This is my way of making fluffy, light and buttery dinner rolls. My recipe is EASY and quick to prep, and the rolls turn out absolutely beautiful.
This is how I make my homemade dinner rolls – with an easy dough that’s quick to put together, and with the perfect result!
The dough is very soft, just like when making Cinnamon Rolls – this makes the rolls turn out wonderfully soft and fluffy, and you can either brush them with regular butter or with garlic butter after baking for a more savory variety.
These are best eaten warm slathered in butter (or Honey Butter!), but they keep for a day in case you have leftovers. We make them for every holiday – Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, you name it! They are perfect to make sliders with, too.
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Yeast: If using organic yeast, the dough may need more time to rise. Instant yeast can be used in place of the active yeast, the dough will rise faster.
- Milk: I prefer whole milk, but any milk can be used.
- Sugar: The sugar helps the yeast to grow and helps with the soft texture of the rolls, it doesn’t make the rolls overly sweet. You can reduce it to 1 tablespoon if you’re concerned about too much sweetness.
- Flour: I have made these with 2 cups whole wheat flour and 2 cups white flour before, they are a little denser and need a bit longer to rise. But they’re still very soft and fluffy! I don’t know if they work with gluten free flour, but if you try, please let me know!
- Egg: If you can’t have eggs or don’t have any on hand, you can instead brush the rolls with half-and-half or with milk. They will not get as shiny or browned, but they’ll still be perfectly pretty and delicious.
How to make homemade dinner rolls – step by step
First, you’ll need to “bloom” the yeast. Just stir it into warm water and leave it until bubbles appear. Do NOT use hot water, it should be just lukewarm, or the yeast will die (1).
While the yeast sits, combine the milk, melted butter and sugar. Once the yeast is bubbly, add it to the milk mixture and combine well (2).
Add this yeast mixture to 4 cups of flour, add salt (3) and then knead the dough until it’s soft and very pliable (4). Let the dough sit under a clean tea towel in a warm spot until it has doubled in size (5).
Once the dough is ready, punch it down (6) divide it into 12 equal pieces (7) and shape each into a roll. Place in a 9×13 inch dish (8) and let rise until puffy, then brush with egg wash (9) and bake. I like to brush these with melted butter right as they come out of the oven for some extra decadence (10).
Just don’t burn your fingers when you try to pull a still-too-hot roll from the dish (been there, done that – too many times to count!).
Recipe tips
- Water temperature: Make sure the water you use doesn’t exceed 115°F. Otherwise it will kill off the yeast and your dough will not rise. Also, there’s no need to heat up the milk.
- Flour amount: Make sure to measure your flour correctly (spoon it into a measuring cup until heaping full, then level with a knife). If you add too much flour, your rolls will not turn out soft/fluffy but crumbly like a biscuit.
- Kneading: Knead the dough long enough. It’s hard to overwork yeast dough, so don’t worry about that. With yeast doughs, under-kneading is generally worse than kneading for a little bit too long. It should feel smooth and elastic, and you should be able to pull it a little without it tearing.
- Shaping the rolls: I pinch the dough at the bottom and then roll it in the hollow of my hand on the countertop. Watch the video to see how I shape my rolls to make them look nicely rounded.
- Baking: Make sure to not undertake the rolls, or they’ll sink back and turn out dense. The internal temperature of bread should be around 200°F, so if you have a kitchen thermometer you can check that way.
Freezer instructions
To make these rolls ahead and freeze, I like to freeze the dough, not the baked rolls (they taste much better that way).
- knead the dough as directed in the recipe, then let it rest for just 15 minutes.
- shape into rolls and freeze spaced apart on a lined baking sheet for a couple of hours. Once solid, transfer them to a freezer bag and label with the name and use-by date (use within 3 months) before placing in the freezer.
- to bake, place the rolls in a greased 9×11 pan and let them thaw and rise for 4-6 hours (depends a lot on your altitude and room temperature). Then egg wash and bake as directed!
More homemade bread recipes
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Easy Homemade Dinner Rolls
Recipe details
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- 9×11 Inch Baking Dish
Ingredients
For the rolls:
- 1 envelope active dried yeast see notes below!
