Yeast Rolls Recipe

These are the best Yeast Rolls and they turn out perfect every time. With just the right amount of sweetness, these homemade rolls taste heavenly slathered with butter. They are a great addition for a Sunday supper or holiday meal. And they are a must on the Thanksgiving table.

These rolls are so buttery and light and they bake up golden on top. They are light, but sturdy enough to make mini sandwiches with.

There is nothing better than homemade rolls. I can eat my weight in them. Store bought rolls don’t even come close to competing. These yeast rolls take a little time investment, but it is so worth it. They really are the beast yeast rolls.

This recipe is made from your basic dinner roll ingredients: yeast, flour, butter, eggs, and milk plus some sugar. The eggs and butter add a wonderful richness to the rolls.

Yes. You can freeze them right after shaping them into balls. You will need to remove them from the freezer at least 2 hours before serving. They need to thaw and rise before baking.

The Best Yeast Rolls

These Yeast Rolls are so pillowy soft with just the right amount of sweetness.

Prep: 15min

Total: 35min

Yield: 20

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, (melted)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup water (105 to 115 degrees)
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 2 large eggs, (lightly beaten)
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (may need a little more)

Instruction:

1. Place milk in a small saucepan and bring it just to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and stir in sugar, butter, and salt. Let cool to lukewarm. (You don’t want it hotter than 115 degrees.)
2. Mix together warm water and yeast. I do this right in the glass measuring cup that I measure the water in. Let sit a few minutes.
3. Pour yeast mixture into the mixing bowl for your electric mixer. Add milk mixture, eggs, and 2 cups of flour. Beat with paddle attachment until mixed.
4. Beat in remaining 2 1/2 cups flour gradually. There is a chance you will need a little less than 4 1/2 cups of flour.
5. Next knead the dough. You can use the dough hook and the electric mixer. Beat with speed set to 2 for about 7 minutes.Or you can knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 8 to 10 minutes. I like to use the dough hook for about 5 minutes and then knead by hand for a few minutes.
6. Place dough in a buttered bowl. Turn the dough ball so it gets greased with butter on all sides. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
7. Punch dough down. Divide dough into balls of about 2 to 3 tablespoons each. Place in a greased 9×13-inch pan. I do 5 rows with 4 in each roll. Cover and let rise 1 hour.
8. About 10 minutes before rolls are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Brush tops of rolls with butter and serve.

Homemade Dinner Rolls (+Video)

These Homemade Dinner Rolls are so light, fluffy and buttery! A delicious bread recipe that is a great accompaniment to any meal!

Prep: 20min

Total: 225min

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 193 kcal, Carbohydrate 27 g, Protein 4 g, Fat 8 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Trans Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 29 mg, Sodium 169 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 4 g, unSaturated Fat 3 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ¼ cups whole milk (divided use)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
• 1 large egg, beaten (beaten)
• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour ((more may be needed))
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter

Instruction:

1. Take 1/4 cup unsalted butter and slice it as thin as you can, add the slices to the bottom of a stand mixer. Add ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to the mixer.
2. Warm 1 ¼ cups whole milk milk in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave. I like to do this in 15-30 second intervals. The temperature of the milk should be between 105-110°F (do not warm to over 110°F). Pour 1 cup of the warm milk into the bowl with the butter, no need to stir, just let it sit.
3. Add 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast to the remaining 1/4 cup milk and give it a stir. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, until foamy. Add this mixture to the mixer. Add in 1 large egg, beaten and stir everything to combine.
4. Using the hook attachment, start stirring in 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (one cup at a time), scrape down the sides as needed.
5. Do this until you add 3 and ½ cups of flour. Once the mixture resembles a dough, turn the speed to medium-high and start to knead it.
6. If the dough doesn’t start to cleanly pull away from the sides of the bowl, add a little flour at a time (up to a half cup) until the sides of the bowl are clean, if the dough is still attached at the very bottom of the bowl that’s okay. Continue to knead for 3 minutes (refer to my pictures above for reference on how it should look.)
7. In a large bowl, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Take the dough out of the mixer and add it to the bowl with the oil, turn it around in the oil so it is coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
8. Melt 1/4 cup unsalted butter. Brush a 9″x 13″ baking dish with some of the butter. You will only need a small amount. Set aside.
9. Punch down the dough to release the air bubbles.
10. Divide the dough into 15 sections. Take each dough ball with your hands and stretch it out, tuck the ends of the dough around itself to form a smooth ball and pinch the seams together, gently roll it between your hands to form a ball.
11. Place the ball seam side down into the prepared baking dish, 5 rows of 3 rolls. Cover again with plastic wrap and let them double in size, about 1 hour.
12. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Take the plastic wrap off the baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden brown and when tapped the rolls sound hollow.
13. Immediately brush the rest of the melted butter all over the hot rolls then serve.

Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe

You only need 7 ingredients to make these dinner rolls. Flaky, soft, and buttery, these fresh dinner rolls outshine any main dish. See recipe notes for freezing and overnight instructions. You can also reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.

Prep: 3h25min

Total: 3h45min

Yield: 14

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast (1 standard packet)
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 4 pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups (390g) all-purpose flour or bread flour* (spooned & leveled)
• optional topping: 2 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter mixed with 1 Tablespoon honey

Instruction:

1. Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. *If you do not own a stand mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/rubber spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula is a better choice.*
2. Add the remaining sugar, egg, butter, salt, and 1 cup flour. With a dough hook or paddle attachment, mix/beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add the remaining flour. Beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If the dough seems too wet to a point where kneading (next step) would be impossible, beat in more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until you have a workable dough, similar to the photos above. Dough should be soft and a little sticky, but still manageable to knead with lightly floured hands.
3. Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 3 full minutes or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3 full minutes.
4. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1-2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter. Takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
5. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan or two 9-inch square or round baking pans. You can also bake the rolls in a cast iron skillet or on a lined baking sheet.*
6. When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Divide the dough into 14-16 equal pieces. (Just eyeball it– doesn’t need to be perfect!) A bench scraper is always helpful for cutting dough. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Arrange in prepared baking pan.
7. Cover shaped rolls with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until puffy, about 1 hour.
8. Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). (It’s best to bake the rolls towards the bottom of the oven so the tops don’t burn.)
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top, rotating the pan halfway through. If you notice the tops browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven, brush with optional honey butter topping, and allow rolls to cool for a few minutes before serving.
10. Cover leftover rolls tightly and store at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

HOW TO MAKE YEAST ROLLS | dinner rolls

FAQ

Why aren t my yeast rolls light and fluffy?

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Why are my yeast rolls hard?