You only need 7 ingredients to make these dinner rolls. Flaky, soft, and buttery, these fresh dinner rolls outshine any main dish. If you’re a bread beginner, read this blog post to learn more about the yeast rolls recipe, including how to prep the rolls ahead of time. You can also reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
- Do you long to bake homemade bread but are too intimidated to start?
- Does yeast dough send you running for the hills?
- Do bread recipes seem overly complicated and confusing?
I’m teaching you how to make homemade dinner rolls. These are the best homemade dinner rolls I’ve ever had and it all starts with a straightforward 7-ingredient dough. I make these rolls whenever I get the chance and even brought a pan to our friends who just welcomed a baby. They’re pillow-soft with the most delicious flaky and buttery texture. Everyone will demand you bake them on repeat.
And with this recipe, I guarantee you will finally feel confident baking bread. 🙂
This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Video Tutorial: Dinner Rolls
Let’s start with a video tutorial.
Overview: How to Make Homemade Dinner Rolls
- Make the dough. Continue below to learn more about this dough recipe.
- Knead the dough. Reference my How to Knead Dough video tutorial if you need extra help with this step.
- Cover the dough and let it rise. The dough rises in about 1-2 hours in a relatively warm environment.
- Punch down the dough to release the air and shape into rolls.
- Let the rolls rise for about 1 hour.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. If desired, brush the warm rolls with a little honey and melted butter for extra flavor.
As shown in the video tutorial, the dough comes together with a mixer. You can use a paddle attachment or a dough hook. You can also make the dough by hand, but it requires a bit of arm muscle. After the dough comes together in the mixing bowl, it’s time to knead. You can simply continue beating the dough with the mixer for this step or you can knead the dough by hand. I chose to knead the dough by hand so you can see me doing it in the video above.
If you’re new to bread making, my How to Knead Dough post and video can help even more with this step. And my Baking with Yeast Guide is a wonderful resource for all bread beginners!
Soft Dinner Rolls Require a Rich Dough
The crustier and chewier the bread, the less fat in the dough. This is known as a lean dough. The softer and richer the bread, the more fat in the dough. This is known as a rich dough. Unlike chewy homemade bagels, focaccia, ciabatta, and my artisan bread, soft dinner rolls require a rich dough. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that the dough is swimming in cash. Rather, “rich” correlates with the amount of fat. For example, this dough has milk, butter, and egg.
You need 7 ingredients total. They’re the same ingredients in my easy cinnamon rolls and homemade brioche, which are also rich doughs. (Though I use more sugar for sweeter cinnamon rolls, of course.)
- Milk: Liquid activates the yeast. For the softest dinner rolls, use whole milk. Nondairy or low fat milks work too, but whole milk produces phenomenal flavor and texture.
- Yeast: You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. If using active dry yeast, the rise times will be a little longer. I recommend Platinum Yeast from Red Star, which is an instant yeast blended with natural dough improvers.
- Sugar: Sugar feeds the yeast, increases its activity, and tenderizes the dough.
- Egg: 1 egg provides structure and flavor.
- Butter: Butter promises a flavorful and soft dinner roll. Make sure it’s room temperature.
- Salt: You can’t make flavorful bread without salt!
- Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour in this recipe. All-purpose flour is convenient for most, but bread flour produces chewier dinner rolls. There are no other changes to the recipe if you use bread flour.
Once you make the dough, let it rise:
After that, punch down the risen dough. Shape into balls and arrange in a baking pan. Don’t worry if they’re not all uniform in size.
Let the shaped rolls rise before baking. Look how puffy they get after 1 hour of rising:
How to Shape Dinner Rolls
You can shape this dough many different ways including twisted rolls, knotted rolls (how I shape garlic knots), cloverleaf rolls, or even hot dog buns. Let’s stick with the basic round shape. Divide the dough into 14-16 pieces. Take a piece and stretch the top of the dough while pinching and sealing the bottom. Make sure the rolls are smooth on top and sealed on the bottom. I shape hot cross buns the same exact way.
How to Make Yeast Rolls Ahead of Time
The rolls require around 3 hours of rising. Not everyone has 3 hours to spare, so let’s discuss another option! Prepare the dough, let it rise, and shape the rolls. Cover the shaped rolls tightly and refrigerate for up to about 16 hours. At least 3 hours before you need them the next day, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and allow to rise on the counter for about 1-2 hours before baking.
And here’s how to freeze dinner rolls: Follow the make-ahead instructions and instead of refrigerating overnight, freeze the rolls in a baking pan. Once frozen, they won’t stick together anymore and you can place them in a freezer bag. Let them thaw and rise for about 4-5 hours, then bake. You can also freeze the baked dinner rolls. Therefore, if you want a smaller batch, you can make the entire recipe and bake only a few fresh rolls at a time.
