You only need 7 ingredients to make these yeasted honey butter rolls. Fluffy, flaky, soft, and buttery, with a dose of honeyed sweetness, these fresh rolls are in another league than anything store-bought. If you’re a bread beginner, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
These soft, flaky, golden honey butter rolls might just be my very favorite rolls to make. I mean, I love my classic dinner rolls, but with the addition of honey, both in the rolls and on top? These rolls are the bee’s knees!
One reader, Mia, commented: “What an amazing recipe! I haven’t even made bread much before. Yet this turned out so successfully. Will definitely be making it on the regular…★★★★★“
I first published this recipe in 2015, and have recently made a couple small changes to it. The recipe used to include granulated sugar, for proofing the yeast, but you can actually just use a teaspoon of honey for this! (Convenient, since you’re already using honey in the dough.) I’ve also extended the kneading time to 8–10 minutes, so they’re extra soft. If you’ve made these garlicky homemade breadsticks before, the kneading instructions are exactly the same.
This is an old-fashioned, made-with-love dinner roll recipe, with honey butter going in and on the rolls.
Ingredients You Need for This Rich Dough
Unfortunately, this dough doesn’t come with a winning lottery ticket (though we could call the honey liquid gold!). Rather, “rich” correlates with the amount of fat in the dough. Here’s the difference:
- Rich dough: The softer the bread, the more fat in the dough. For example, this dough includes whole milk, butter, and egg. Recipes like my easy cinnamon rolls, raspberry sweet rolls, pizza pull-apart rolls, and brown butter sage dinner rolls all start with a rich dough.
- Lean dough: The crustier and chewier the bread, the less fat in the dough. Recipes like chewy homemade bagels and soft pretzels, pizza dough, focaccia, and artisan bread all use a lean dough.
You need 7 ingredients total:
- Milk: Liquid activates the yeast. For the best 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.
- Honey: The honey feeds the yeast, increases its activity, and tenderizes the dough. Plus it provides that distinctive sweetness these rolls are made for!
- Egg: 1 egg provides structure and flavor, and that extra egg yolk adds richness and makes the rolls supremely soft. Don’t skip it.
- Butter: Butter in the dough promises a flavorful, soft honey butter roll. And is there anything better than slathering honey butter on top of the warm rolls?
- 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 rolls. There are no other changes to the recipe if you use bread flour. I use bread flour in my honey butter rolls because it contains more gluten than all-purpose. Extra gluten helps make finished rolls extra chewy and, um, more bread-like. Technical terms here.
Making rolls from scratch may sound intimidating and time-consuming, but most of that time is hands-off. If you’re new to baking bread, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide.
One reader, Erin, commented: “This is my go-to recipe for dinner rolls. They are delicious! I make them all the time for family gatherings and they are always a hit. Before I came across Sally’s blog, I never had the confidence to try and make bread of any kind. Because of her detailed instructions and photos, I am now fully confident in my ability to make not only rolls, but tons of other recipes as well. ★★★★★“
The 1st step is to proof your yeast, a step I take even if I’m using instant yeast. All you do is mix the yeast with the warm liquid (milk), and a little sugar (honey). Cover and let it sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy and frothy on top. This proves your yeast is active and ready to get to work:
Now you’ll add the rest of the dough ingredients. The process is really easy, and kneading is an important step.
Honey Butter Rolls: Kneading the Dough Is Key
Kneading dough is a common step in bread baking, and this particular dough definitely benefits from a long kneading step (about 8–10 minutes) to help ensure the honey butter rolls stay soft. You can knead dough with your hands or in a stand mixer. A stand mixer obviously makes the job hands-off, but if you don’t have one, kneading is a great stress reliever. 😉
The dough should feel slightly tacky, but not overly sticky. On a lightly floured work surface, using the heels of your hands, stretch and fold the dough with gentle motion. If you’d like a visual of how to knead the dough by hand, you can watch the full video tutorial in my post on how to knead dough.
