These soft buttery homemade dinner rolls will be your new go-to. They're simple to assemble, soft and fluffy, then topped with melted butter and some flaky sea salt. It's the perfect dinner companion or turn them into a slider or sandwich.
Are you looking for that perfect dinner roll recipe to complete a Thanksgiving Day dinner or to use as a bun for small sandwiches or sliders?
Maybe you are looking for a simple roll recipe to compliment your hot pot of soup.
Look no further! This roll recipe has been my go-to for years and is the one thing people request over and over again at any get-together.
They are simple to make and insanely soft while bursting with buttery flavors.
If you are a sourdough baker like myself, check out my overnight sourdough bread or a fresh sourdough focaccia.
Jump to:
🍞Ingredients
Whole Milk: Use whole milk for this recipe. 2% or non-fat milk will not give you the same results.
Salt: This recipe calls for two different kinds of salt. Kosher salt is added to the dough when mixing, and then the rolls are topped with flaky sea salt, such as Maldon.
Active Dry Yeast: This recipe calls for 2 tablespoons, about 3 - .25-ounce packs of active dry yeast.
See full information on ingredients and quantities in the recipe card.
🥘Equipment
When making bread there are a few staple items that are nice to have on hand. Things like a bench scraper to get that pesky dough off the counter and a stand mixer to take on the task of kneading.
- Stand Mixer: (With a dough hook) You can also knead by hand as well, but a stand mixer will make the job a lot easier
- Small Sauce Pot: To warm the milk
- Large Glass Bowl: For proofing
- Baking Dishes: You will need 2 - 9"x13" baking dishes
- Bench Scraper: Helps with cutting the dough into equal size portions
- Basting Brush: To cover the tops in butter
⭐️Tips to Make It Better and Easier
- Pre-Measure Ingredients: Have all the ingredients out and ready to go. This helps when it comes time to add each ingredient.
- Warm milk to 110-115. This is crucial. Make sure your milk hits right in this range. I like to warm it to 115 so when I dump it in the mixer the cold bowl doesn't cool it too much.
- Top with Butter and Flaky Salt: The dinner rolls are great on their own. However, they are even better with some melted butter and flaky salt on top.
- Let them Rise: This recipe calls for two rise times, and if time allows complete both. This will make them so soft and fluffy.
🥣How to Make
Making the Dough
Step 1: Warm the milk in a sauce pot on the stove to 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit.
💡Pro tip: It's super important to get the temperature just right. Too cold, and the yeast will not activate, too warm and it can ruin it.
Step 2: In a bowl of the stand mixer gently whisk the milk, yeast, and sugar together
Step 3: Let it sit for about 5 minutes. The yeast mixture will begin to foam. (Image 1)
Step 4: Add in the salt, eggs, softened butter, and 5 & ½ cups of the flour.
Step 5: On low speed with a dough hook, mix until it starts to come together. (Image 2).
Step 6: While mixing, slowly add the remaining ½ cup of flour. Knead for about 5 minutes. (Image 3).
Watch the dough and if it is still sticking a lot to the side of the bowl, add about 2 tablespoons of flour at a time until it pulls away from the sides. (Image 4).
It should still be soft and sticky but not stuck to the side of the bowl. Image 4 is what it should look like when it's done. Pulling away from the sides of the bowl, smooth texture and is slightly sticky to the touch.
Step 7: Take a large glass bowl and lightly coat it in olive oil.
Step 8: Transfer the dough to the glass bowl, form into a ball, and cover it with a damp cloth for 90 minutes. It should have risen quite a bit and be super fluffy after the 90 minutes.
Shaping
Step 9: Before removing the dough, take two 9x13 pans and lightly coat them on the bottom and sides with cooking spray or olive oil.
Step 10: Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a symmetrical ball. The more symmetrical it is the easier it will be to divide. (Image 5).
Step 11: With a bench scraper, divide the dough into 24 pieces.
💡Dividing Tip: I like to cut it in half, and then cut each half into half again giving you 4. And then cut those 4 into half one more time (Image 7-9). You should have 8 equal pieces of dough. Then, cut each one of those into 3 pieces (Images 11-12). This will give you an even 24 dough balls (Image 10).
They should be close to the same size but will be fine if they are not exact.
