Homemade Dinner Rolls are soft, fluffy and moist. Brushing melted butter on the tops makes these the best Homemade Dinner Rolls.
I have fond memories of eating dinner rolls at holiday gatherings when I was growing up. You couldn't have the big meal without a dinner roll on your plate. A couple of weeks ago I was cooking an Easter dinner and I decided I would experiment with making my own dinner roll recipe. The recipe required a couple of tweaks but the end result is far from disappointing. Homemade Dinner Rolls are soft, fluffy and buttery. They are a great side for a variety of meals such as pastas, soups and stews. They pair nicely with my Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup recipe. Homemade Dinner Rolls also taste amazing on their own. Slice and butter a roll right after it comes out of the oven for a completely mouth watering and satisfying snack. Once you try this recipe, you won't go back to buying store bought dinner rolls.
Ingredients
- Warm Water - Warm water is crucial for this recipe. Cold water won't allow the yeast to activate and if the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast. The water should be between 90F - 110F.
- Instant Yeast - I prefer to use instant yeast because I can tell really quickly if the yeast is fermenting.
- Granulated Sugar - The sugar is mixed with the warm water to activate the yeast.
- Salt - Helps to boost the flavor and it strengthens the dough.
- All-purpose flour - I have not tried this recipe using any other type of flour but I think bread flour would work.
- Egg - Make sure the egg is at room temperature.
- Butter, softened - I used unsalted butter for this recipe. If you use salted butter, then omit the salt from the recipe.
- Butter, melted - Brushed on top of the rolls after they are finished baking.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Mix together warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Let this mixture sit for 5 - 10 minutes. It will look foamy once the yeast has activated. This step is crucial for this recipe. If your mixture is not foamy, the yeast has not been activated.
Pour yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer. Add salt, flour, egg and butter. It's important to measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup because flour gets compacted when it sits in the bag or container. If you scoop the flour with the measuring cup it will stay compacted and you will add too much flour. Use a knife to level the flour.
Using a dough hook on a stand mixer, mix together for 3-5 minutes. The dough should be tacky and slightly sticky to touch. It should not be so sticky that it stays on your hands when you touch it. If the dough is too sticky add a pinch of flour. Only add one pinch at a time because adding too much flour will dry out the dough. Be sure to mix thoroughly between additions if you add more flour. If the dough is too dry, add a teaspoon of water and mix thoroughly. The end result should be a slightly sticky dough.
Once the dough has formed, roughly shape it into a ball and place in a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean dishtowel. Let the dough rise for 1.5 hours or until doubled in size. This step is really important and is also known as "bulk fermentation" because it allows the yeast to continue to ferment. Fermentation helps with the structure and flavor of the dough.
Remove dough from the bowl and punch down to remove any air pockets. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Gently roll dough pieces into balls. Place dough balls in a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. There should be 4 rows of 3 dough balls. Cover with a clean dishtowel and let rise for another hour. The dough balls should double in size.
Preheat oven to 350F. Bake rolls for 18-20 minutes. Melt the butter while the rolls are baking. Place butter in a small bowl and microwave for 20 seconds on high. Repeat in 10 second intervals until the butter is melted. I like to cover the bowl with a paper towel in case the butter splatters. Remove dinner rolls from oven. Use a pastry brush to evenly coat the rolls with the melted butter. Serve immediately.
Hint:
Make sure to use warm water (90 - 110F) when activating the yeast. If the water is too cold the yeast won't activate. If the water is too hot, you will kill the yeast.
Check the expiration date on the yeast. Expired yeast won't activate.
Substitutions
- All-purpose flour- You can substitute bread flour in place of the all-purpose flour. I haven't tried this recipe with any other types of flour.
Equipment
Stand Mixer - These Homemade Dinner Rolls are made with a stand mixer using the dough hook attachment. I have not tried to make this recipe without a stand mixer.
9x13 Baking Pan - I used a non-stick metal baking pan for this recipe. If you are using glass, lower the temperature by 25 degrees and bake 3-5 minutes longer.
Storage
Homemade Dinner Rolls are best enjoyed immediately after removing them from the oven or the same day they were baked.
Homemade Dinner Rolls freeze well. Place in a freezer safe container or bag and freeze up to three months. Thaw at room temperature. When ready to eat, pop into the microwave for 20 seconds and the rolls will taste like they just came out of the oven.
Top tip
Do not add too much flour to the dough! If you add too much flour, the Homemade Dinner rolls will be dense and they won't have that nice fluffy consistency. If this is your first time baking with yeast, I highly recommend reading the detailed instructions above!
FAQ
Too much flour has been added to the dough. It's important to measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup because flour gets compacted when it sits in the bag or container. If you scoop the flour with the measuring cup it will stay compacted and you will add too much flour. Use a knife to level the flour.
Brushing the rolls with butter after baking gives them a delicious buttery flavor.
Related
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Recipe
Homemade Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (between 90 and 110F)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- Mix together warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Let this mixture sit for 5 - 10 minutes. It will look foamy once the yeast has activated. This step is crucial for this recipe. If your mixture is not foamy, the yeast has not been activated.
- Pour yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer. Add salt, flour, egg and butter. It's important to measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup because flour gets compacted when it sits in the bag or container. If you scoop the flour with the measuring cup it will stay compacted and you will add too much flour. Use a knife to level the flour.
- Using a dough hook on a stand mixer, mix together for 3-5 minutes. The dough should be tacky and slightly sticky to touch. It should not be so sticky that it stays on your hands when you touch it. If the dough is too sticky add a pinch of flour. Only add one pinch at a time because adding too much flour will dry out the dough. Be sure to mix thoroughly between additions if you add more flour. If the dough is too dry, add a teaspoon of water and mix thoroughly. The end result should be a slightly sticky dough.
- Once the dough has formed, roughly shape it into a ball and place in a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean dishtowel. Let the dough rise for 1.5 hours or until doubled in size. This step is really important and is also known as "bulk fermentation" because it allows the yeast to continue to ferment. Fermentation helps with the structure and flavor of the dough.
- Remove dough from the bowl and punch down to remove any air pockets. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Gently roll dough pieces into balls. Place dough balls in a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. There should be 4 rows of 3 dough balls. Cover with a clean dishtowel and let rise for another hour. The dough balls should double in size.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Bake rolls for 18-20 minutes. Melt the butter while the rolls are baking. Place butter in a small bowl and microwave for 20 seconds on high. Repeat in 10 second intervals until the butter is melted. I like to cover the bowl with a paper towel in case the butter splatters. Remove dinner rolls from oven. Use a pastry brush to evenly coat the rolls with the melted butter. Serve immediately.
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