Kneading the dough serves a couple purposes. First, it incorporates air into the dough, which helps keep the rolls nice and soft. It also encourages the proteins in the flour and moisture in the dough to link together, forming a strong gluten network, which is essential for retaining the gas produced by the yeast. Gluten is what makes bread deliciously chewy.
You know your kneaded dough is ready to rise when it stretches without immediately tearing. After kneading, the dough will be soft and supple, and a windowpane test is always helpful. You can poke the dough with your finger, too. If it slowly bounces back, it’s ready to rise.
After kneading, 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.
Pictured on the left below is the dough after kneading. It’s smooth and stretchy, and ready to rise. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, turn the dough to coat it in the oil, and then cover it and set it aside. It will double in size in about 1–2 hours, pictured on the right.
Shaping the Rolls
Punch down the risen dough to release the air, and then divide the dough into 15 pieces, roughly equal in size (about 2 ounces/60g each, but they don’t have to be exact!). 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.
Arrange them in a greased baking pan, loosely cover, and let the shaped rolls rise for another hour before baking.
I didn’t snap a picture of the rolls after rising, but they puff up quite a bit. Then, bake until golden brown.
Honey Butter Topping
Spreading on a sweet and creamy honey butter is the perfect finishing touch to the warm honey butter rolls. You need 2 ingredients for the honey butter topping. Can you guess what they are? LOL.
Make sure your butter is super soft, so you can easily mix it with the honey. I just use a fork to do this, but you could use an electric mixer if you’d prefer. As soon as they’re out of the oven, spread the honey butter on top of the warm rolls. (Just use a knife, or an icing spatula also works great for this.)
You’ll have extra honey butter to serve alongside the rolls.
How Are These Different?
My popular soft dinner rolls are flaky, soft, and buttery. And so are today’s honeyed version. But today’s recipe produces slightly sweeter and richer-tasting rolls, sort of like those “Hawaiian rolls” you can purchase at the store. They’re a real treat!
Whole wheat version: Try my honey whole wheat dinner rolls.
The make-ahead/overnight option detailed in the Notes below is especially helpful if you want fresh-baked honey butter rolls for a big holiday meal, such as Easter brunch or Thanksgiving dinner. Or, you know, Tuesday. 😉
PrintHoney Butter Rolls
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 15 rolls
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
You need just 7 ingredients to make these extra soft and flaky honey butter rolls. 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 (7g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 1/4 cup (85g) + 1 teaspoon honey, divided
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 and 1/2 cups (455g) bread flour (spooned & leveled)
Topping
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, very soft
- 2 Tablespoons (42g) honey
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon honey together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Loosely cover and allow to sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy and frothy on top. *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.*
- With the stand mixer running on low speed with the dough hook attachment, add the remaining honey, egg, egg yolk, melted butter, salt, and 3 cups of flour. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, then add remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Mix on low speed for 1 minute as it all combines. The dough should be thick, yet soft, and just slightly sticky. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl as it mixes. When it does, it is ready to knead. If, however, the dough is too sticky to handle, mix in more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time. Make sure you do not add too much extra flour; you want a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 8-10 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8-10 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. (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 15 pieces, roughly 2 ounces or 60g each. (Just eyeball it—doesn’t have 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: Loosely cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size and puffy, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Bake the rolls 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.
- Make the honey butter topping: While the rolls bake, mix the topping ingredients together to make a creamy honey butter. Remove the rolls from the oven when they are done and spread a generous amount of honey butter onto each warm roll. Serve with any remaining honey butter.
- Cover leftovers and keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Warm up in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes.
Notes
- Freezing Dough 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 Dough 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): Stand Mixer (or Glass Mixing Bowl with Silicone Spatula / Wooden Spoon) | 9×13-inch Glass Baking Pan, 2 9-inch Round Baking Pans, 2 9-inch Square Baking Pans, Cast Iron Skillet, or Baking Sheet | Bench Scraper
- 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 a metal pan. But as long as you bake the rolls on a lower oven rack and keep your eye on them, any pan is great. You can also bake these rolls in a large cast iron skillet, in two 9-inch round or square baking pans, or on a lined baking sheet. Bake time remains the same.
