These Yeast Dinner Rolls are delicious, buttery, soft, flaky, and easy to make from scratch. Your whole family will love each bite!
Yeast Dinner Rolls are the perfect addition to any mealtime! These rolls are like a warm hug on your taste buds. They’re buttery, soft, and oh-so-flaky, making them an instant hit at family gatherings and parties. The best part? This recipe is a breeze, so whether you’re a kitchen pro or just getting started, you’ll nail it. We’re talking warm milk, sugar, and a hint of butter for that delightful sweetness, and active dry yeast for the fluffy factor. These rolls go nicely with all your dishes, making them the go-to for any occasion. Bake them up and watch them disappear! Make fluffy dinner rolls as the perfect Side Dish to go with your favorite dinner recipes like Marinated Flank Steak, Spatchcock Chicken, and Herb Crusted Pork Loin.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Yeast Dinner Rolls Recipe
Warm delicious homemade Yeast Dinner Rolls are the perfect addition to any dinner recipe. Prep them ahead to serve with weeknight dinners or serve them along with a holiday meal. No matter what the occasion, you can’t go wrong with a basket of soft, fluffy rolls to share. This recipe is perfect if you like buttery, slightly sweet bread. Even if you’re new to baking, these rolls are easy to make and turn out beautifully. Follow the step-by-step instructions for rolls from scratch made simple. You can do all the kneading in the stand mixer, then double-proof the bread dough before baking to golden brown perfection and enjoying.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm Whole Milk: Milk acts as the key liquid ingredient in this dinner roll recipe. Heat the milk so it’s warm to the touch before adding it to the stand mixer. Using milk instead of water enriches the bread dough with the fat from the milk to make the homemade rolls tender and sweet. Include a tablespoon of milk for the egg wash.
- ¼ cup Sugar: You’ll also add a little sugar to the dough mixture. Let the sugar dissolve into the milk mixture along with the yeast for smooth, sweet bread dough.
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter: Let the butter soften at room temperature before adding it to the recipe so that it can easily melt into the milk. The fat from the butter flavors the dough and inhibits gluten development so that the rolls remain softer and less chewy.
- 2 packets Active Dry Yeast: Active yeast is the leavening agent to make the dinner rolls rise. Because you’re using active yeast, not instant yeast, it needs to rehydrate in the milk mixture before adding the dry ingredients.
- 4 cups Flour: After rehydrating yeast, you can mix the flour into the wet ingredients. All-purpose flour or bread flour are your best options for this recipe.
- 2 + 1 large Eggs: Due to the fat in the yolk, adding eggs helps the dough to rise higher for ultra-soft dinner rolls. One egg is for the egg wash.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Stand Mixer: This recipe is easy and quick to make using a stand mixer to mix the ingredients and knead the bread dough. Use the paddle attachment to mix, then switch to the dough hook for kneading. If you don’t have an electric mixer, you can mix and knead by hand.
- Kitchen Towel: Cover the dough in a clean kitchen towel during the rising time to keep it from drying out.
- 9×13 Baking Pan: You can bake the 12 dinner rolls on a standard 9×13-inch baking pan. Be sure to space the rolls evenly, and grease the pan so the rolls don’t get stuck.
- Brush: Use a pastry brush to evenly spread egg wash over the Yeast Rolls.
How to Make
Time needed: 1 hour and 50 minutes.
- Mix Wet Ingredients
Add warm milk, granulated sugar, and butter to your stand mixer, and let the butter melt in the warm mixture. Add the active yeast and stir until the yeast dissolves into the milk mixture.
- Add Dry Ingredients
Mix in flour, eggs, and salt until well combined using the beater attachment on low speed.
- Knead the Dough
Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead the dough for 5 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic, or do it by hand for about 10 minutes.
- Let the Dough Rise
Remove the beater, cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel, and let the dough rise for 45 minutes until it doubles in size.
- Shape the Rolls
Divide the risen dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
- Prepare the Pan
Brush a 9″x13″ baking pan with melted butter, then place the dough balls in the pan.
- Second Rise
Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough balls rise for an additional 30 minutes.
- Preheat Oven
While the dough is rising, preheat your oven.
- Apply Egg Wash
In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of milk and 1 large egg to create an egg wash. Brush this mixture over the rolls.
- Bake the Rolls
Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until the rolls turn golden brown.
Can These Be Made Ahead?
To make fresh dinner rolls the night before, mix the dough ingredients and do the first rise time as usual. After rolling the dough into balls, place them on a baking sheet and cover them in greased plastic wrap. Then place the pan in the fridge overnight. The refrigerator will slow the rising process. When ready to bake, take the pan from the fridge and let the dough come to room temperature. Then bake for 18-20 minutes as usual.
