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This soft, buttery dinner rolls recipe is one of our best-loved recipes. Perfect for holidays, or anytime, it’s so hard to eat just one!
We love to make this dinner rolls recipe with soup, but especially for holidays, with other sides like Creamed Corn, Green Bean Casserole, and Roasted Brussel Sprouts.
favorite homemade rolls!
Nothing can beat the smell of Homemade Bread or dinner rolls being made. This recipe is one my mom has made since I was a kid, and one we all love. Here’s why:
- HOLIDAY MUST HAVE. These homemade dinner rolls are perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas and are a holiday dinner MUST!
- ON HAND INGREDIENTS. This recipe uses pantry staples, which mean they can be made any time (and my kids are grateful for that!)
- SIMPLE. Surprisingly, this recipe is easy. We’ve made it fail proof so even biggers can easily master this roll recipe.
BOTTOM LINE – they are amazing, and we know you’ll love them too!
Dinner Roll Ingredients
- Rapid Rise Yeast – Even though we activate it in water we always use the RapidRise yeast for these rolls, but active dry yeast works too.
- Sugar – It’s in the yeast and the wet ingredients.
- Warm Water
- Warm Milk
- Vegetable Oil
- Sugar
- Salt
- All-Purpose Flour – We use all-purpose flour but you can also use bread flour.
- Eggs
- Unsalted Butter
- Salted Butter (for brushing on tops).
How to make Dinner Rolls
Yes, these dinner rolls require several steps, but they are all simple.
- YEAST. Stir 1 tablespoon yeast with ¼ cup warm water and ½ teaspoon sugar. Let stand until bubbly.
- WET INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup warm milk, ½ cup oil, ½ cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt with a wooden spoon.
- COMBINE. Add 1 cup of flour to the mixture, and mix well. Add 2 eggs and beat until smooth (mix vigorously by hand). Pour in yeast mixture, and mix vigorously until smooth.
- RISE. Add 3-4 cups flour to the yeast mixture. The dough should be very sticky. Pour the dough into a large bowl. Let rise for a few hours in a covered bowl (cover with a tea towel), until it has doubled in size.
- ROLL. Once the dough has doubled in size punch down, and divide in half. Roll dough onto a lightly floured surface making TWO 12-inch circles. Dough should be about ⅜ inches thick.
- SHAPE. Brush dough with melted butter. Cut circles with a pizza cutter into 12 pieces (like a pizza). Roll from the rounded edge to the point, to make a crescent roll. Place into a greased baking pan (we use an 11 x16 metal pan and do 3 across and 8 rows down).
- RISE. Cover dough with a tea towel and let rise for a few hours, until it doubles.
- BAKE + ENJOY! Bake at 375°F until light lightly golden brown, which is about 15-20 minutes.
pro tip
Note: Touch rolls to see if they bounce back – if they do not, bake a little longer. Brush with melted butter while warm.
Recipe Tips
Homemade rolls require kneading, follow these tips for perfect rolls!
- Kneading. Many yeast bread recipes must be kneaded before shaping. However, this dough doesn’t. Because of how sticky the dough is, gently kneading in a little flour when rolling and shaping it may be required.
- Kitchen-Aid mixer. Make this recipe in the Kitchen-Aid or stand mixer, with a dough hook attachment. Be careful not to over-mix the dough, because it will make it tougher, and not as soft.
- Variations. We like to place the rolled crescents close together on the pan so that they rise, with the sides touching. If you want them to rise separately, be sure to spread them further apart.
Use a bread machine
Here is one reader’s experience using the bread machine to make these rolls:
- Add all the “wet” ingredients first (Add the warm milk, oil, sugar, and eggs first, then the salt).
- Use 4 cups flour, and the yeast, but skip adding the 1st ¼ cup water with sugar, as you don’t have to dissolve the yeast when using the bread machine.
- Use dough cycle, which is 1½ hours for my machine. The dough turned out great and was easy to work with.
- After shaping the rolls, let them rise (covered) in my “barely warmed” oven for 1½ hours, then bake for 15 minutes in the oven. We love them!
Serving Suggestions
Serve up this best dinner roll recipe with some of our favorite main dishes:
Slather this dinner roll recipe with these favorites: Honey Butter, Cinnamon Butter, Pumpkin Butter.
storing info
- Freeze unbaked rolls. If you plan to freeze these unbaked, increase the amount of yeast used by 50%. We suggest freezing the rolls right after they are formed. Line them up on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer them to a freezer Ziploc. They are best stored between 4-6 weeks, but can last for up to 3 months.
- To bake: Line the frozen rolls up on a baking sheet, spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray, and place it oil-side down, over the rolls. They will need several hours to thaw and rise to double in size. Remove the plastic before baking.
