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?
Iโm 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. ๐
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 youโre 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.ย This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110ยฐF (43ยฐC)
- 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:ย 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 youโre 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 fingerโif it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a โwindowpane testโ 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 itโs 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 itโ doesnโt 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:ย 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 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). (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 300ยฐF (149ยฐC) 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):ย Electric Stand Mixer or Glass Mixing Bowl and Wooden Spoon /ย Spatula | 9×13-inch Glass Baking Pan | Bench Scraper | Pastry Brush
- Baking Pan: I prefer baking the rolls in a glass 9ร13 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
Thank you for this recipe. I love to bake and this is an amazing dinner roll recipe, incredibly fluffy and soft. I would have a picture to post but didn’t have a chance as they were devoured at our latest family function.
dear Sally, My name is Kim Martin .What kind of measuring cups do you use liquids glass?
Hi Kim! Yes, we use glass measuring cups for liquids. You can read more about measuring baking ingredients in this post.
Hello! Would I need to alter anything if I want to make bigger rolls..for sandwiches? – Thank you!`
Hi Leny, these will make very light and fluffy sandwich buns and we fear they wouldnโt support meats/cheeses very well. Though you can still certainly try it. You may want to try our bread bowls dough instead. Weโre unsure exactly how many either recipe would make, so let us know if you try it!
I have struggled my entire life with yeast breads. I do not exaggerate one bit. But I am making a nice Sunday dinner, and I really wanted to try again. I happened upon this recipe. I watched the tutorial videos and read the recipe over and over until I was comfortable. I made them, and they turned out beautifully! I am sitting here in literal tears, because I have finally made something to be proud of. In the past, my rolls have been tough or dense or they wouldnโt rise or they were hard as rocks. The rolls I made today, I am so proud of. Thank you Sally so much
Came out perfect! I used a room temp egg, not sure if that was right or a cold egg would have been better. While the baked rolls came out excellent, I thought the dough was a bit wet when I set it to ferment. Would love to know the right temp egg to use for next time.
Hi Pamela, we usually use a room-temperature egg here. We can add that to the recipe post, thanks for the suggestion! Glad they came out perfect!
I just wanted to comment and expresses my appreciation for these recipes:) I have been using your recipes since i was a kid and they always turn out perfect!
Currently making these buns and theyโre always amazing.
Just wanted to say thank you for the amazing recipes
This is such a sweet comment! Thank you, Karris!
Question: what is purpose of dividing sugar? I accidentally put both tablespoons in at the beginning with the yeast. How does it impact it?
Hi Megan, a small amount of sugar (usually with warm liquid) is used to “proof” or activate the yeast. This provides an immediate, easily digestible food source that wakes up the yeast and proves it is alive and active. While sugar feeds the yeast, residual sugar (sugar not eaten by yeast) helps create a tender, soft crumb and promotes a golden-brown crust through caramelization and the Maillard reaction. If all the sugar is added to the yeast at once in a large amount, it can pull water away from the yeast, causing dehydration and slowing down or inhibiting fermentation. Dividing the sugar allows the yeast to start working without being overwhelmed by high osmotic pressure. All that aside, in a recipe like this with only a small amount of sugar, it probably won’t make a huge difference and your rolls will turn out just fine. ๐
Does anyone know of a vegan substitute for whole milk? Dairy allergy here. When a recipe calls for simply milk , almond milk always works for me but I’m guessing it won’t to replace whole milk because of the fat content. I have used Country Crock heavy cream with no issues, maybe a diluted version of this? Any recommendations are appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Robin, you can use almond milk here in a pinch. Hope you enjoy the rolls!
Can I use self rising flour?
Or does it have to be all purpose? I really want to try this recipe they look so delicious.
Thanks
Hi Sandy, We donโt recommend using self rising flour in this recipe. It would take additional recipe testing to ensure accurate results
Another perfect recipe. So easy. Excellent flavor and texture. Freezes really well.
I donโt have whole milk, just 2%,
Heavy cream, or buttermilk. Can I sub the whole milk for any of those?
Hi Loo, 2% will work in a pinch.
Iโm an aspiring Bread Person and this week I made these rolls and your recipe for garlic knots. Both turned out exactly as expected – when I saw the structure inside these I actually couldnโt believe I made them! Always appreciate the level of detail in your recipes and will come to your site first anytime I am looking to try something new. Thank you! My husband and toddler both loved these as well.
