This Best Homemade Dinner Rolls recipe turns out perfectly every time. These easy, soft & fluffy dinner rolls are, slightly sweet and salty, irresistibly buttery and made from scratch!!
We’re back with another installment of “Homemade Holidays” here at JoyFoodSunshine! I seriously cannot tell you how excited I am to share these Homemade Dinner Rolls with you.
I know, I know….everyone says they have the “best” dinner roll recipe…but I’m here to tell you that THIS. IS. THE. ONE. No holiday is complete in my house without these fluffy dinner rolls!
It took me six year of testing and tasting to finally land on this recipe for the best dinner rolls EVER. These soft & fluffy dinner rolls are slightly sweet and salty, irresistibly buttery and made from scratch!!
What makes the best Homemade Dinner Rolls?
To me there are four factors that make the perfect dinner rolls:
- You can make them at home easily with a perfect rise every time. (check)
- Every bite contains a touch of sweetness complimented by a lot of salty, buttery goodness. (check)
- They are soft and fluffy. (check)
- Once you start you can’t. stop. eating. them.
These Homemade Dinner rolls meet all of this criteria, and more.
How do you make homemade dinner rolls?
These dinner rolls are SO amazingly flawless, that I want to ensure your success when making this homemade dinner rolls recipe! So let’s walk through it step-by-step!
1. Make the homemade dinner roll dough:
A common question when it comes to making dinner rolls is, “how do you make dinner roll dough?” Well let me tell you! This recipe yields the dreamiest, smoothest, easiest to work with dough on the planet! I like to use my standing mixer to stir and knead the dough. But doing it by hand is just as easy (which is the method I used in this video)! Here are a few notes about making the dough:
- Be sure you completely cool the butter/milk mixture so you do not kill the yeast. That’s really the only “tricky’ part of this recipe! If any part of the recipe is too warm (over 105 degrees F), the yeast won’t proof and then the rolls won’t rise!
- Start with 3 cups of flour. It’s important not to add too much flour to the dough. So start with 3 cups and gradually knead in more as needed!
2. Let it rise.
This recipe has two rises. One with the dough in a large ball, and another after the dough has been divided into rolls! When the dough is rising, always cover it with a warm, damp towel!
How do you make dough rise faster:
To help the dinner roll dough rise faster simply boil some water and put it in a bowl or measuring dish next to the bread that’s rising. Cover the bread AND the vessel containing the boiling water with a damp towel and let the magic happen! This creates a warm, moist environment that yeast loves.
I also recommend putting the dough/boiling water/damp cloth apparatus in your oven with the lights turned on. This creates a warm moist environment that the yeast loves, which speeds up the rising process.
3. Weigh the homemade dinner roll dough!
In order to ensure that all your rolls are exactly the same size, so they baked evenly, I highly recommend weighing the dough.
Start by weighing the entire batch of dough, then divide it’s weight divide by 12. Remember that answer and make sure it is the weight of each dough ball. This particular batch of dough weighed 35 oz, so each dough ball weighed approximately 2.9 oz.
If you don’t have a food scale (I seriously recommend getting one, the one linked here is only $9!) you will have to use your own judgement/feeling to make the rolls as close to equal in size as possible!
4. Divide the dinner roll dough into rolls & shape
Once you have all your math done (phew), weight out the portions of dinner rolls dough you need and make them into smooth balls. I recommend using a well-floured surface to avoid sticking!
5. Place the rolls in a lined & greased baking pan
As you form the rolls, place them in a 9×13″ baking pan, spaced evenly apart. I always use parchment paper to line my baking pan to ensure that the rolls are easy to remove from the pan to serve.
6. Let the dinner rolls rise a second time.
Once the homemade dinner rolls are formed and placed in the baking sheet, let them rise again until they are doubled in size (30-60 minutes). The same rules apply at this step for speeding up the rising process as did in the first step.
Be sure not to let the damp towel touch the tops of the rolls, otherwise the dough might stick to the towel, resulting a quite a mess!
The unbaked dinner rolls will touch. As you see in the photo below (and the video), the dinner rolls will touch each other after they have risen. That is good and normal, and exactly what is supposed to happen!
7. Bake the homemade dinner rolls
While the dough is rising a second time, preheat your oven. After the dough is risen fully, bake int he preheated oven until the tops are golden brown and the rolls sound hollow when you gently hit them with a wooden spoon.