- Store baked dinner rolls. To maximize the shelf life of dinner rolls, place them in a Ziploc bag, or wrap them in foil. Store in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for 2-3 days. Baked rolls can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQ
A light fluffy roll is the goal. Overmixing the dough, adding too much flour, and not letting the dough rise and proof properly are the main reasons that cause dense rolls.
There are a few ways that you can keep dinner rolls warm. My top choices are to place them in a warm crock pot and another is to use a warm bread basket.
During the first rise, the yeast emits gasses that create air bubbles and the rising dough will produce a chewy, light, and flavorful roll. However, as the dough rises the yeast slows down, thus a second rise is recommended. Punch the dough down, shape it, and give the yeast one more chance to create chewy, flavorful, and fluffy dinner rolls.
For more Rolls:
Dinner Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix yeast and sugar with warm water. Let stand until bubbly.
- In a large bowl, mix warm milk, oil, sugar, and salt with a wooden spoon.
- Add 1 cup of flour to the mixture and mix well. Add eggs and mix vigorously until smooth. Add yeast mixture and continue to mix until smooth.
- Add remaining flour to the yeast mixture 1 cup at a time and continue to mix with a wooden spoon until the dough is combined. The dough should be soft and sticky.
- Pour the dough into a large bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down and divide it in half. On a floured surface, roll each piece out into a 12-inch circle. The dough circles should be about ⅜ inch thick.
- Brush both dough circles with melted unsalted butter. Cut each circle with a pizza cutter into 12 pieces (like a pizza). Roll each piece from the rounded edge to the point to make a crescent roll.
- Place rolls on a greased baking sheet with the pointed tips down (we use an 11-x-16-inch metal pan and do 3 rows across and 8 rows down).
- Cover rolls with a tea towel and let rise until they have doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 16–20 minutes, until lightly browned. (Touch rolls to see if they bounce back—if they do not, bake a little longer). Brush with melted salted butter while warm. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
Use a stand mixer. You can mix this dough in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook; just be careful not to overmix the dough because it will make it tougher and not as soft.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These look amazingly delicious.
My family always has pigs in a blanket for Christmas Eve and I’m in charge of them this year. I want to avoid using the store-bought crescent rolls that are full of awful ingredients.
Do you think these rolls would work to make pigs in a blanket?
I haven’t tried with these, but that would be great! ENJOY!
Definitely the best rolls I’ve been on a search for roll recipes!
Yay!! We think so, too! Thanks so much!
These rolls look great. I’ve decided to try and make them today. This will be my first time making anything bread wise by hand. Currently waiting for the dough to rise, fingers crossed it works out. I wanted to try and make these for Christmas this year. So this will be my test batch. My only concern is when I had everything mixed to transfer to another bowl ( for it to rise) the dough seemed stiffer than what it looked liked in the video. Does that mean I did something wrong? Or over mixed?
I hope not. They should be ok! How did they turn out?
They turned out great. Thanks again for the recipe. Definitely making them again.
I’ve made these yeast rolls twice in the last month because the recipe is so good! Everyone has loved them! I’ve tried several yeast roll recipes, but this one, by far, is the best! Thanks for sharing!!
I love hearing that!! Thank you so much for letting me know!
It was very easy theyTaste delicious and buttery.
I’m happy to hear that! Thank you so much for giving it a try!
If I wanted to freeze heavenly dough recipe would I freeze it after rolls are formed but before they rise?
I haven’t tried freezing them. I’m still perfecting recipes with yeast, so honestly I’m not sure when would be best. I would think before they rise. Good luck!
I just made the heavenly rolls and your recipe is awesome. Thank you very much
YAY!! Glad you liked them! They are our favorite! Thank you!
How warm does the water need to be and how long to let it sit to bubble?
Just warm, not too hot & as soon as it bubbles, it’s ready 🙂
Hey there,
I tried and it turned out to be awesome everyone loved it ! But I made them at night for breakfast they we’re really good at that time, but dry and hard in the morning. Can you please tell me any tip on how to store them so they don’t lose their softness? Thanks.
I’m glad you tried them 🙂 I like to store mine in a ziploc baggie. I hope that helps!
These were a big hit this Thanksgiving. They will now be on our menu every year. Simple to make & delicious!
I’m so glad you thought so!! We have them with a lot! Thank you for sharing!
OnE year later & these are Once again on our Thanksgving menu. In fact, they are at every family get together. Over the last year We’ve had them at Easter, father’s day, mother’s day…..you get where i’m goIng. They are easy & Delicious. They have become a family tradition!!
Yay! I love hearing that! I agree…they can be for any occasion! Thank you so much!