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. 🙂
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, 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, which is also a rich dough. (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.
- 100% Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
- Brown Butter Sage Dinner Rolls
- Honey Butter Rolls
- Multigrain Rolls – Here is my Multigrain Bread recipe that you can turn into rolls.
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, 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.
See Your Dinner Rolls!
Many readers have made this recipe! Feel free to email or share your recipe photos on social media. 🙂
PrintSoft 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.
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 (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 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 | Glass Mixing Bowl and Wooden Spoon or 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
Can I use 1% milk? Never buy whole milk.
Hi Michelle, The rolls will be slightly less soft, but 1% milk will work.
I am on the ‘first rise’ right now. The dough didn’t rise at all, followed all the instructions including using the same yeast brand. Is there a way to save these rolls?
Super excited to see how they turn out, thanks for putting this recipe together!
Made these a couple years ago for my family and they’re a major hit!! My go to roll recipe for all the special occasions – my family can’t get enough. They’re so delicious I have to make a double batch each time!
I love to bake in snowy weather. Tried this recipe for the first time. Wow they turned out great. Will differently make again. Thank you
I am a seasoned home baker who first tried this recipe shortly after Sally posted it. I have made many dinner roll recipes over the years, and this is the one, my go-to… It is perfection, I have made it at least 50 times over the years, and have also used it to make sandwich loaves (this makes lovely french toast) as well as sweet/cinnamon rolls. This is a perfect recipe when you’re looking for bread that is soft, delicious, and rich… without being quite as rich as say, brioche buns. Following are my observations and some very slight changes I’ve made to suit our tastes.
First, this is a very slack dough which always requires an extra 2 – 3 tablespoons of flour in my kitchen. I do not follow directions exactly.. instead of starting with part of the flour and making a batter, I just dump everything in, always ending with flour and salt on top (because I fear salt directly touching yeast), and go from there. After a minute or two of mixing, I see that the dough is sticking to the bowl way up the sides of the bowl. At this point I start adding additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, watching to see when the sticky-ness lowers itself to the bottom and barely up the sides of the bowl. Occasionally I need to add up to 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of additional flour to reach the level of slackness that I want.
I’m North American and am well aware of our national taste for everything sweet. One reason I started making our own breads years ago is that we prefer less sweet breads (like Italian and French).. so I reduce the sugar in this recipe by half with no problems in the rise or the taste. We like it that way but some may disagree.
I also use bread flour to give the rolls a little more structure and chew.
Made this way, this recipe yields rolls that are PERFECT for what I call twice baked sliders… That is, the rolls were baked, cooled, then the whole thing cut in half before being filled. After that, the top(s) are replaced and the whole thing is brushed in seasoned melted butter (usually with garlic and herbs.) Then the pan is covered, baked for about 10 minutes, then un-covered and baked another 10 -12 minutes. This maked PERFECT, toasty, usually cheesy little sliders. They are some of my family’s favorite dinners next to a big salad. Tonight, shredded chicken and a cheesy, spinach & artichoke filling are going in our sliders.
Thanks Sally and Team!!
I absolutely love the texture of these and they came out perfect – my husband and I just wanted them a bit sweeter. Can I add honey to this dough, vs making the honey butter rolls on your site? Thanks! Love all your recipes so much!
Hi Abbie, yes, you can add a little honey to this dough. (Such as 2-3 Tbsp.) You may need a little extra flour to bring the dough together, or use more when kneading or shaping the dough.
Hi ! Have you tried letting the second rise take place in the refrigerator overnight?
Hi Di, see recipe Notes for details on how to prepare the shaped rolls for overnight — “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.” Hope this helps!
These rolls are so good. I’ve made them twice now. The first time as written for Thanksgiving. The second time, I multiplied the recipe by 1.5 and replaced a cup of all purpose flour with whole wheat flour. Then, I used them for runzas. My runzas are even more delicious now! Thank you for a great recipe!
Made the garlic and herb version over the weekend for a belated Thanksgiving dinner and they turned out beautifully! Recipe was so easy to follow. I don’t have a stand mixer but my handheld came with dough hooks and they worked like a charm. Will try the cheddar variation (along with some garlic and chives) later this month to pair with soups.
I made this today and it came out perfect!!! Thank you for sharing
How do you get the rolls to brown so nicely? I will try the rolls again. They were fun to make and tasted pretty good but never browned like the photo. I used bread flour.
Hi Dana! How brown they get will depend on your oven and the position of the rolls in the oven. You can try moving them towards the heat source for more browning.