A note about oven variation and baking time.
Please note, every single oven bakes a little differently. I bake exclusively in an electric, convection oven, which bakes more evenly than other models. Please watch your dinner rolls carefully and check them at the beginning of the recommended baking window to avoid over-baked rolls!
8. Top the dinner rolls with melted butter and salt!
This step is KEY! Every bite of these homemade dinner rolls contains a little bit of sweet and salty goodness, which is due in large part to this extra special finalizing step. T
As soon as the dinner rolls are removed from the oven, brush them with melted butter and add a sprinkle of coarse sea salt.
This is the final touch that makes the rolls extra special! There’s something about biting into a delicious salty roll that just can’t be beat.
6. Serve warm!
I recommend serving these homemade dinner rolls fresh from the oven! They stand alone perfectly because they are just that good! They also make amazing leftover turkey & cranberry sandwiches after Thanksgiving!
How do you reheat dinner rolls?
If you need to reheat these dinner rolls to serve to company, just cover the baking pan with tin foil and place them in your oven turned on to warm (about 200 degrees F).
FAQs about homemade dinner rolls:
Can you freeze these homemade dinner rolls?
You can make these homemade dinner rolls ahead and freeze them for up to 3 weeks. Simply cover them tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil or a lid after you have placed the divided rolls onto a prepared baking dish (before they have risen the second time).
To bake: Remove the dinner rolls from the freezer, cover and let them come to room temperature and rise fully before baking.
Can you bake dinner rolls from frozen?
If you don’t have time to let them come to room temperature and rise, you can bake these best dinner rolls from frozen by baking at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes, then increasing the baking temperature to 375 and baking for 10 minutes more.
How do you make soft dinner rolls?
There are a few factors that make these soft dinner rolls so irresistible!
- Fat in in the dough. Both the fat from the whole milk and butter preserve the freshness of these soft dinner rolls and keeps them soft for a days. The fat keeps the rolls from drying out!
- Butter brushed tops. The butter on the top of the dinner rolls also helps seal the rolls and keep them nice and soft.
- Baking close together. This lowers the amount of browned “crust” on the rolls, which yields an overall softer texture!
How do you make yeast rolls light and fluffy?
These light and fluffy dinner rolls are that way because they rise twice. You absolutely do not want to rush either rise, as that is what gives them such a light and fluffy texture.
They do rise a tad more in the oven after the second rise, but you don’t want to risk them being too dense by being hasty and not letting them rise.
Homemade Dinner Rolls: Ingredients & Substitutions
Let’s chat about the ingredients and possible substitutions that can be made in this best dinner rolls recipe!
- Milk. Any percentage of milk works well! My favorite is whole milk because it yields a beautifully rich roll. However, most of the time I use 2% milk!
- All-purpose flour. You can substitute up to 1/2 of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour. However, as someone who usually makes this substitution as often as possible, I do not recommend it in this recipe. These rolls are so special and are truly the best when made with a good all-purpose flour.
- Granulated sugar. I love that these homemade rolls are the perfect combination of sweet and salty. The sugar is also important in getting the yeast to rise. I don’t recommend making substitutions for the sugar in this dinner roll recipe.
- Butter. There is NO substitute for butter in this dinner roll recipe. It is the essence of these rolls and not an ingredient to shy away from!
Helpful tools for making the Best Dinner Rolls!
mixing bowl // standing mixer // measuring cups // measuring spoons // spatula // towels // food scale // baking dish // parchment paper // silicone pastry brush // coarse sea salt
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The Best Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe
This Best Homemade Dinner Rolls recipe turns out perfectly every time. These easy, soft & fluffy dinner rolls are, slightly sweet and salty, irresistibly buttery and made from scratch!!
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water about 105 degrees F
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 TBS active dry yeast
- 6 TBS butter melted and cooled
- 1 cup milk 2% or whole
- 1 egg room temperature, lightly beaten.
- ½ TBS sea salt
- 3-4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-2 TBS melted butter
- Coarse Sea Salt (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Line a 9x13” baking pan with parchment paper, set aside.
Proof the yeast:
- Add sugar, water and yeast to the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
Make the dough:
- Melt butter completely. Mix in milk and warm the mixture in the microwave or on the stovetop until it’s combined and not lumpy (but just slightly warm). Set aside to cool comepletely!