Step 12: Take each ball and fold the corners into itself creating a smooth top. Then, use either the friction of the counter to pull it into a taught ball or rub your hands on the bottom to close the seam. (Images 13-15).
Step 13: Place the dough balls, seam side down, in each pan. Make sure they are not touching each other. It should give you 4 rows of 3 in each dish.
Step 14: Cover the dishes with a light cloth such as a Flour-sack towel and let rest for 1 more hour. They should have risen after this hour but not necessarily doubled in size. They will rise more once baked.
Baking
Step 15: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Make sure the rack is centered.
Step 16: Bake one pan at a time. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. They should be golden brown on the top and the sides. If the tops are not golden, extend baking time slightly.
Step 17: While baking, melt the butter. About 4-6 tablespoons or however buttery you want them.
Step 18: Remove from the oven and using a brush coat the tops of each muffin with the melted butter. (Image 18).
Step 19: Sprinkle with the flaky salt and let cool in the pan. (Image 19)
Step 20: Once cooled use a knife to cut between each roll, remove with a spatula, and enjoy!
These are best served right away and still warm but they are also great made ahead of time.
❓Recipe FAQs
There could be a few different reasons your rolls are not light and fluffy. The more common problem is the yeast could be too old and expired. The temperature of the milk also needs to be perfect. Too hot or cold will cause them to not rise properly.
Rolls can turn out dense if the dough is not kneaded enough or if left out too long to proof. Also make sure you are following the recipe exactly and not using too much flour.
This dinner roll recipe is great for freezing. Just make sure they completely cool down before placing in a ziplock and freezing.
Other Dinner Sides
📋Recipe
Homemade Dinner Rolls
Equipment
- 2 9x13 Baking Dish
- Brush To spread on melted butter
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Whole Milk - Warmed to 110-115 degrees farenheight
- 2 Tablespoons Active Dry Yeast - about 3 - .25 ounce packets
- ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 6 Tablespoons Softened Butter
- 2 Large Eggs
Topping
- 4 Tablespoons Melted Butter
- Flaky Sea Salt
Instructions
Making the Dough
- Warm the milk in a sauce pot on the stove to 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit. It's super important to get the temperature just right. Too cold, and the yeast will not activate, too warm and it can ruin it.
- In a bowl of the stand mixer gently whisk the milk, yeast, and sugar together
- Let it sit for about 5 minutes. The yeast mixture will begin to foam.
- Add in the salt, eggs, softened butter, and 5 & ½ cups of the flour.
- On low speed with a dough hook, mix until it starts to come together.
- While mixing, slowly add the remaining ½ cup of flour. Knead for about 5 minutes. See notes to tell when dough is done.
- Take a large glass bowl and lightly coat it in olive oil.
- Transfer the dough to the glass bowl, form into a ball, and cover it with a damp cloth for 90 minutes. It should have risen quite a bit and be super fluffy after the 90 minutes.
- Before removing the dough, take two 9x13 pans and lightly coat them on the bottom and sides with cooking spray or olive oil.
Shaping
- Before removing the dough, take two 9x13 pans and lightly coat them on the bottom and sides with cooking spray or olive oil.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a symmetrical ball. The more symmetrical it is the easier it will be to divide.
- With a bench scraper, divide the dough into 24 pieces. See notes below for tips on dividing. They should be close to the same size but will be fine if they are not exact.
- Take each ball and fold the corners into itself creating a smooth top. Then, use either the friction of the counter to pull it into a taught ball or rub your hands on the bottom to close the seam. See full post for images.
- Place the dough balls, seam side down, in each pan. Make sure they are not touching each other. It should give you 4 rows of 3 in each dish.
- Cover the dishes with a light cloth such as a Flour-sack towel and let rest for 1 more hour. They should have risen after this hour but not necessarily doubled in size. They will rise more once baked.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Make sure the rack is centered.
- Bake one pan at a time. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. They should be golden brown on the top and the sides. If the tops are not golden, extend baking time slightly.
- While baking, melt the butter. About 4-6 tablespoons or however buttery you want them.
- Remove from the oven and using a brush coat the tops of each muffin with the melted butter.
- Sprinkle with the flaky salt and let cool in the pan.
- Once cooled use a knife to cut between each roll, remove with a spatula, and enjoy!
- These are best served right away and still warm but they are also great made ahead of time.
Leave a Reply