Love these rolls! Tonight I’m going to try the overnight method for the first time. Tomorrow do I remove them 3 hours before to come to room temp and then allow an additional 1-2 hours to rise? Or do I just leave them loosely covered on the counter for 3 hours before baking?
Hi Gemma! Remove the rolls from the refrigerator, keep covered, and allow to rise on the counter for about 1-2 hours (total) before baking.
I made these yesterday and I blew it. The dough worked up beautifully by hand, dough felt fantastic when kneading and the initial mixing by hand was not hard at all. It doubled in 2 hours and the dough was gorgeous. That’s when I ruined them because I should have refreshed myself with your video on the punching down and shaping. I’m still new at yeast dough and I think I was way too aggressive. Instead of shaping the divided dough portions by tucking under, I literally rolled them in my hand trying to get them smooth looking like the picture. I over-rolled to the point of almost totally deflating the dough. They rose to a point in the second rise but had no oven spring and were half the height they should have been. They were ugly but we still ate some of them and they were tasty. Just dense and hideous. Ha! I only baked half the rolls and will cook the rest this a.m. My trash can won’t get them but our chickens will and they’ll love every bite! Of course, I didn’t watch your simple video until the first batch was in the oven! Pretty dumb, Sue, pretty dumb!! Do you think I’m correct as to why they were flat – just pain old over handling? Thanks for the recipe. BTW my first attempt with your Easy Cinnamon Rolls was a masterpiece so I know its not the dinner roll recipe. Just me!
Hi Susan, your hunch is likely correct — over handling dough can deflate it and make the baked rolls a bit tough and dense. An easy fix for next time! Thanks so much for making and trusting our recipes.
Made these for Thanksgiving and they were a huge hit … making again right now and the dough is so much stickier – I didn’t add much extra flour in the mixer, and when I went to shape them there was no getting them smooth and round. I hope they turn out okay.
The rolls are delicious but they didn’t have the shape and we’re heather than expected, not light and fluffy. My yeast was not expired, I waited the amount of time i was meant to. All i changed was a padded baking sheet. Any tips?
Hi Erin, 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? Too much flour can also make breads dry and dense, so be sure to carefully spoon and level or use a scale to measure. You may find our Baking with Yeast Guide very helpful!
I made the bread rolls today, my first attempt ever. Followed the instructions and they were fabulous!!! I was amazed .
This recipe was perfect and a keeper. I used bread flour and 2% milk. The rolls rose nicely, were fluffy and eaten immediately. I will make them again! Thank you.
Perfect roll recipe! These are super easy to make. I’ve made them over 5 times and they always turn out perfectly. They have a nice buttery flavour without being too rich. They’re super soft and fluffy. Everyone asks me for the recipe when I bring these over for dinner. I can’t recommend this recipe enough!
I’m so sad. This is my 3rd attempt to making these rolls and I failed again! They came out hard on the inside and soft on the inside. I followed directions and none of my ingredients were expired. I didn’t have a mixer and kneaded the dough. Could that have anything to do with it?
Hello! Could the rolls have been over-baked? Here’s our helpful baking with yeast guide that can be a great resource!
These rolls are AMAZING. My whole extended family (even my grandmother, who has historically made homemade rolls for gatherings) were so impressed when I brought them to Thanksgiving. Add flakey salt on top for a special touch!
I love these rolls. My son make Thankgiving dinner and he made them. Today for Sunday Dinner i made Beef Stew and the rolls, They were so so good’ Im going to keep this Recipe
20 to 25 minute bake time is too long for a yeast roll. They came out dense, tough and overcooked. I made a second batch and reduced the bake time to 15 minutes (which is standard time for a dinner roll) and it came out perfect. Soft and pillowy.
you may had your convection fan on, in which case the bake is hotter.
I loved these! And so did my whole family. I made them for two Thanksgivings. I did change some things- I swapped the rosemary for Sage in the Garlic Herb version since my dad doesn’t like rosemary. I also brushed them in garlic butter just before and just after baking and WOW they were so good! I will be making them again for Christmas.
Questions- my dough rose REALLY fast. I got to baking them within just about 2 hours. My house wasn’t hot. Is this normal?
Should I sift the flour? I have been, just because usually I do sift flour for baking. Will there be any difference if I do not sift?
Thank you Sally and the Team!
Hi Gabby, We are so happy your whole family enjoyed these! Dough that rises too fast is usually from too much yeast or too warm of an environment. Any chance that you used more yeast or perhaps your milk was a bit too warm. The first rise usually takes between 1.5 and 2 hours and the second rise is usually around 1 hour. No need to sift the flour here!