- Once yeast is foamy (proofed) and butter/milk is cool, pour butter/milk mixture into the bowl of your standing mixer. Mix on low-speed until combined.
- Add egg and mix until combined.
- Add 3 cups of flour and ½ TBS salt and knead with dough hook. Add more flour a little bit at a time until a slightly-sticky ball forms.
- Grease a large bowl and transfer dough to the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Once dough has doubled, flour your hands and squeeze it to remove the gas.
With floured hands, form 12, equally-sized dough balls. (use a food scale to weight full batch of dough, then divide that number by 12 and make sure every dough ball is close to that answer to make even-sized rolls)
- Roll them until they’re smooth balls.
- Place them into your prepared baking sheet evenly spaced into 4 rows of 3.
- Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 30-60 minutes).
- When you notice your rolls have risen about halfway, Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place fully-risen rolls into preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the rolls are golden-brown on the top and sound hollow when tapped with a wooden spoon.
- Remove rolls from oven and immediately brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Serve warm!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
NOTE: You can make these rolls ahead and freeze them for up to 3 weeks. Simply cover them tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil or a lid after you have placed the divided dinner rolls onto a prepared baking sheet. Remove from freezer and let the rolls come to room temperature and rise fully before baking. Or you can bake from frozen by baking at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes, then increasing the baking temperature to 375 and baking for 10 minutes more. Recipe adapted from The Food Network!
This recipe was originally published on November 3rd, 2016. A video, new photos, and helpful tips have been added tot he post, but the recipe itself remains unchanged!
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine!
rachel @ athletic avocado
These look insanely fluffy and pillowy!! I’ve never made bread rolls before but I have to now!!
Laura
I hope you love them Rachel! There’s truly nothing more delicious than homemade bread!
Vesna
We’re not big on bread in our house (mainly because it’d be devoured very, very fast). But Pablo has been asking me to MAKE bread at home (actually, he wants to learn too.). I’ve never worked with yeast. I think this is the perfect, simple recipe to start that carb-loaded journey. Wait ’til Pablo finds out!
Laura
Vesna it’s totally easy!! Text me anytime you have questions too! I can be your 1-800-BREAD hotline! 😉
Lauren
Ok, these do look like the best ever! They have the most gorgeous golden tops!
Laura
Homemade bread is always a beautiful thing! 😉
Lee Ann Cordell
I tried this recipe and I loved it!!
Laura
I’m so glad you loved it Lee Ann!
easypeasylifematters
These sound and look so perfect for thanksgiving!!! 🙂
Laura
They are my favorite part of the Turkey Day feast!
Kelly @ Eat the Gains
These looks like perfect clouds of bread!! I don’t eat bread too often, but I love some homemade bread/rolls at the holidays. Def passing these onto my sister who would be obsessed!!
Laura
Warm bread fresh from the oven is totally my Achilles heel!! LOL!
Lindsay Cotter
Gorgeous photos! These rolls look perfect!
Laura
Thanks Lindsay!
Liz
I actually have never made my own homemade rolls before but I totally want to now! These will definitely be on my table at Thanksgiving 🙂
Laura
I hope you love them Liz! Seriously homemade rolls are better than anything you can buy in the store!!!
Heather @ FITaspire
Seriously?! Holy cow girl, these look incredible. I wish I was staying home for Thanksgiving to make these. Maybe a late homemade thanksgiving. 🙂
Laura
YES! LOL! Or you could make them in whoever’s kitchen you will be celebrating…because nothing can come between a girl and her rolls!
Rebecca | NOURISHED. the blog
These rolls look awesome! I love how soft and pillowy these look. I’ve never tried to make my own bread at home – I didn’t know it was so easy!!
Laura
Oh Rebecca once you start making homemade bread you will be incapable of buying any at the store! I literally cringe when I need to buy a loaf in a pinch! LOL!
Rony Jahid
I have never made or taste these dinner rolls but now I eagerly waiting for taste it. Honestly, you done great job. These bread really looks gorgeous.
amanda -runtothefinish
Well basically everyone in my family would love you forever. I’ve never tried homemade bread making, but I swear bread is the favorite food of my dad, mom and husband!
Laura
LOL Amanda! Homemade bread is really so easy! There’s some waiting as it rises but the actual work involved is very straightforward! 🙂
Debra @ Bowl Me Over
Nothing much better than a great dinner roll, I can’t wait to give this recipe a try! Love that bit of salt on the top, I know that would take them to the next level, yum! Thanks for linking up with us at #FoodieFriDIY – see you next week!
