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
Hi Sally! I plan to make these rolls for Thanksgiving, but will transporting them the day before. I am debating whether to freeze them, transport them the day before Thanksgiving, and then baking them on Thanksgiving. Or- baking them the day before Thanksgiving and serving them 1 day old. Which approach do you recommend to keep them the freshest?
Hi Maddy, you can really do any of these options. You can also bake them, hold off on the melted butter topping, let them cool completely, then freeze. Transport the frozen baked rolls the day before, then let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight. On the day you plan to serve them, reheat them in a 300ºF oven, covered loosely with foil, until warm, then brush them with the melted butter topping and serve. Enjoy!
I made these based on the ingredients & reviews. Sadly, my rolls turned out more like biscuits. Good to taste but not quite a roll for me.
Hi Samantha, how did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups–or use a kitchen scale. Over-kneading dough can also cause the rolls to be tough and dense. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
My dough didn’t rise. What did I do wrong? I thought I followed the instructions to the letter.
Hi Tara, did the dough not rise from the start? We’d check to make sure that your yeast is not expired and that the warm milk is not so hot that it kills the yeast. Over-kneading the dough can also prevent the dough from rising properly. Our Baking with Yeast Guide will be a helpful resource to review if you wish to try these again.
Would I be able to make this recipe with no sugar, or is some type of sugar needed?
Hi Grace, feel free to use just 2 teaspoons of sugar in step 1 and omit the rest. (So reduce down to 2 teaspoons total.) The sugar feeds the yeast, tenderizes the dough, and adds flavor.
This recipe was so easy to follow and my rolls turned out amazing!
So close to my grandmother’s roll recipe, but this one has instructions and times 🙂 Thanks for this.
Hope you enjoy these, Lori!
I tested this recipe today for Thanksgiving and it is AMAZING! I’m sure I’ll make these time and time again!
Why is my dough still wet after an additional 10 tbs of flour??
Hi Cami, is it particularly humid by you? A lot of factors go into this such as mixing time, speed, weather, yeast, and temperature of water. Feel free to add a little more flour to make a soft, yet workable dough.
Wow!! This is probably my 4th attempt with a dinner roll recipe and I finally nailed it with this one. Puffy, soft, delicious. A few notes:
– I measured exactly as described, including using a kitchen scale for the flour and butter. I ended up needing to add almost 8 tbs of flour when kneeding. I was slowly and cautiously adding more but the dough was too sticky too kneed until I added about that much. My dough never passed the windowpane test . But the finished rolls feel/look/and taste restaurant quality so I think it was all good.
– I baked half the batch in a glass pan and half in metal. I felt the glass was best for an even bake without browning too quickly.
Thanks for a great recipe!
This came out delicious. Do you have the nutrition facts on this?
Hi Kat, 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 only have 2% milk here at home. Will it still work well?
Hi RJ, 2% will work in a pinch.
Hi! I felt like my dough coming out of the mixer was very sticky. Ended up adding maybe 4 tablespoons of flour to make it manageable (subsequently felt like it ended up being in the mixer a long time. Def more than what you recommended). Is that ok or a signal that I might have done something wrong? I followed th measurements closely and used a scale!
I would like to make rolls shaped like pumpkins with baking twine. I’ve done it with a recipe that had pumpkin in it, but will it work with this recipe?
I live at 6000 feet elevation, should I make an adjustment?
Hi Broc, we wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
This recipe sounds great! I plan to make it for a dinner party this weekend. For the overnight instructions, is it okay to have the unbaked rolls (starting at step 6) sit in the fridge for longer than 15 hours?
Hi Katie, we recommend sticking with no more than 15 hours. If the rolls rise too long they may collapse when baked.
This is my first time making dinner rolls and they came out perfect. Easy recipe to follow with simple ingredients. I will be making them again but adding herbs & spices. Thank you for the recipe!
If I wanted to double this recipe, do I need to change anything besides doubling the ingredients? Excited to try it!!