Any pointers for making these at high altitude? Thank you
Hi Brook, 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
Easy, quick, and delicious. I did the overnight first rise and it worked like a champ. Being an authority-flouting type, I just scooped the flour out of the bin with a measuring cup instead of spooning and leveling like I was supposed to, but it came out perfect with exactly the quantities the recipe calls for. I’ve never tried the pull-apart technique before and I was concerned that there might be enough oven spring that I’d end up with a 9″x13″ piece of focaccia, but it worked exactly the way it’s supposed to. It’s a winner all around, and I’ll be making it again many times.
By the way, if you’re using a 9″x13″ pan, when the recipe says “14-16 pieces,” it means 15. Don’t know why it doesn’t just say that, but that’s the right number for this recipe and that pan. The pictures do make it clear.
Made exactly as written (with bread flour) and they were a huge hit for thanksgiving! Of course anytime you’re making bread the flour amount can vary slightly. I found the amount given in the recipe gave me a perfect dough this cold time of year, but I know I’ve had to adjust the flour slightly in warmer/humid months. Don’t be afraid to add a bit more flour if the dough is too sticky to work with. The right amount gives you a soft dough but it shouldn’t be overly sticky. I did the make-ahead version and put them in the fridge overnight once shaped. Pulled them out in the morning and let them rise on the counter for about 2.5 hours before baking and they baked up wonderfully.
I followed all of the steps but unfortunately mine came out hard, did not rise or brown, and they smelled extremely sour/sharp. The smell wafted through my house while baking. Did I let them rise for too long?
Hi Ali, If your dough both didn’t rise and smelled sour, it sounds like your yeast could have been expired.
These were perfect and looked EXACTLY like the picture. I couldn’t stop staring at them and admiring them. The honey butter is such a nice addition too. The recipe was quick and the dough was very nice and easy to work with. Thank you for this great recipe!
My tools tasted very yeasty. What did I do wrong?
Hi Justyna, When bread dough is over proofed it’s possible that when it bakes it will deflate (did this happen, too?) or it could have more of a yeasty taste. An easy fix for next time! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try.
Didn’t see the comment the first time about not doubling the recipe, then the next batch I forgot the salt, but the third batch was so fluffy and delicious! I’m glad I practiced before thanksgiving.
These rolls are amazing!! I made them for Thanksgiving dinner and loved them. This is my new favorite recipe.
Hi! Did you do window pane test on the dough? I tried for few minutes but it did not form.
Not the Melissa you’re asking, but another Melissa who has made this recipe countless times. I did do the window pane test the first few times but I know this recipe and dough like the back of my hand these days, so it’s been a while since I’ve felt the need to do it. This is a very slack (wet, soft, sticky) dough. I add 2 – 3 tablespoons of extra flour, just enough that the dough sticks to the bottom and barely up the sides of the mixer bowl. The extra flour is added in the first few minutes of kneading, then I go ahead and let the mixer do the kneading for about 5 minutes before I even bother to look at it again. By the time that’s done, I have a smooth, bouncy (it almost looks fluffy), sticky dough.. and at that point, I know it’s perfectly kneaded and gluten development has been achieved. This is my go to dinner roll recipe for holidays and any other time. They are perfect. I saw your question when I finally came to rate the recipe. Look for another comment by Melissa G. if you’d like to see my other observations and tips on this recipe after making it MANY times over the years.
Made the cheese buns for the first time after almost giving up on trying to make bread. They turned out so light, fluffy just beautiful. I’m now encouraged to try your sandwich bread. With prices so high now it is such a pleasure to be able to do this for my husband and me. Question do you let them cool in the glass pan?I took them out after about five min still very hoy and they did seem to fall a little bit. Also read about a window pain test what is that? Thank you so much will be making them for the grandkids soon.
Hi Trudy! Yes we let them cool in the glaze pan, the rolls are delicious warm as well! We don’t usually abide by the window pane test for yeasted doughs, following the instructions in our detailed recipes should be sufficient! You may find our baking with yeast guide helpful as well.
I made them for thanksgivng and they were awesome…made another batch today that are just about to go in the oven…half the dough i made cinnamon rolls with…can’t wait…
I followed the recipe exactly, adding two tablespoons of flour, and it turned out perfectly. I’ve learned over the years to not be afraid of a wetter dough. This one is “damp,” but it all works out! My family requests dinner rolls for every holiday, and I decided to try Sally’s recipe this year. It’s going to be my go-to from now on.