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Our classic yeast dinner rolls delivers pillowy soft, fluffy rolls that are easy to make, and perfect for any meal.
Fluffy, homemade Dinner Rolls!
There’s nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked bread filling your home, so we love the smell when we make our classic yeast dinner rolls!
These rolls are soft and pillowy and incredibly versatile, serving as the perfect side dish for any meal. Imagine the warm, buttery goodness of these rolls alongside a hearty soup, a juicy Steak and Potatoes dinner, or a simple bowl of our classic Chili Recipe. Pure heaven!
The secret to their irresistible texture lies in the careful kneading and rising process. The result is a tender and flavorful roll that melts in your mouth. Serve them warm with Honey Butter, or get creative with your favorite spreads.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Light and fluffy. Simple ingredients create these deliciously tender rolls and allow you to control the quality of the ingredients!
- Make-ahead. Yeast dinner rolls can be prepared in advance, allowing for stress-free meal planning.
- Endless options. Serve dinner rolls and biscuits as a side to your favorite dishes, as the base for a sandwich, or slather on some jam and butter and eat them for a snack.
Ingredients
- PREP TIME: 2 hours
- BAKE TIME: 12 minutes
- 3 cups warm water – water temperature should be around 105-110°F
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3 (0.25- ounce) packets active dry yeast – or 6¾ teaspoons (make sure the yeast is fresh and not old)
- ½ cup milk
- 2 whole eggs
- 9-10 cups all-purpose flour – How to Measure Flour
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup shortening
- ¼ cup unsalted butter – melted
How to Make Yeast Dinner Rolls
- YEAST MIXTURE. In a large bowl, mix 3 cups warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle 3 packets of yeast over the top and let set for 10 minutes until yeast is foamy.
- DOUGH. Mix ½ cup milk, 2 eggs, and 1 tablespoon salt into the yeast mixture using a whisk.
- In a separate bowl mix 9-10 cups flour and ⅔ cup sugar. Crumble ¼ cup shortening in and mix until it is barely noticeable.
- Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon. Using your spoon, mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and the ball forms around the spoon. Towards the end, we like to use our hands and mix by hand until dough is soft and just a little sticky.
- RISE. Cover bowl with a tea towel and let rise in a warm spot. Cover until dough is doubled in size (about an hour).
- When dough has risen, pour ¼ cup melted butter over it and knead with hands for 2 minutes. You’ll know when it’s the right consistency by pressing your thumb into the dough and the indentation bounces back. Let the dough rest for a few minutes.
- SHAPE. Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface to a 1-inch thickness. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 2-inch squares.
- Roll squares into balls, smoothing out on top and tucking seams under, and place into TWO greased 11×15 pans about 1 inch apart from each other (we did 5 rows of 4). Cover with a tea towel and let rise again until dough has doubled in size (45 minutes to an hour).
- BAKE. Preheat the oven to 375°F and bake for about 12-15 minutes the tops should be golden brown. Butter the tops when they come out.
- SERVE warm alongside Crock Pot Pot Roast or slathered with Honey Butter. Enjoy!
PRO TIP: MAke Ahead of Time
Refrigerate the dough if not making them right away. Let rise overnight for the next day.
Complete the Meal
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Yeast Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 3 cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 (0.25- ounce) packets active dry yeast
- ½ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 9-10 cups all-purpose flour, We use about 9½
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ cup shortening
- ¼ cup butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix water and sugar. Sprinkle yeast over the top and let set for 10 minutes until yeast is foamy.
- Mix milk, eggs, and salt into yeast mixture using a whisk.
- In a separate bowl mix flour and sugar. Crumble shortening in and mix until it is barely noticeable.
- Mix flour mixture into yeast mixture with a wooden spoon. Using your spoon, mix until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and ball forms around the spoon. Towards the end, we like to use our hands and mix by hand until dough is soft and just a little sticky.
- Cover bowl with a tea towel and let rise in a warm spot. Cover until dough is doubled in size (about an hour).
- When dough has risen pour butter over it and knead with hands for 2 minutes. You'll know when it's the right consistency by pressing your thumb into the dough and the indentation bounces back. Let dough rest for a few minutes.
- Roll dough out onto a floured surface to a 1-inch thickness. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 2-inch squares.
