the end keeps the tops soft.
This recipe makes 15 rolls baked in a 9×13 dish. You can easily double it for a crowd or a big holiday gathering.
Want to keep baking? Try our soft, pull-apart homemade challah bread next.
Serve warm dinner rolls alongside our slow cooker corned beef and cabbage.
easy slow cooker turkey breast
slow cooker lemon pepper chicken recipe
homemade white bread recipe
homemade white bread recipe
Round out the bread basket with a pan of buttery sausage stuffing.
Serve these rolls alongside our creamy Butternut Squash Risotto for a cozy fall dinner.
Serve warm dinner rolls alongside our hearty shepherd’s pie.
These pair perfectly with our creamy deviled eggs on the holiday table.
Round out the holiday table with our creamy garlic mashed potatoes.
Serve these under our glazed apple cider chicken to catch every drop of sauce.
Come December, our Christmas tree pull apart bread shapes the same soft rolls into a showpiece.
For the sweet side of the bread basket, my lemon sweet rolls bring jammy berries and lemon glaze.
Homemade Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter divided
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cup whole milk divided
- 2 ¼ active dry yeast
- 1 large egg beaten
- 3 ½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Take half of the butter and slice it as thin as you can, add the slices to the bottom of a stand mixer. Add the sugar and salt to the mixer.
- Warm the milk in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave. I like to do this in 15 second intervals. Temp the milk, it should be 105-110°F (do not warm to over 110°F). Pour 1 cup of the warm milk into the bowl with the butter, no need to stir, just let it sit.
- Add the yeast to the remaining milk and give it a stir. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, until foamy.
- Add this mixture to the mixer. Add in the egg and stir everything to combine.
- Using the hook attachment, start stirring in the flour 1 cup at a time, scrape down the sides as needed.
- Do this until you add 3 & ½ cups of flour. Once the mixture resembles a dough, turn the speed to medium-high and start to knead it. If it doesn’t start to clean the sides of the bowl, add a little flour at a time (up to a half cup) until the sides of the bowl are clean, if the dough is still attached at the very bottom of the bowl that’s okay. Knead for 3 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the vegetable oil. Take the dough out of the mixer and add it to the bowl with the oil, turn it around in the oil so it is coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
- Melt the remaining ¼ cup of butter. Brush a 9×13 baking dish with some of the butter, you will only need a small amount, set aside.
- Punch down the dough to release the air bubbles. Divide the dough into 15 sections. I like to weigh the dough then divide by 15 to see how many ounces each roll should be.
- Take each dough ball with your hands and stretch it out, tuck the ends of the dough around itself to form a smooth ball and pinch the seams together, gently roll it between your hands to form a ball. Place the ball seam side down into the prepared baking dish, 5 rows of 3 rolls. Cover again with plastic wrap and let them double in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Take the plastic wrap off the baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden brown and when tapped the rolls sound hollow. Immediately brush the rest of the butter all over the hot rolls. Let cool and serve.
Notes
- This makes a nice large batch, but you can double or halve if you’d like.
- Make sure you use active dry yeast.
- Other things can be added to the dough, see above on ideas.
- These can be made by hand and not in a stand mixer.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- Make sure your milk is between 100-110 degrees, if its too warm it will kill the yeast if it’s too cold it wont activate the yeast.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!
