Soft Dinner Rolls are the perfect companion to any main dish. There is nothing like fluffy, warm, buttery dinner rolls with honey butter or jam. This recipe is easy and approachable for any home cook – beginner and advanced alike!
Making the Yeast Dough:
Making a yeast dough is easier than you think. First, you will combine milk, melted butter, salt, yeast and sugar in your mixing bowl. Slowly incorporate the flour, taking care to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula as you mix.
Once the dough starts to pull away from the sides of your mixing bowl, continue kneading the dough with the dough hook attachment on your Kitchenaid until it becomes less sticky (about 2 minutes). The kneading process releases the gluten from the flour and incorporates air into your dough. It is a crucial step that cannot be skipped!
Can I Mix the Dough by Hand?
You can easily make homemade dinner rolls without a mixer. Mix the dough ingredients together in a large bowl using a wooden spoon or firm spatula. Once it comes together, knead with clean dry hands.
To knead, press on the dough with the heel of your hand, moving in a forward rolling motion. Rotate your dough ball and repeat several times (about 10-12 minutes). Prepare to work those arms!
Shaping Dinner Rolls:
After kneading, you are going to oil a bowl and place your dough ball in it. Rotate the dough ball a couple of times, coating it in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and allow the dough to rest and rise for about an hour.
Once your dough has rested, remove the cover and punch down on the dough ball until the air is released. Remove the dough and separate it into 24 even pieces using a bench cutter tool.
To shape the dinner rolls, take a piece and stretch the top of the dough down to pinch and seal it at the bottom. You can also roll the pieces into rounds on the counter top. Place dough rounds into a greased baking dish. Cover with a towel and let it rest for another 30-45 minutes.
Tips for Making Yeast Rolls Rise Faster:
Yeast is activated by warm temperatures and moist environments. If you are running short on time, here are a couple of hacks to make your dough rise faster.
When allowing your dough to rise in the oiled bowl, cover it with a towel dampened with warm water. Ring out the towel to make sure it is just damp and not dripping wet.
Preheat oven to the lowest setting of 150˚F then turn the oven OFF, place your dough bowl into the oven over a towel and crack the oven door open with a wooden spoon.
Baking Dinner Rolls:
Bake your dinner rolls at 350˚F until golden brown (about 20-25 minutes). When the rolls come out of the oven, immediately brush them with melted butter.
How to Keep Dinner Rolls Warm?
After baking, transfer your rolls to a serving dish or bowl and immediately cover them with a kitchen towel. This will trap the heat and keep your rolls warm.
Freezing Dinner Rolls for Later:
For make-ahead, freezer-friendly dinner rolls, bake your rolls as directed. Allow them to cool completely and then place them in an airtight, freezer-friendly container. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then reheat in the microwave or oven. If you freeze them the same day they are baked, they will keep their freshness when thawed.
RECIPE:
Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Rising Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Irresistibly Soft Dinner Rolls are easy to make with just 6 ingredients. There's nothing like fluffy warm homemade dinner rolls. These are holiday-worthy!
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup whole milk warmed to 110 F
4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
4 cups all-purpose flour (more if needed) measured correctly
2 tbsp butter melted to brush the tops of dinner rolls
Instructions
In a bowl, combine warm milk (~110F), melted butter, salt, sugar and yeast. Whisk everything together and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
Pour the liquids into a mixing bowl, and add flour in small portions until the dough is no longer sticky. You’ll need about 4 cups of flour.
Knead the dough with the dough hook in a stand mixer for 2 minutes or knead by hand (10-12 min), then place dough in an oiled bowl. Cover it with a towel and let it rise for about an hour in a warm place.
Once the dough rises, remove it from the bowl and cut it into 24 even pieces. Shape each piece into a round shape and place them on an oiled baking sheet next to each other.
Cover the dinner rolls with a kitchen towel and let them rise another 30 minutes in a warm place until puffed then bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Immediately brush tops with melted butter and set aside to cool to room temperature before serving.
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