- Milk: Whole milk or even buttermilk are ideal for the best, richest flavor and texture. Keeping that in mind, feel free to substitute with a lower-fat or nondairy milk.
- 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: For extra chewy rolls, I like to use bread flour. You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour. All-purpose flour is convenient for most, but bread flour produces a chewier texture. 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.
- Can I Use Whole Wheat Flour? I don’t recommend it for this recipe, but you can replace up to 1 cup (about 120–130g) of flour with whole wheat flour. Expect a denser roll. Or try my honey whole wheat dinner rolls recipe instead.
Thank you. I was wondering the same thing about too much flour but I’ve always went strictly by recipe. I all try less next time though. I even wondered if it was because I used red star yeast before but can’t find it anymore so settled for cheap Fleischman’s active dry yeast. It was $1 for 3 packs. But I think your right about too much flour. Hope you can get a video though. I’m 51 years old and am not a baker. However my first three batches were outstanding. Gonna keep reading your recipes .they yummy.
Thank you for replying. I’ve done nothing different. Its very disappointing because my entire family loves this recipe. Thank you for it. They turned out a little dry again today! I don’t understand it. Could I be adding too much flour or something? However next time I ll try more milk. My dough is pretty wet though. Do you have a video to show the consistency of yours? Don’t wanna try another recipe because I know this one is delicious.
Too much flour could definitely be the culprit. A sticky soft dough is ideal– that means the rolls will be soft and moist. I don’t have a video for these rolls at this time, but I hope to eventually. Thank you!
Hi Sally!
Can you make these without the honey to make them less sweet? Thanks!
Hi Lily! I wouldn’t leave it all out, but you can reduce down to 1 Tablespoon.
Beautiful rolls! The first rise took 1.5 hrs in a warm oven. Then a second rise for an hour per the recipe. They smelled wonderful baking and were a hit at our family dinner tonight. There were none left over for tomorrow!
I made these for our Christmas Eve dinner tonight and they were a BIG hit!!! I am a novice bread maker and a couple of times made “quick” or 30 min roles that used yeast but did not need to rise. They were not good at all. I had decided I wasn’t going to try again. But I saw your recipe the other day and decided, ok one more try. I got bread flour and even found the platinum yeast. They were awesome!! Thanks so much!! Merry Christmas!
Took these to a Thanksgiving potluck and they were a major hit! The pan was cleaned out in no time. Everyone raved about how fluffy and soft they were. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Hi Sally!
Have made these rolls many times over the past few weeks! Thank you for a great recipe!
I have a quick question – I know in your notes it says to freeze the dough prior to step 4 (separating the dough into balls). My question is – could you separate the dough into balls, freeze it in a disposable aluminum pan, and then thaw/proceed with the recipe? What would (potentially) change between step 3 and step 4? I ask because it’d be nice as a busy mom of 3 to just pull a pan out the night before and defrost/bake the next day.:-)
Thanks again for a great site!
Hi Kat! I’ve never attempted it that way before, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. Make sure the dough balls are super securely covered tight when freezing.
I made these tonight as I was tired of my regular roll recipe. They were amazing! I can not get over how perfect they were. Definitely making these again and again. I made your cornbread with gluten free oat flour for my husband and he loved it. Several of your recipes I’ve adapted to gluten free with great success. We are huge fans of your Apple crisp and almond butter cookies.
Tender , delicious and addicting. Did I say tasty too. Saved out half for tomorrow might make pecan rolls with the rest. Thank you for the great recipe. This will be my go to recipe.
If you don’t have Red Star brand yeast, what kind of yeast should you use? Instant? Active dry?
Either instant or active dry will work, though active dry will be a slower rise time for the dough.
Made these rolls tonight, and my family and I loved them! They are so light and fluffy and have a delicious flavor. Both rise times went much faster for me. The dough doubled in size in an hour for the first rise, and once they were shaped into balls, took 40 minutes. I also love that you included make ahead instructions. Those tidbits of information are so helpful. This is definitely a keeper! Thanks for a great recipe, Sally!