- ½ cup water about room temperature warm, see notes
- 1 cup milk whole milk or 2% preferred
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose flour or more if needed; spooned and levelled! (too much flour will yield a dense, biscuit-like texture)
- ½ tablespoon salt
For brushing:
- 1 egg for egg wash
- melted butter to brush on the hot rolls
Instructions
- Activate yeast and combine liquid ingredients:Whisk the yeast into the warm water in a small bowl and set aside until bubbles start to appear on the surface. In the meantime, whisk together the milk, melted butter and sugar. Add the activated yeast mixture and whisk until combined.
- Make dough:Add the flour and salt to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Add the milk mixture, then knead on medium-low speed for 5-6 minutes, or until you have a smooth ball of dough. Add an extra tablespoon of flour if your dough feels too sticky!
- Rise:Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Punch down, then divide dough into 12 equal pieces; shape into balls. Place in greased 9×11 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise at room temperature until big and puffed up, about 20-30 minutes.
- Bake:Heat the oven to 375°F. Beat the egg and egg wash the top of the rolls (you will most likely not use the entire egg; don't add too much or you'll have scrambled eggs on top of your rolls). Bake for around 20 minutes or until done. Brush with additional melted butter right as they come out of the oven, if you like. Remove from the pan and serve warm.
Notes
Ingredient Notes:
Yeast: If using organic yeast, the dough may need more time to rise. Instant yeast can be used in place of the active yeast, the dough will rise faster. If you’re concerned about your yeast not activating, stir the 2 tablespoons of sugar into the water and yeast mixture to move things along. Sugar: The sugar helps the yeast to grow and helps with the soft texture of the rolls, it doesn’t make the rolls overly sweet. You can reduce it to 1 tablespoon if you’re concerned about too much sweetness. Flour: I have made these with 2 cups whole wheat flour and 2 cups white flour before, they are a little denser and need a bit longer to rise. But they’re still very soft and fluffy! Egg: If you can’t have eggs or don’t have any on hand, you can instead brush the rolls with half-and-half or with milk. They will not get as shiny or browned, but they’ll still be perfectly pretty and delicious.Baking Tips:
Water temperature: Make sure the water you use doesn’t exceed 115°F. Otherwise it will kill off the yeast and your dough will not rise. Also, there’s no need to heat up the milk. Flour amount: Make sure to measure your flour correctly (spoon it into a measuring cup until heaping full, then level with a knife). If you add too much flour, your rolls will not turn out soft/fluffy but crumbly like a biscuit. Kneading: Knead the dough long enough. It’s hard to overwork yeast dough, so don’t worry about that. With yeast doughs, under-kneading is generally worse than kneading for a little bit too long. It should feel smooth and elastic, and you should be able to pull it a little without it tearing. Shaping the rolls: I pinch the dough at the bottom and then roll it in the hollow of my hand on the countertop. Watch the video to see how I shape my rolls to make them look nicely rounded. Baking: Make sure to not undertake the rolls, or they’ll sink back and turn out dense. The internal temperature of bread should be around 200°F, so if you have a kitchen thermometer you can check that way.Freezer Instructions:
To make these rolls ahead and freeze, I like to freeze the dough, not the baked rolls (they taste much better that way).- knead the dough as directed in the recipe, then let it rest for just 15 minutes.
- shape into rolls and freeze spaced apart on a lined baking sheet for a couple of hours. Once solid, transfer them to a freezer bag and label with the name and use-by date (use within 3 months) before placing in the freezer.
- to bake, place the rolls in a greased 9×11 pan and let them thaw and rise for 4-6 hours (depends a lot on your altitude and room temperature). Then egg wash and bake as directed!
Manon says
Oops, forgot to add the rating in my previous post!
Nora says
Aw, thank you!!
Manon says
I love this recipe. I’ve made these twice now and they’ve come out perfectly each time. I have noticed that my red star instant dry yeast packets (not expired, stored the same way) don’t always activate properly on the first try, even with ensuring the water temperature is not too high or low – so I’ve had to re-do this step each time I made these rolls. I don’t have a stand mixer so I knead by hand, and even though the internet says 5-6 minutes electric mixer equates to 25-30 minutes hand kneading, my dough has looked ready by about 10 mins of vigorous hand kneading. I like to let the dough rise a little longer than an hour if I can for the first prove. I slice and freeze half of them and they work great as mini slider buns or little sandwich rolls. I microwave on low power to defrost and then toast them from frozen.