Laura
Thank you Debra! I love sprinkling a little bit of salt on top of bread…so yummy!
Miz Helen
Bread is my weakness, and these rolls look like little pillows from heaven! I am pinning this recipe, just fabulous!! Hope you are having a wonderful week and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Miz Helen
Laura
I totally agree Miz Helen!! Warm bread fresh from the oven is my Achilles heel!
Debra @ Bowl Me Over
Me again! 😀 Wanted to pop back by and let you know these rolls will be on our dinner table this T-Day, they look so delicious! I also wanted to share I’ll be featuring your recipe on #FoodieFriDIY – please come back and share again!
Sacleary43@gmail.com
How do I measure out the dough to get 12 even rolls
Laura
I usually eyeball it 😉 But you can use a food scale! Weight your dough ball and then divide that weight by 12 to determine how how much each roll should weigh!
Lucille LeBlanc
Hi there, would love to try this recipe, but how could I make these rolls if I don’t have a dough hook on my standing mixer?
Laura
Hello Lucille! I would recommend mixing by hand (with a spatula or wooden spoon). After you have mixed the dough until it forms a tacky ball, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead with your hands…adding more flour as needed until your dough forms a smooth ball that is just slightly sticky!
Krista
Do you think I could use buttermilk instead of milk? I’m not sure what the acidity of the buttermilk might do in this recipe.
Laura
Hey Krista….I honestly wouldn’t recommend buttermilk because of the way it could react with the yeast. I have only ever tried this recipe with whole or 2% milk. If you do end up trying buttermilk let me know how it goes. Although, if I were you I’d totally send my hubby to the store! 😉
Mady
Hi,
They look gorgeous and I will definitely try your recipe. I weigh my flour though. Would you happen to know in once or grams the equivalent of your 3-4 cups of flour. That part alone intimidates me bcuz one never knows how you scoop your flour….
Laura
Hey Mady! I do not weigh my flour….so I couldn’t tell you! Next time I whip up a batch I will weigh it and report back to you! However, if you are nervous I recommend starting on the lower end and then slowly adding. The dough should be slightly sticky before you let it rise. And if it is too tacky to work with after the first rise then you can add more flour as you shape it into rolls!
Tom
Made them today, they were 5 star all the way.
Laura
Thank you Tom! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!!!!
Ruth
these are baking in the oven right now! so excited… i gotta call them midnight dinner rolls hahaha
(btw this is really my first attempt baking bread…)
Laura
OoOo Ruth I can’t wait to hear how they turned out!!!
James
Hi Laura,
This is amazing. Thanks for sharing this. It reminds me a lot of home cause we used to have them by the bakery.
Reba
I have tried many bread and roll recipes. None of them wowed me. This one did! This is definitely a keeper recipe. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing dinner roll recipe.
piper
they look really good!!!!!!!!
piper
i am trying them right now!
Laura
You will LOVE them Piper!!! I make them all the time! 😉
piper
sooooo yummmy
souleye
I took a chance on this recipe and boy did it pay off. These dinner rolls came out perfect. 21 minutes exactly and they were delicious. Gone is less than 60 seconds. Thank you!
tulea
Just want to make sure.. if I were to freeze them, I’d do it before second rise or after? There was no “step #11”
Laura
Hey Tulea! I will hop in and fix that! I recently changed the way I display my recipes so I have to go back through and tweak all of them (which is a huge task, yikes)! Yes you freeze the rolls before the second rise.
Pam
Question on butter,is this REAL stick butter butter salt or unsalted not margarine? Thanks
Laura
Yes ma’am! Real salted butter in all it’s glory!
Maureen
Mine came out doughy. :(. What did I do wrong? Help!
Laura
Oh no Maureen!! I am so sorry! My guess is you didn’t bake them long enough. Ovens can be tricky and no two ovens bake exactly the same. I’m guessing your tops browned before the inside was cooked? Some tips: If you have a convection oven always use the “Convection Bake” setting to ensure even heating/baking. If you do not, then (based on your doughy roll outcome) I recommend baking them on the lower rack in your oven. If the tops brown and the inside is doughy then cover the rolls with foil and continue baking. This will prevent the tops from getting too brown but still allow the rolls to bake! All these are guesses though, I wish I could be there in your kitchen helping you! My only encouragement is do not give up on these rolls! They are the best I promise! 😉
Ranata
Can you keep this roll dough in the refrigerator overnight before forming into rolls and letting them rise?