Hi Raina! We recommend making two separate batches for best results.
I’ve doubled it multiple times with good success. I just double the ingredients and use a larger pot
Do you mind sharing what flour you use for the soft dinner rolls? I typically use King Arthur but wonder if it will make super soft rolls?
Hi Gennie, we usually use King Arthur brand flour as well.
My first time making rolls and they turned out GREAT! The recipe was very easy to follow and the extra instructions about kneading the dough helped so much! I took them to a Friendsgiving and they were a hit. Definitely making them again!
Easy to make but not sure what I did wrong, they had more of a biscuit texture.
I am in charge of making 36 dinner rolls for Thanksgiving this year. Your recipes are my go-to, but we’ll have a 3.5 hr drive and will get there Thanksgiving day, right about dinner time. I don’t think there will be any oven space or time to bake when we’re there. Any suggestions on how to bake ahead, keep warm and/or reheat when we get there? Or other suggestions? I’d like to make them in advance and just reheat them, but I don’t know if they will be any good.
Hi Courtney, happy to help. I recommend baking at home, holding off on the honey butter topping, and letting the rolls cool completely, uncovered. When you get to your destination, reheat the rolls in a warm oven (about 10 minutes at 300ºF), covered loosely with foil. Once they’re warm, brush with the honey butter topping and serve. Happy Thanksgiving!
When you say let them cool completely, do the rolls need to come out of the pan to cool on a rack, or do you leave them in the pan? If they need to get onto a rack, how do you recommend doing this? Thank you!
Hi Courtney, you can leave them in the pan.
I love this recipe! I just started baking from scratch and this recipe turned out perfectly. I made a braid roll and cooked them for 22 mins at altitude and they turned out fluffy and golden. I added cinnamon to my honey butter mixer for some extra flavor. I will be absolutely making these again!!!
Can I double or triple the dough recipe at one time or is it better to make separate batches?
Hi Sammy! It is best to make separate batches for best results.
Love this rolls a lot!
Just wondering if I can add mini chocolate chips, like a brioche?
Trying this now, but i used evaporated milk..? will it still work?
Hi Kyn, That will likely be too heavy for this dough. Best to stick with whole milk if possible!
Can I make clover rolls with this recipe?
Hi Peter, we haven’t tested it, but other bakers have reported success using this recipe for cloverleaf rolls. Let us know if you give it a try!
Um, I forgot the egg. Not sure where my head was. Should I trash it and start over again?
The egg provides both structure and flavor. Unfortunately, we’re not sure it will turn out properly without it.
can I use Lactose free milk?
Hi Sally, A nondairy milk should work, though the rolls may be *slightly* less soft and fluffy.
It was a blast and pretty easy to follow as a beginner however I’ve got a question I couldn’t get a soft top it was a bit crunchy and hard.
Hi Luna, it sounds like your dough may be over kneaded, causing the outsides to become hard and tough. You can try slightly decreasing your knead time, just until the dough slowly bounces back when poked with a finger. Be sure to also spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to measure your flour to ensure it isn’t over measured. Too much flour can cause the rolls to become dry. Thank you for giving these a try.
Hi. Nit sure what I did wrong but I followed the notes for overnight proofing. My bread turned outnvety alcoholic in taste
Hi Nikkk, did you over measure your yeast by chance? Using too much yeast can often cause bread to take on an alcohol taste/smell.
Why do you do the process of activating the yeast if it’s instant yeast?
Hi Karleena, this helps ensure the yeast is activated and not expired or dead, before proceeding with the other ingredients.
Can I use buttermilk instead ? Dont have whole milk. Thanks!
Hi Lexie, yes, you can use buttermilk in place of the whole milk, with no changes to the recipe. Enjoy!
EASY TO FOLLOW RECIPE FOR A FOR A BEGINNER PLAYING WITH YEAST YUM!
However, using the same glass 13×9 and putting them on the bottom rack, gave me golden brown tops and burned bottoms unfortunately…