Nora says
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Manon! I appreciate it so much. And yes, if you’re a vigorous kneader you can definitely do it faster than in 25mins by hand. My grandma has never in her life owned a stand mixer, and it takes her 5 minutes of vigorously throwing her dough around, haha!
Pam Egert says
Super easy, super fluffy and soft. Very tasty.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Pam!
Debbie says
Fluffiest and tastiest rolls I’ve ever made! My family loves them.
Jim says
My house smells AMAZING after making these. If for no other reason, it was worth it. However, the taste is incredible, and the fluffiness just right for dinner rolls!
10 out of 10. Perfect.
Debbie says
Best homemade rolls I’ve ever made! Light, fluffy and delicious. I added garlic powder, because we love garlic rolls.
Chon says
I made these for Christmas dinner and they were yummy. I wanted an easy recipe for my first attempt at making bread and this recipe was perfect. I will use this recipe again in the future but next time I’ll top them with honey butter. thanks!
Irma Lopez says
I’m not a big fan of the kitchen
But I made this dinner rolls
And they turned out beautiful and
Delicious.
I’m so proud of my self.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Irma Lopez
From Loveland Colorado
Nora says
I’m so happy to hear this, Irma! You have every reason to be proud! Well done 🙂
Kellie S says
Would you ever whip a room temperature egg to the mixture before kneading? I’ve seen that in so many roll recipes and wondering your opinion and what it would change in the finished roll?
Nora says
Kellie, it really doesn’t do much to a dinner roll in my opinion. If you’re making a sweet, rich, enriched bread – yes! An egg is great (like for a cinnamon roll, for example). A dinner roll to me needs to be buttery and light/fluffy vs rich, so to me it doesn’t add what I’m looking for. Also, eggs tend to make rolls dry out faster and we tend to eat them over the course of 2-3 days, so I choose not to add any here. Hope this helps!
Julie says
My dough didn’t rise. I checked the temp of the water and it wasn’t too hot. What did I do wrong?
Nora says
Julie, I’m sorry to hear your dough didn’t rise! Yeast can be tricky. Some people claim you must activate the yeast with sugar, but I have never found that to be the case – though I did add a note to the recipe a while back that says it’s an option to add the 2 tbsp of sugar to the water with the yeast if you have any concerns about the yeast not acting fast enough. But here is an interesting article where you can see that even undissolved yeast works just fine.
More often than not, the yeast is simply old and needs a lot more time or is simply not strong enough anymore vs fresher dried yeast. If your yeast was close tonics expiration date, this may have been the case. Altitude is also a factor many people forget, the lower your altitude, the longer it takes to rise. I baked at very high altitude once and my dough was basically risen by the time I was done kneading, it really does make a huge difference.
Room temperature and what kind of bowl to use also affect the yeast, and so does adding too much flour by accident or if you used organic yeast. There really are a ton of factors.
If you feel like your dough rises too slowly, you can try keeping it at 90F which always helps me to get a slow dough moving. Make sure you knead it long enough vs adding more flour to make it pliable. Too much flour does hinder rising. Also keep in mind, this is an enriched dough and it needs longer to rise vs a basic bread dough. Most of the time, if your dough didn’t rise, either the yeast was too old or the dough needed more time under the specific conditions it was at your house. Hope this helps!
Teri says
Why did my butter curdle? Was I suppose to melt the butter in a pot?
Nora says
Oh, Teri, I totally get how frustrating that can be! Butter can be a bit tricky sometimes. For these dinner rolls, you’re right to think the butter needs to be melted, but it’s important to melt it gently. If the butter was melted in the microwave or on too high heat, it might have gotten too hot, which can cause it to separate or curdle when added to cooler ingredients like milk or eggs.
Next time, try melting the butter slowly in a pot over low heat or in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in between. You want it just melted, not sizzling hot. If it’s still warm, let it cool a little before mixing it into the dough ingredients. I promise, once you get the butter just right, these rolls will be so worth it! 😊
Ellen Wippich says
Can I just make the rolls ahead of time and not bake them until tomorrow? This is my first time making my own rolls. I’m very excited to see how they turn out.
Nora says
Hey Ellen,
I’m thrilled to hear you’re diving into homemade rolls for the first time—how exciting! You can absolutely prepare the dough ahead of time and bake the rolls fresh tomorrow. Here’s how you can do it:
Prepare the Dough: Follow the recipe to make the dough, kneading it until it’s soft and pliable.