These make-ahead options are especially helpful if you want fresh-baked rolls for Easter brunch, Thanksgiving dinner, or on Christmas.
Dinner Roll Flavors
How about some pizazz? Mix in these ingredients when you add the flour.
- Rosemary Dinner Rolls – 2 Tablespoons fresh or dried chopped rosemary.
- Cheddar Dinner Rolls – 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Other cheese varieties work, but avoid super soft cheeses.
- Garlic & Herb Dinner Rolls – 2 teaspoons each: dried rosemary, dried basil, & dried parsley, along with 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
- Brown Butter Sage Dinner Rolls
- Honey Butter Rolls
- Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
- Oatmeal Molasses Dinner Rolls
- Multigrain Rolls – Here is my Multigrain Bread recipe that you can turn into rolls.
They’re also fantastic with a simple swipe of homemade honey butter or homemade cinnamon butter.
This dough is not ideal for a big loaf of bread. Instead, I recommend using a leaner dough, such as my sandwich bread or whole wheat bread recipes. If you need an egg free dough, try homemade breadsticks instead. And if you love pizza, try these pizza pull apart rolls next!
3 Success Tips
- Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide, which answers many common yeast FAQs.
- Make sure your yeast isn’t expired. Expiration date is on the package.
- Directly from the pros at Red StarYeast: Measuring flour correctly is key to avoiding a dense dough, which leads to heavy (not soft!) rolls. Spoon and level your flour, do not scoop it out of the package.
My final piece of advice? Don’t limit these rolls to suppertime. They’re welcome anywhere, with any meal, any time of day. Use for sliders, breakfast sandwiches, soaking up your favorite tomato sauce with slow cooker turkey meatballs, alongside salad, or dunking into a bowl of creamy chicken noodle soup. Above all, don’t doubt yourself because you, too, can become a bread baking pro.
Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 14-16 rolls
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
You only need 7 ingredients to make these dinner rolls. Flaky, soft, and buttery, these fresh dinner rolls outshine any main dish. See recipe notes for freezing and overnight instructions. You can also reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast (1 standard packet)
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 4 pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups (390g) all-purpose flour or bread flour* (spooned & leveled)
- optional topping: 2 Tablespoons (28g) melted unsalted butter mixed with 1 Tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. *If you do not own a stand mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula is a better choice.*
- Add the remaining sugar, egg, butter, salt, and 1 cup flour. With a dough hook or paddle attachment, mix/beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then add the remaining flour. Beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If the dough seems too wet to a point where kneading (next step) would be impossible, beat in more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until you have a workable dough, similar to the photos above. Dough should be soft and a little sticky, but still manageable to knead with lightly floured hands.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- 1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1-2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter. Takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan or two 9-inch square or round baking pans. You can also bake the rolls in a cast iron skillet or on a lined baking sheet.*
- Shape the rolls: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Divide the dough into 14-16 equal pieces. (Just eyeball it– doesn’t need to be perfect!) A bench scraper is always helpful for cutting dough. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Arrange in prepared baking pan.
- 2nd Rise: Cover shaped rolls with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until puffy, about 1 hour.
- Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). (It’s best to bake the rolls towards the bottom of the oven so the tops don’t burn.)
- Bake the rolls: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top, rotating the pan halfway through. If you notice the tops browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven, brush with optional honey butter topping, and allow rolls to cool for a few minutes before serving.
- Cover leftover rolls tightly and store at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Prepare recipe through step 6. Place shaped rolls in a greased baking pan, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. Once frozen, the dough balls won’t stick together anymore and you can place them in a freezer bag if needed. On the day you serve them, arrange the dough balls in a greased baking pan, cover tightly, then let them thaw and rise at room temperature for about 4-5 hours. Bake as directed. You can also freeze the baked dinner rolls. Allow them to cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then reheat as desired. If reheating the whole pan, lightly cover and reheat in a 300°F (149°C) oven for about 10 minutes or until warm.
- Overnight Instructions: Prepare the recipe through step 6. Cover the shaped rolls tightly and refrigerate for up to about 15 hours. At least 3 hours before you need them the next day, remove the rolls from the refrigerator, keep covered, and allow to rise on the counter for about 1-2 hours before baking. Alternatively, you can let the dough have its 1st rise in the refrigerator overnight. Cover the dough tightly and place in the refrigerator for up to about 15 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and allow the dough to fully rise for 2 more hours. Continue with step 5.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Stand Mixer or Glass Mixing Bowl and Wooden Spoon / Spatula | 9×13-inch Glass Baking Pan | Bench Scraper | Pastry Brush
- Baking Pan: I prefer baking the rolls in a glass 9×13 inch baking pan because I find they brown a little too quickly in metal. As long as you bake the rolls on a lower oven rack and keep your eye on them, any pan is great.