Hi Sally! I’ve made these rolls several times and each time it has been a SUCCESS. My guests would clear out the whole pan of rolls before even considering eating the main course! They turned out so fluffy yet chewy with the perfect amount of sweetness. And that honey butter topping… Ermygawd
This time I want to make the dough ahead of time. Usually I never ever deviate from your instructions and your make ahead directions say to do the first rise (in the oven, ~2 hours) and then refrigerate before punching and shaping the dough for the second rise (~1-2 hours). My question is that I read on red star’s website (their platinum yeast is unreal!) that if refrigerating the dough, then the first rise should be done in the fridge and then punch down and shape the dough for the second rise. Do you think it will over proof the dough if I do the first rise tonight in the oven and then let it refrigerate overnight for about 24 hours before shaping the dough and letting it tide for the 1-2 hours?
Thank you so much Sally for the amazing recipes!
I don’t think it will overproof the dough. I think the rolls will be just fine! I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe Nancy 🙂
Made these today for our thanksgiving lunch….. Was planning on doing a fresh baking of bread, but on a whim, I decided to try these. Was a risk…. Being thanksgiving and all. And, I had my regular bread recipe down pat, this was something new. Am I ever glad I tried these! The recipe is going directly into my recipe book as a keeper! I used fresh yeast and used a tablespoon of it. It didn’t take as long for both rises. First one took an hour and a half. Second took forty minutes. The results? These were the best, hands down, rolls I have ever had or made! Loved them! Thank you so much!!!
Hi Sally! For the second rise, should the rolls be placed in a warm environment like the first rise? Or should the second rise be done at room temperature?
Hi Nicole! A warm environment is best.
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe , my rolls turn out so good, rolls are light, fluffy , and delicious. Now I know how to make this wonderful rolls for the next coming holidays. Thanks again!!!
Made these today!! Love these! Fluffy, sweet … everything as promised! You are the best Sally!
Hi sally … can i make these into bigger buns for lets say burgers ? if so any pointers on anything i should change ? baking time etc.. also how many rolls would they make if they were slightly bigger
You sure can– I wouldn’t change anything, just divide into less portions when shaping. The bake time will be a few minutes longer to ensure they cook through.
Hi Sally! I just recently stumbled across your blog as well as your books! All of the treats I have made with your recipies come out wonderful! Especially these rolls I made about 20 minutes ago! Thank you for your wonderful recipies!!
I have made these rolls 3 times now and they have been a hit every time! My mom said that they just melt in your mouth! Thanks for such great recipes. They always come out perfect and delicious.
These were incredible – I ate about 10 of them! One question – if I follow the make ahead instructions will they turn out just as good?
Yes, of course!
These were truly delicious. I can’t wait to make them again.
I made these rolls for Thanksgiving dinner and they were absolutely AMAZING!!! The best rolls I have ever had! I should have made a second batch because my family gobbled these up in a second. This was my very first time working with yeast making bread and it was a success! Thanks Sally for being so thorough in your instructions for us newbies!
You were right. The best rolls ever. At least that’s what my boyfriend says!!! And I have made many different recipes but he claims this one is the best. Thanks for another great recipe!!!
I made these rolls for thanksgiving and they were such a big hit, I made another batch the next day! You were not lying when you said tried and true!! Such a great recipe, I will be making this recipe for years to come, thank you for sharing!
These rolls are amazing! Perfect for Thanksgiving, they were light, fluffy, delicious and easy to make ahead per your instructions. Thank you for an excellent recipe!
Can these be made with a bread machine on the dough cycle? Thanks!
Yes!
Can this recipe be doubled or should I made 2 batches? I’d like to be generous and account for 3per person. Cause you need 1 more to wipe the gravy off the plate!!
When it comes to bread, I always recommend making two separate batches. More volume of dough could produce problems/unideal texture.
Hi Sandra! That’s so interesting and I’m sorry you’re all of a sudden experiencing trouble. Are you doing anything at all different? Even as simple as a different baking pan? The recipe hasn’t changed. If you’re still experiencing problems, try adding another 2 Tbsp of warm milk.