First Rise: Let the dough rise until it doubles in size.
Shape the Rolls: After the first rise, punch down the dough and shape it into rolls.
Refrigerate Overnight: Place the shaped rolls in a greased baking dish, cover them tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
Second Rise: The next day, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 1.5 to 2 hours, allowing them to rise until puffy.
Bake: Once they’ve risen, brush the tops with egg wash and bake as directed in the recipe.
This method slows down the yeast activity, giving you freshly baked rolls with minimal effort on the day you plan to serve them.
Wishing you the best of luck with your baking adventure! Enjoy those warm, buttery rolls—they’re going to be a hit.
Caroline says
Are you able to store the dough in the refrigerator over night to be baked the next day? Or is it best to bake ahead of time and then store in a container?
Nora says
Of course, Caroline! You can absolutely store the dough in the refrigerator overnight—it’s such a handy trick. Just let it rise as the recipe says, then gently punch it down, cover it tightly, and pop it in the fridge. The cold slows the yeast down, so the dough will rest beautifully until you’re ready to bake the next day. When you’re ready, bring it back to room temperature, shape the rolls, let them do their final rise, and bake as usual.
If you’d rather bake ahead, that works too! Freshly baked rolls keep nicely in an airtight container for a day or two, and you can always warm them up in the oven before serving. Either way, you’ll have delicious, fluffy rolls—perfect for your table! 😊
Meg says
Can’t wait to make this recipe for thanksgiving! I plan on making 54 rolls 😅 Can you tell me how many oz or grams is in a instant package of yeast? I have a bag of yeast I’d like to use.
Nora says
Hey Meg,
If the original recipe makes 12 rolls and you’re planning on making 54, you’ll need to multiply everything by 4.5. Since a standard packet of instant yeast is about 2¼ teaspoons (or 7 grams/0.25 ounces), for 54 rolls, you’ll need 10¼ teaspoons of yeast. That’s roughly 31.5 grams or 1.125 ounces from your bag of yeast.
So excited for you—54 rolls will be a feast! Happy baking, and enjoy every moment of your Thanksgiving prep! 😊🍞
Loren says
I am excited to try this recipe for Thanksgiving! However, I am out of the country and won’t be able to get my hands on AP flour… which would be the best alternative, Self-Raising Flour or Cake Wheat Flour?
Nora says
Loren, I’m so glad you’re excited to try these for Thanksgiving! 🌟 Since you’re out of the country and can’t get AP flour, I’d say go with cake wheat flour. It’s closer in protein content to AP flour, so your rolls should still turn out soft and fluffy. Just make sure you’re using yeast as in the recipe since cake wheat flour doesn’t have the added leavening that self-raising flour does.
If you only have self-raising flour, you could try it, but you’d need to adjust the salt and yeast carefully so it doesn’t mess with the balance. Honestly, though, cake wheat flour is your best bet. I hope this helps, and I can’t wait to hear how your rolls turn out—it’s like we’re baking together from miles away! 🥖💛
Mikayla says
Hi! I am planning to make this recipe for thanksgiving! I do not have a hand mixer, do you think simply by hand can get the job done?
Nora says
Mikayla, absolutely! You can totally mix these by hand—it’s just a little extra arm workout, but hey, that’s what Thanksgiving prep is all about, right? 😊 Just make sure to give the dough a good knead until it’s smooth and elastic. It might take a bit longer than with a hand mixer, but it’s super satisfying, and those rolls will still turn out soft and amazing. You’ve got this, my friend—your Thanksgiving table is going to smell heavenly! 🧡
Katie Z says
Hi, I’d like to prep the dough the day before and then bake on thanksgiving day. At what point in the recipe should I stop and refrigerate over night? Any suggestions on refrigerating and then baking are appreciated. Thanks!
Nora says
Great to hear you’re planning to make the dinner rolls for Thanksgiving, Katie! To prep the dough a day ahead, follow the recipe up to shaping the rolls. Either refrigerate the entire dough, or to save even more time on Thanksgiving, shape the rolls and place in the baking dish. After you’ve shaped them, place the rolls in your baking dish, cover them tightly with plastic wrap, and pop them in the fridge overnight.