- Yeast: Platinum Yeast from Red Star is an instant yeast. You can use Red Star Yeast active dry yeast instead. Rise times will be slightly longer using active dry yeast. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour. All-purpose flour is convenient for most, but bread flour produces chewier dinner rolls. The rolls are still soft and fluffy no matter which you use. Either flour is fine and there are no other changes to the recipe if you use one or the other.
Adapted from Homemade Bread Bowls and Honey Butter Rolls
Reader Comments and Reviews
My go-to dinner roll recipe. Easily doubled. Not too sweet, fluffy and delicious. Freeze well too.
If I double this recipe does the yeast also need to be doubled? Thanks!
Hi Christine! For absolute best results, we recommend making two batches instead of doubling.
These are the best rolls and Sally came through once again!!! Made a testing batch tonight before Thanksgiving and OMG!!!
I made it exactly by hand and the dough itself was very sticky drove me insane had to more flour to work with it
Hi Jane! There are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity in the air. There’s nothing wrong with adding just a little more flour to bring the dough into a less sticky and knead-able consistency.
Can I leave them in the fridge for 24hrs?!
Hi Jessica! We recommend sticking with an overnight rise (up to about 15 hours). If the rolls rise too long they may collapse when baked.
This must be the 4th or 5th yeast roll recipe I have attempted, and it was the FIRST time I was able to achieve light, fluffy, airy rolls! They are perfection! I will be making 2 or 3 batches on thanksgiving!
I do wonder if adding another tablespoon or 2 of sugar to the dough would be ok? We tend to like bread on the sweeter side. Nevertheless, this recipe is a keeper!
Hi Rebecca, that shouldn’t be an issue. Happy baking!
You have THE BEST recipes!!! This is yet another one that had everyone in my family swooning. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and gifts with us! I am a busy mom (well, what mom isn’t?) and I work outside of the home. It’s so great to follow your well-written recipes and make lovely homemade baked goods for me and my family to enjoy even though I am busy. I always share your recipes on social media when I bake them so that more people can get in on the goodness. THANK YOU!
Tested this recipe out last week in prep for Thanksgiving and it was fantastic! The rolls were delicious and soft all week. I’m making them the day before Thanksgiving and then reheating in the oven for about 10 min with some other sides while my turkey is resting.
Delicious even after I totally forgot to add the butter and had to put it back in the bowl and re-knead. I guess I got lucky that I didn’t totally mess them up.
I went with the second rise the next day avenue and it worked out great. I wish I could share a picture – they’re beautiful (even if I say so myself)! Maybe next time, when I add the butter at the beginning, they’ll be even better!
Thanks for the recipe and tips along the way; great job!
I love making these rolls but now I’ve moved to an area of high elevation, 3,500 feet, so I’m wondering what changes I would need to make?
Hi Linda, We wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. We know some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html .
I LOVE this recipe. This is literally the 1st time I’ve ever pulled off light and fluffy dinner rolls. I didn’t have whole milk so I used 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup water at 110 degrees. Otherwise, I followed the instructions exactly and they turned out perfect.
Can I bake these a day or two before serving and re-warm, or will they get hard & dry? Oven space is at a premium on Thanksgiving.
Hi Kayde, you can! Cover the rolls tightly and store at room temperature if you’re making them a day or two before serving.
What is the nutritional information ?
Hi Kristine, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I’ve made these a few times (and many other recipes from you!!) and they are fantastic! I’m wondering your thoughts on using a bread maker to make the dough rather than by hand? Would it make a difference? Thank you so much!
Hi! You could absolutely try a bread maker for this recipe– some readers have and reported back success! I do not have one so none of my recipes call for one.
These dinner rolls were delicious!
First time making them and was not disappointed!
I ate 3 after applying butter and honey they won’t last long
Making more for Thanksgiving!
Sally,
What can you tell me to help with this recipe? Asking because I am at 8,450 feet above sea level, in beautiful Colorado. My first attempts required 35 minutes of so to get a golden brown top, so insides were dry and crumbly. I’m using my new Cafe’ oven, and have tested it with multiple thermometers, and it is always within 5 degrees of the setting. I did not modify the recipe, and was careful, butter was 67, milk 115.5. I used my Kitchenaid mixer with a hook. Fleishmann’s Active Dry Yeast.
Hi Rick, we wish we could help, but have we no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html Hope this helps!
Do you happen to know if I can use Lactaid milk in these rolls?? They look amazing, thank you!
