Dinner Rolls

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These classic Dinner Rolls are sure to be the best sidekick to any holiday or family dinner. Soft, light and pillowy, these rolls are made with all-purpose flour and honey, perfect for making sliders with Crockpot Pulled Pork or as part of your Thanksgiving dinner spread this year. Or slather them in butter and eat them alone. Based on my Easy White Bread Recipe, these homemade dinner rolls are sure to please!

dinner rolls in bowl

Bread Making Basics

Working with yeast and making bread doesn’t have to be hard. I’ve listed a few tips here to help you along. While making bread seems to be time consuming, most of the time spent is waiting for the dough to rise.

  • Yeast – I use active dry yeast and love LeSaffre brand. (You can get a big 1 lb pack of it at Costco, Kroger or even Super Walmart sometimes!) The brand doesn’t really matter, just make sure you are using fresh yeast that isn’t close to expiring.
  • Warm Water – to proof the yeast, you stir it together with warm water. If the water is too hot, you will kill your yeast. Aim for 107-110° F.
  • Kneading in the Flour – when using a stand mixer, it’s easy to knead in too much flour, making your rolls heavy. We aren’t going for heavy. We want light and pillowy rolls! So after adding flour in bit by bit and you notice the dough is taking shape, feel the dough. It should still be tacky but not sticky enough to leave a residue on your hands. The bottom half of the dough will still be stuck to the bowl and the top half won’t be. Totally normal. When in doubt: it’s better to have your dough too sticky than too dry. You can always add a bit more flour to the dough as you’re forming your rolls and you notice they are too sticky.
closeup of dinner rolls in bowl

How to Make Dinner Rolls

Making rolls and bread in general, may seem tedious, but by following these step by step directions, you’ll have perfect results every time! For full recipe details, check out the printable recipe card below.

Prep Baking Dish

Spray a glass 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Alternately, you can line a metal 9×13 pan with parchment paper, spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. (The parchment paper will help avoid dark, crispy bottoms.)

yeast blooming in bowl

Make Yeast Mixture

In a large bowl, stir warm milk, yeast and honey together until mostly dissolved. Set aside to proof 10 minutes. Once it looks frothy and/or bubbly, it is ready. If no bubbles have been made, start again with cooler milk or fresher yeast.

Add Flour to a Mixing Bowl

While the yeast is proofing, measure 2 cups of flour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the milk and yeast and stir on low using the dough hook. Once the flour has mostly incorporated, stir in melted butter and salt.

Knead the Dough

Continue adding in flour, bit by bit, until dough is tacky but won’t stick to your hands and the bowl is mostly clean. I used exactly 4 cups, but your dough could take less or more flour. Knead for 5 minutes.

Grease Bowl, Let Rise

Grease bowl, then cover to rise 1-2 hours in a warm spot in your kitchen.

Divide Dough into Equal Size Balls + Let Rise a Second Time

Once roll dough has doubled in size, remove from bowl, divide into 16 equal pieces and roll into rolls. Place into the prepared 9×13, cover gently with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set aside for the second rise. Once rolls have puffed and almost doubled in size (about 1 hour), preheat oven to 350° F.

brushing butter on dinner rolls

Bake + Brush With Butter

Bake until golden brown. Brush rolls with melted butter and serve warm.

Storing Dinner Rolls

The great thing about these rolls is that you can make them ahead and reheat when needed. To store them, allow to cool to room temperature and keep in airtight containers or ziplock bag. The colder you store them the longer they keep. These rolls will stay good at room temperature for up to 4 days, in the fridge for up to 6 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months!

What to Serve with Dinner Rolls

Rolls of any kind are great stand alone snacks or perfect for small lunch sandwiches. But for dinner, here are some delicious options that would work perfectly with these Dinner Rolls.

pan of dinner rolls

Love Bread? Here are some of my favorite bread recipes…

Be sure to print, save, or bookmark this classic dinner roll recipe. You’ll want to keep this one in your back pocket to keep coming back to this holiday season. Enjoy, friends! 🙂

dinner rolls in bowl
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Dinner Rolls

These classic Dinner Rolls are sure to be the best sidekick to any holiday or family dinner. Soft, light and pillowy.
servings 16 rolls
Prep Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups warm milk (about 100-110° F)
  • 4 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup salted butter melted and cooled
  • 1 ½ tsp sea salt
  • 4 cups all purpose flour give or take 1/2 cup

Instructions

  • Spray a glass 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Alternately, you can line a metal 9×13 pan with parchment paper, spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. (The parchment paper will help avoid dark, crispy bottoms.)
  • In a large bowl, stir warm milk, yeast and honey together until mostly dissolved. Set aside to proof 10 minutes. Once it looks frothy and/or bubbly it is ready. If no bubbles have been made, start again with cooler milk or fresher yeast.
  • While the yeast is proofing, measure 2 cups of flour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the milk and yeast and stir on low using the dough hook. Once the flour has mostly incorporated, stir in melted butter and salt.
  • Continue adding in flour, bit by bit, until dough is tacky but won't stick to your hands and the bowl is mostly clean. I used exactly 4 cups, but your dough could take less or more flour. Knead 5 minutes.
  • Grease bowl, then cover to rise 1-2 hours in a warm spot in your kitchen.
  • Once roll dough has doubled in size, remove from bowl, divide into 16 equal pieces and roll into rolls. Place into the prepared 9×13, cover gently with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set aside for the second rise. Once rolls have puffed and almost doubled in size (about 1 hour), preheat oven to 350° F.
  • Bake 15-25 minutes or until golden brown. Brush rolls with melted butter and serve warm.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 252mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 126IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Breads
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dinner rolls

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