Can I substitute some wheat flour mixed with the bread flour?I don’t want whole wheat rolls, and wondered if 1/2 – 1 C wheat flour would influence the rise or density.
Hi Kristin! You could replace 1 cup of the regular flour in this recipe with whole wheat flour, but expect the rolls to taste a little heavy.
Easy to make baked up nice and fluffy. Definitely will make these again!
Hello! Why is this recipe with 3 cups flour, but the sweet potato rolls call for 5 cups of flour?
Thanks!
Hi Heather, the addition of the sweet potato in the sweet potato dinner rolls makes the dough composition a bit different from these traditional dinner rolls and requires more flour. You can learn more about the unique role that sweet potatoes play in creating the dough in the sweet potato rolls post. Hope this helps!
Can I use this recipe to make hot dog buns?
Hi Matt! These will make very light and fluffy hamburger or hot dog buns and we fear they wouldnโt support the meat very well. Though you can still certainly try it. You may want to try our bread bowls dough instead. Weโre unsure exactly how many either recipe would make, so let us know if you try it!
Another winner from SBA. Honestly, I come here first when looking for recipes. Made exactly as directed. Not a big bread eater, so no idea how they taste but they look amazing and my family thought the taste was great.
These rolls are awesome. During these stressful times, I’ve made them at least four times. We’ve been using them for sliders, breakfast sandwiches and such. They freeze well and require about 15 seconds in the microwave to reheat them. I am also getting so much better at the process of making them. That includes not making a big mess and using a multiple bowls. I try to clean as I go. I’ve also been using a scale for measuring to achieve better results. Recently, I’ve made the basic scones and M&M bars. All have been excellent recipes.
Our favorite dinner rolls! Delicious!
If I want to make these rolls into mini sliders
How many would this recipe make and how long to bake, thanks
Hi Cheryl! You can definitely shape them smaller, the bake time will be shorter.
I made these soft dinner rolls recipe 2x this weekend. The 1st batch went quickly, my husband requested them again. Delicious!
I made these rolls using a bread making machine. Didn’t change any of the ingredients or amounts but followed the usual bread making machine rules of putting the liquids in first, finally the flour and yeast in a hollow made in the flour. Set the dough function (1.5 hours) then let it rise for another 40 minutes after the program finished. Baked in the oven at 180 C for 20 – 25 mins……They turned out excellent.
i’ve made your dinner rolls , they turned out so good only recipe i will use from now on…..thank you
Thank you for giving these rolls a try, Robbin! So glad they were a hit.
these turned out perfect! definitely my go-to dinner roll recipe now. I used them for sliders and they were perfect ๐
So tender and delicious! This recipe will be a keeper.
What adjustment can I make to bake these in a ninja toaster oven/ air fryer in a metal pan?
Hi Dena, we have not tested baking these rolls in an air fryer. Let us know if you do!
can i use “best for bread flour” in this recipe? I don’t have All Purpose.
Hi Janel! That’s a wheat flour, correct? For a whole wheat version, we recommend using this recipe for whole wheat dinner rolls.
Could you substitute coconut milk for whole milk?
That should be fine, Robin!
Absolutely loved how these turned out and theyโve been requested at every family gathering! If Iโm trying to make them a bit bigger for sandwiches (approx. 8-10 per batch), do you have tips for gauging the bake time?
Hi Mik, these will make very light and fluffy sandwich buns and we fear they wouldnโt support meats/cheeses very well. Though you can still certainly try it. You may want to try our bread bowls dough instead. Weโre unsure exactly how many either recipe would make, so let us know if you try it!
We only had bread flour on hand and made them- 4 minutes of KitchenAid kneading was enough, though. They were definitely firm enough to be slider buns, but still came out with a really lovely crumb. The batch made 12 nice sized buns, we used a muffin tin to encourage shaping. Rise 1 was done in 1 hour set to 84F in the electric proofing box (countertop is difficult in Michigan this time of year), rise 2 45 minutes. The proofing box recommended the temp. I’d had a chuck roast in the sous vide at 140F for 36 hours for chopped steak sandwiches. Fantastic. And thrifty!
We’re going to try again for the super-soft with AP flour, but will definitely continue making the “bun” version as well.
I was around to assist, but my husband (brand-new baker) was mostly at the wheel and thought the instructions were wonderfully clear. I’ve gone ahead and ordered the book.
If I double the recipe is it the same cooking time for 2 pans?
Hi Jamie, for the best results, we recommend making separate batches rather than doubling.