- Roll squares into balls, smoothing out on top and tucking seams under, and place into TWO greased 11×15 pans about 1 inch apart from each other (we did 5 rows of 4). Cover with a tea towel and let rise again until dough has doubled in size (45 minutes to an hour).
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and bake for about 12-15 minutes. Butter the tops when they come out.
- Serve warm alongside Crock Pot Pot Roast or slathered with Honey Butter. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Using a stand mixer will significantly reduce the time and effort required to knead the dough. The dough hook attachment will do all the hard work for you. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
The two rises work together to create the ideal texture and flavor for your yeast rolls. The first rise focuses on gluten development, flavor enhancement, and gas distribution, while the second rise focuses on final proofing for a perfect rise before baking.
Of course! For a golden brown, shiny crust with a slightly crisp texture, brush with egg wash before baking. For a softer crust with a richer flavor brush with melted butter after baking.
Create a warmer environment so the dough will rise faster. Be careful that it doesn’t rise too fast otherwise, it may not develop properly. It can also rise too high and then fall. If that happens, you will need to start over.
A few factors can create heavy and dense rolls such as dead or inactive yeast, not kneading well, inaccurate rising time, adding too much flour, and baking too long.
Prepare the dough as written in the recipe and shape it into dough balls, but do not let it rise a second time. Instead, place them on a baking tray, 2 inches apart, and put them in the freezer. Once solid, transfer them to a freezer-safe Ziploc bag.
To bake. Place the desired amount of frozen dough onto a baking tray and thaw in the fridge overnight. (This slow thawing allows the yeast activity to resume gently.) Once thawed, let the dough rise at room temperature until it doubles in size. This may take a few hours depending on the size and shape of the rolls. Bake according to the recipe.
Cool rolls completely. For rolls you plan to eat within a day or two, store at room temperature in a loosely covered container.
For longer storage, freezing is the best option. Wrap leftover rolls tightly in plastic wrap or place them in a freezer-safe container to prevent freezer burn. Frozen rolls will keep their quality for up to 2 months.
I NORMALLY MAKE MY MOM’S NEVER FAIL BUN RECIPE, BUT we just moved, so all of my cookbooks are still packed! Thanks to Pinterest I was lead to your recipe…and it is a great recipe! My rolls turned out perfectly this morning (my contribution to the family turkey day dinner). Thanks for the sharing your recipe!
I am so glad you found this recipe! They are the best! Thank you so much!
Looking thru your instructions for dinner rolls, they state to ‘roll them into balls and place in a round pan’. Yet your photos show rectangular pan. Would you explain the difference, if any, in timing?. I think I would prefer the square roll you’d get from using the pan in the photos vs the shape from a round pan. Thank you
I’D like to know this as well. WoUld cookiE sheets work? I don’t have enough round pans for 30 rolls.
I personally haven’t tried, so I don’t want to say yes or no.
I should have asked how many rolls this recipe made beforehand…I made 20 GIANT roles that took much too long to bake. They were delicious when they finally cooked through. Thank you
Just to make sure… at what point can I refrigerate them overnight? After step 8 (shaping and placing into round pans)? Thanks so much for sharing this recipe – I look forward to trying it!
Yes… after Step 8. 🙂
How many rolls does this make?
It makes 30 rolls. 🙂
I really like Costco dinner rolls so I’m sure I’d love these. I feel like Thanksgiving is one of the only times all year that I make homemade rolls so I’m always happy to see new roll recipes.
Yes, I agree. I always feel like homemade rolls are a must for Thanksgiving. 😉 Let me know if you ever give these a try – would love to know what you think. 🙂
Both these bread recipes look good and I plan to try them both. I will make them ahead of time and freeze after shaping so all I need to do is the final rise and bake when I’m ready for them. I was wondering, could you show a picture of the “insides” of the rolls?
I will definitely try to take pics of the insides next time we make these. 🙂
Another awesome recipe!! I totally agree that store bought rolls don’t compare to homemade ones. Thanks for the recipe!!
Thank YOU for stopping by, Crystal! Have a great Sunday. 🙂
Oh my- bread…… I need these. YUM!
Thanks, Gina – they are seriously SO.GOOD!! 😀