Nutritional Facts
Baking Tips & Tricks
Both beginning and experienced bakers can keep these helpful hints in mind to achieve perfectly fluffy dinner rolls. Share your favorite tips in the comments below!
- Use Warm Milk: Heat your milk to between 110 and 115 degrees before combining it with the butter, sugar, and yeast. Warm liquid helps to re-hydrate and wake up the yeast for your dough to rise. Be sure not to make the milk too hot, or it can kill the yeast.
- Achieve the Perfect Proof: After splitting the dough into rolls, you’ll let them rise a second time; this is called proofing. To ensure the dough is perfectly proofed, gently poke one roll to make an indentation. Well-proofed rolls will slowly spring back after being poked. If it bounces back too quickly, that’s a sign the rolls are underproofed.
Pairing Ideas
- Dinner: Fluffy, sweet dinner rolls are the perfect addition to practically any meal. Serve them on the side of meat dishes like Classic Pot Roast, Braised Pork Roast, and Roast Chicken. Homemade rolls are also perfect for dipping in soups and stews like Chicken Noodle Soup, Butternut Squash, or Beef Stew.
- Spreads: Yeast Dinner Rolls are even more delicious when served with a pat of melty butter. Add extra flavor by spreading flavored butter like garlic butter, herb butter, Blue Cheese Butter, or honey butter inside a warm dinner roll.
How to Store Dinner Rolls
Storing
If you have any leftover rolls, you can keep them fresh to enjoy later in the week. Wait for the rolls to cool, then put them in a plastic bag or another covered container to keep them from drying out. Kept sealed, they can stay good at room temperature for 3-5 days.
Reheating Tips
To reheat homemade Dinner Rolls, wrap them in foil and place them in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes.
Freezing
You can also place the rolls in a freezer bag and keep them in the freezer. Frozen Yeast Dinner Rolls will stay good for up to 3 months. Let the rolls defrost, then reheat in the oven to serve.
Frequent Questions
If you’re hosting a dinner party and bake rolls in advance, you can keep them warm so they taste perfectly fresh when you serve them. To do this, create your own bread warmer by adding dried beans to a kitchen towel. Wrap them tightly and heat them in the microwave. Place the hot pouch in your bread basket with the rolls over top. Then cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep the heat inside.
No worries! You can mix and knead the dough by handKeep kneading the bread dough until it becomes smooth and elastic but not too sticky. It should be naturally pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl as it kneads.
You can substitute instant yeast for active dry yeast, but there’s no need to dissolve it in warm milk. Simply mix it with your dry ingredients directly.
If your rolls turned out dense, it may be due to over-kneading the dough or not letting it rise long enough. Make sure to knead until it’s smooth, and allow it to rise until doubled in size for light and fluffy rolls.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Yeast Dinner Rolls:
- 1 cup whole milk , warm (110-115 degrees – warm to the touch)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened, divided
- 2 packets active dry yeast , (¼ ounce)
- 4 cups flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Before Baking:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
Instructions
- In a stand mixer add the warm milk, sugar and butter, until it melts.
- Add in yeast, stir until dissolved.
- Add in flour, egg and salt.
- Mix with beater attachment on low speed until flour is combined.
- Switch to dough hook and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Remove beater, cover bowl with clean kitchen towel and let rise for 45 minutes.
- Cut dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls.
- Brush 9×13 inch baking pan with melted butter and place the dough balls into the pan.
- Cover with clean kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Mix the 1 tablespoon milk and 1 egg well and brush over the rolls.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- Click on the yield amount to slide and change the number of servings and the recipe will automatically update!
- Click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
- To convert measurements to grams, click on the Metric option next to Ingredients in the recipe card.
Nutrition
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Variations on Yeast Dinner Rolls
- Gluten-free Rolls: To make this recipe for a gluten-free diet, swap out the regular wheat flour for your favorite brand of gluten-free flour. Add a teaspoon of xanthan gum to add some structure to the gluten-free rolls.
- Herb and Garlic: Try adding garlic powder, chopped rosemary, parsley, and onion powder to the bread dough. You can also sprinkle fresh herbs over the buttery rolls before baking.
- Honey Reast Rolls: For a sweetened honey flavor, add 1 teaspoon of honey along with the sugar in this dinner roll recipe.
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The rolls came out soft and fluffy but bland. Is there anyway to fix that. These have been the softest rolls I’ve made. Going to try and tweak rise time or salt for flavor
Spreads: Yeast Dinner Rolls are even more delicious when served with a pat of melty butter. Add extra flavor by spreading flavored butter like garlic butter, herb butter, Blue Cheese Butter, or honey butter inside a warm dinner roll.
So glad they were soft and fluffy. How about adding poppy or sesame seeds?
What is the amount of fresh yeast to use?
2 packets, 1/4 oz.