Hi Mallory, we haven’t tried it ourselves, but let us know if you do!
I made these yesterday to test it for Thanksgiving. They were delicious and perfect!! When they came out if the oven, I rubbed some stick butter on top instead of the honey butter – perfection! If I were going to make smaller rolls to have more for Thanksgiving, would I need to adjust the baking time? I’ll still be making them in a 13×9 glass baking dish. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes!
Hi Emily, the bake time should be about the same, maybe a minute or two less. Keep a close eye on them. So glad they were a hit!
These sound amazing! I’m planning on making this for a friendsgiving, but I have a 3 hour car ride, any tips on how to keep these warm on the way? or perhaps how to reheat them when i get to my destination?
Hi Brandice, when you arrive, you can lightly cover the pan of rolls and reheat in a 300°F (149°C) oven for about 10 minutes or until warm. Hope they’re a hit!
What type of yeast is this? Active, Instant, or quick rise?
Thanks!
Hi Leah, Red Star Platinum yeast is an instant yeast – see recipe notes for details. Happy baking!
Hi Sally! These rolls are amazing, of course. You are the baking queen! I was curious to know if the rolls should be wrapped up while still warm or to wait until cooled completely if I am making them for a friend? Thanks!
Hi Melissa, we’re so glad to hear you enjoy these rolls! We’d usually wait to wrap them up, unless you’re using foil and plan to deliver them warm. Really either works!
Hi, made these last night but they got a little hard on the bottom is there a way to fix that? Also I have red star yeast but not platinum , would that be ok to use?
My dough came out too wet. I had to add about 6 tablespoons to the dough to make it come together, and it was still very loose and wet. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Hi Rebekah! There are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity in the air. There’s nothing wrong with adding just a little more flour to bring the dough into a less sticky and knead-able consistency.
What is the calories on 1 roll, I want to bake these and make sure I’m on my macro ☺️
Hi Melanie! We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I tried this recipe 3 times today and every time they came out wrong. They are not big fluffy rolls like yours look to be. I’m following the recipe to the T and cannot for the life of me figure out where I’m going wrong??? I make cinnamon rolls weekly and have never had trouble like this!
Hi McKenna, would be happy to troubleshoot with you. How did the dough rise? It’s possible the yeast wasn’t active.
Tried it the once, but will make it again!
I didn’t watch the videos, but did follow the written recipe closely. They turned out very light & fluffy, even with a slightly limited rise time. I think I ate more rolls than soup, which I regret… only slightly.
Hi!
If I will be freezing after baking, would I brush the honey/ butter mixture on after baking or after reheating?
Thanks!
Hi Emily, we’d recommend waiting to add the honey butter until you thaw and warm the rolls for eating. Hope you enjoy these!
Hello! I would love to try making these rolls, but one of our guests is allergic to egg. Is there a good substitute or can I take it out?
Thanks!
Hi Charlotte, we haven’t tried this recipe with any egg substitutes, but let us know if you do!
Charlotte, sometimes I make Sally’s sandwich dough recipe (which isn’t as rich, and no egg) and make it in to larger rolls for sandwiches. They are not quite as insanely delicious as these but they are pretty great! I would say just leave the egg out and they will be tasty.
The whole family LOVED these buns. I used oat milk and vegan butter and they were amazing!
Do you know if I can make this vegan by substituting the whole milk with almond milk and the butter with vegan butter? Having a Thanksgiving dinner and a couple of guests are vegan.
Thank you!
Hi Z, we haven’t tested those substitutions, but please let us know how it goes if you do!
My students are using your recipe to test different yeast mixtures…we used oat milk and pineapple(no sugar added). Both worked well with the recipe and were comparable to the original recipe, it was a great recipe for middle schoolers to learn from because it was so easy to follow!
I would suggest a milk with a higher fat content like oat milk. It’s more similar to whole milk
I also am curious if the recipe can easily be doubled? I made these this morning and they’re wonderful.
Hi Debi, So glad you love these dinner rolls! For the best results we don’t recommend doubling this recipe. For double the amount of rolls, make 2 separate batches.
I made this recipe today and it turned out great! Super easy too. A lot of bread recipes tend to be confusing and have a lot of steps. They did come out a hair dense. Do you have any suggestions? Was the gluten developed too much or not enough? Thank you.
Hi Juliette, too much kneading will lead to a dense tasting bread or roll because the gluten has been over-worked – or perhaps your dough didn’t rise enough before baking? You may find our Baking with Yeast Guide very helpful!
Best ever rolls, can’t wait to try garlic in them.
Will it work to double the roll recipe. We are having a large group for thanksgiving. Thanks!!
Just made after years of failure and they came out great! Wish I could post a picture. A little too big but still awesome.