Laura
Yes!
Sheri
Does it rise in the refrigerator? Or, should I let it rise beforehand?
Sorry, it probably seems like a stupid question, but I’m a neophyte Baker!
Laura
Are you wanting to prepare the rolls the day before? And bake them the next day?
Sheri
Yes
Robin
Yes. I want to fix them tonight and bake them tomorrow before heading over to Grandma’s.
Laura
What I do in that case is wrap them before they rise in the baking pan and put them in the refrigerator, they might rise a little bit in the refrigerator but then I take them out first thing in the morning and let them complete their rise while the oven preheats before I bake them.
Haley
These are so good!! I have now made them twice and they’re perfect! I made them for Christmas dinner and then next time paired with ham and potato chowder. Thanks for the excellent recipe!!
Laura
I’m SO glad you enjoyed them Haley! They’re a family favorite around here too! 🙂
EMMA
Just made rolls similar without the dough maker? Anyway, you might tell your readers that if they use dark colored pans, they need to reduce the temp 25 degrees…I was a homemaker many years without failed bakery goods..An old friend told me about the difference in baking pans…Lots of luck to all and shall try YOUR recipe next time I make rolls…HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Ashley
I made these for Thanksgiving, and even shared the recipe because others were so impressed by them. They came out AMAZING! And might I add, I am terrible at baking! Thank you so much for sharing! I was craving them today and decided to make them again, because why not? 🙂
Ashton
If I want to start these before church to bake them afterwards, how would you suggest I do that? I will be gone to church for about an hour and a half. Should I complete step 9 and then finish once I get home?
Laura
Hey Ashton! YES! You absolutely could let them rise in the pan (up to step 9) while you are at church!
Pat
I’v baked a lot of different rolls.These are the best ever.I will no longer be looking for that perfect roll recipe.I found it right here.Thanks so much for sharing
Kathy
Ever since the first time I made these rolls my kids go bonkers for them! Even my neighbors, everybody I have shared them with. These are seriously the best rolls ever! I’m about to go make them again right now!
Lindsey Gregory
Any advice on doubling/tripling this recipe?
Laura
Yes!!!! It doubles and triples beautifully!! You will just need to bake them on a larger sheet pan or in multiple 9×13” pans!!
Lindsey Gregory
Great, thank you!
Habiba
Hello I did make it yesterday for my kids school fall feast it was easy and very good thank you for the recipe.
Bethany
The milk/butter mixture is taking longer than 15 min to cool. Does that mean I heated it up for too long?
Laura
Most likely yes! How long did it end up taking to cool down for you?
Reba
I always use salted, but you are safe if you have another preference.
Andrew
Are you using salted or unsalted butter?
Laura
I use salted! But either will work!
Sheri
Can this recipe be doubled and still come out okay? Since they sound so delicious, I don’t think 12 rolls will be enough for my crowd! :-). Thank you!
Laura
Yes I have doubled and tripled it with great results!!!
Sheri
Oh, that’s great news! Thank you so much, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Laura
Happy thanksgiving to you too! 💕
justin Stroh
Followed this recipe. Simple little steps but wow what an amazing flaky roll these make. Last year I ended up with small bricks for rolls, this year will never be the same.
Kel
I made these beauties with my son. Uh……an excellent mix between a roll and a biscuit. Best of both
Laura
They’re our favorites too! 🙂 <3 And my kids also love to help!
Tara
I had never made bread from scratch until making these rolls, and they were SO GOOD! Light, fluffy and full of flavor; just like a dinner roll should be. These were such a big hit that my family has requested them for Christmas.
Laura
Woo hoo! Making bread from scratch is the BEST! I’m so glad your family enjoyed them! 😉
Mamatha
This is amazingly fluffy. !!!!! Your recipes are simply superb. The best dinner rolls I ever baked. I love baking, but I had lost interest because I could not get the right consistencies. Your recipes are creating more enthu to try out more of the recipes. Thank you again for sharing these.
Laura
Thank you Mamatha! Boy have we all been there! Baking can be tough but all it takes is one success to light the fire! 🙂