On Thanksgiving Day, take the rolls out about 1-2 hours before baking to let them come to room temperature and rise until puffy. Then, proceed with the egg wash and baking as directed. If you refrigerated the entire dough, let it come to room temp, then shape the rolls and let them do the second rise. Bake as directed in the recipe.
This way, you’ll have fresh, warm rolls with minimal effort on the big day. Enjoy your Thanksgiving feast!
Karrie says
Is it fine to double this recipe to make more rolls? I need more than 12 and would like to be able to make them all at the same time.
Nora says
Karrie, absolutely, you can double the recipe! It works just fine and is a great idea if you need more rolls. Just make sure you have a big enough bowl for the dough to knead and rise, it might need a little longer to come together as well. And when it comes to baking, you need to use two pans to make sure they have enough space to puff up beautifully.
Other than that, everything should stay the same — your kitchen is going to smell amazing with all those extra rolls baking at once! Let me know how it goes, and enjoy all the deliciousness! 🧡🍁🍴
Phyllis says
Haven’t made yet, but plan to quadruple, 2 for Thanksgiving and 2 for Christmas. Can I use bread flour?
Nora says
Hey Phyllis, I love your plan — two for Thanksgiving and two for Christmas sounds perfect! And yes, you can use bread flour for this recipe if that’s what you have. It might make the rolls a little chewier because of the higher protein content in bread flour, but they’ll still be super tasty.
If you’re looking for that extra-soft, fluffy texture, though, sticking with all-purpose flour would be ideal. Either way, they’re going to turn out amazing! Let me know how it goes — I bet everyone will love them! 🥰🍞✨
Laura Pace says
Can this be made into a loaf instead of rolls? And is there a way to make them gluten free?
Nora says
Hey Laura, great questions! You can totally try making this into a loaf instead of rolls. Just shape the dough, pop it into a greased loaf pan, and keep an eye on the baking time — it’ll probably take a bit longer than the rolls, so just bake until it’s golden and sounds hollow when tapped.
For gluten-free, it’s a bit trickier since this recipe relies on regular flour. Gluten-free bread doughs usually need a completely different flour blend and process to get the right texture. If you want to go gluten-free, I’d recommend using a recipe specifically designed for that — it’ll save you some frustration and give you much better results.
Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes if you try the loaf version — I’m curious! 🥰🍞💛
Jen says
Are these still fresh the next day? thinking of making them the day before thanksgiving. Should I skip the butter on top if we aren’t going to eat until the next day?
Nora says
Hey Jen! If you’re planning to make the dinner rolls a day ahead for Thanksgiving, they’ll still be tasty the next day. To keep them at their best, bake them fully, let them cool completely, and then store them in an airtight container at room temperature. When you’re ready to serve, reheat them in a 325°F (160°C) oven for about 15-20 minutes until they’re warm. As for the butter on top, it’s best to skip it when baking if you’re not eating them right away. Instead, brush the melted butter on just before serving after reheating. This way, they’ll have that fresh, buttery finish everyone loves. Enjoy your Thanksgiving prep!
Brittany says
I was also looking at making them the day before, but I was wondering if I should make the dough and refrigerate it, then bake the next day or would it be better to bake them first and reheat?
Nora says
Brittany, great question! For these dinner rolls, I’d say making the dough the day before and refrigerating it is probably your best bet if you want them super fresh. Either refrigerate the dough, or shape them and pop them in the baking pan, and cover them tightly before refrigerating. Then, the next day, let the dough or the rolls come to room temp and continue with the recipe from there. That way, they’ll have that freshly-baked magic!
If you’re pressed for time, baking them the day before and reheating works too—just keep them covered when reheating to keep them soft. But really, there’s something so delightful about the smell of freshly-baked rolls filling the house, don’t you think? 💛 Let me know what you decide—I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Molly says
Easy to follow recipe for my first time making these rolls. Very tasty rolls enjoyed by everyone at dinner party!
Colleen says
What temperature should the water be? Thanks!
Nora says
Hey Colleen, great question! For this recipe, the water should be warm but not too hot — ideally around 95–100°F. If it’s any hotter, it can actually kill the yeast, so a safe range is where it feels just barely warm to the touch, not hot. If you’re unsure, you can always use a thermometer to double-check.
Let me know how the rolls turn out — I’m sure they’re going to be delicious! 🥰🍞✨