The Best Homemade Dinner Rolls are buttery, fluffy, and taste heavenly! These homemade rolls will be gone in no time in your home. It is SIDE DISH week on Modern Honey so I can’t wait to share everything I have been whipping up in my kitchen.
My Mom is the Roll Master. She will shake her head and say, “no honey, I am not”….but I am here to tell you she is wearing the crown. She has always said in her perfect world, she would live on homemade bread and rolls. She is always in her kitchen making up some sort of baked good to deliver to a neighbor in need. Her heart is made of gold, I tell you.
When I was teaching cooking school for kids, I had her come over and teach them everything she knows about bread. So when I wanted to learn how to make homemade rolls, I called up my Mom and she was ready to teach me all the tricks of the trade.
These BEST Homemade Dinner Rolls are heaven sent. These rolls are made with simple ingredients — yeast, water, sugar, butter, milk, flour, and salt. It’s the ratios that matter. The dough has just the right amount of butter to make them melt-in-your-mouth rolls and enough yeast to help them rise and make them fluffy. Buttery, light, fluffy homemade dinner rolls are a must in our home! I am sharing all of the tips and tricks to make perfect dinner rolls every single time.
How to make the BEST Homemade Dinner Rolls:
- Let your YEAST PROOF. The key is to use very warm water (about 110 degrees). Adding sugar to the yeast helps it proof even faster. Let the yeast proof for at least 5 minutes. Remember to always use fresh yeast. You will know the yeast is working when it starts to form a creamy foam on the surface.
- Use BUTTER and EGGS. The butter and eggs are what adds richness to the homemade rolls dough.
- Use a STAND MIXER. This bread recipe is easiest with a stand mixer such as a Bosch (you can find an incredible discounted deal below). This is a huge time saver as you knead the rolls for 5 minutes in the mixer. It saves you from doing it yourself! If you don’t own a stand mixer, you can knead the bread dough by hand. Watch for the dough to start pulling away from the sides. You still want the dough to be slightly sticky but begin to pull away from the sides.
- Let RISE until DOUBLE in size. This can be done in a warm place. If you want the dough to rise faster, place the dough covered in a warm oven. Set the oven to 200 degrees, turn off, and then place the dough in the oven and let it rise until double in size. This expedites the rising process and cuts the time in half.
- Roll into BALLS and brush with softened BUTTER. Roll into desired size and place in baking pan. Place close together so as the rolls rise, they rise upwards and not out. It keeps them from spreading. Brush with softened butter.
- BAKE until GOLDEN BROWN. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake until light golden brown. Remove from oven and spread butter over top of rolls to give moisture and shine.
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- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Yeast
- 1/4 cup Warm Water
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1/2 cup Butter softened
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup Whole or 2% Milk best warmed
- 4 3/4 cups Flour may need to add more
- 2 teaspoons Salt
-
- Brush on top of rolls:
- 4 - 8 Tablespoons Butter softened
- In a small bowl, add yeast, warm water, and sugar and set aside to proof. Let the yeast bubble and foam for 10 minutes.
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream butter and sugar for 1 minute. Add eggs and milk and mix for 2 more minutes. Add in proofed yeast mixture.
- Pour in flour and salt. Mix for 5-7 minutes. Watch for the dough to start to come off the sides of the bowl. Add 1-3 Tablespoons of flour, if needed.
- Cover bowl and set aside to rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1-2 hours. If you want to expedite the rising process, heat the oven to 200 degrees, turn off the oven, and place the oven-safe bowl to rise until double in size.
- Once the dough is doubled, roll into small balls, about 16 - 20 depending on size preference. Place on greased or buttered baking sheet, close together to ensure the rolls rise upward and not spread, and brush rolls with softened butter. Cover and set aside to rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 14 - 18 minutes or until golden brown. Brush rolls with remaining melted butter.
- Serve warm or store in air-tight container.
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Happy Baking, my friends! xo
Melissa
Can these be made the day before and proof in the fridge?
This would make Thanksgiving day so much easier.
I had also emailed you recently asking if your chocolate cake comes out as dark as the picture.
Did you see my comment on that?
Thanks,
Judykay
Hi Judykay! That is such a great question. You can absolutely make them the day before and let them proof overnight in the refrigerator. Cover them well and it should be all good.
The Love at First Sight Chocolate Cake does come out as dark as the picture. I used Callebaut Cocoa (I buy it for such a good price in the bulks bins at Winco grocery store). I actually have it in the oven right now so I can send you over a picture so you can see what it looks like. I hope that helps! 🙂
Melissa
I never saw the answer to my question till tonight!
Oh my, better later than never.
Thank you for taking the time to answer me
Merry Christmas, Judykay
These buns. Too dreamy. Sorry, just can’t help the bun puns this time of year 😉 But really, LOVE this recipe!
Hi Karly! Haha! Perfect pun this time of year. Thanks so much! — Melissa
Do you let the rolls rise again after rolling into balls? Or immediately put in the oven?
Hi Ann! Yes, I let them rise for 1 hour after rolling into balls. I hope that helps! — Melissa 🙂
Can they rise for more than hour the 2nd time before putting them in the oven, for example, if I wanted to make them in the morning and then wait until the evening to bake them?
Thanks!
I’m wondering this as well.
Hi Melissa,
Could you tell me what kind of yeast you use?
Thanks
Cindy
Hi Cindy! I use the Red Star Active Dry Yeast and found it at Costco. It works really well for me. I hope that helps. Thank you for trying out my recipe! 🙂
Do you all-purpose flour or bread flour?
Hi Jani! I used all-purpose flour to make these rolls. I haven’t tried them with bread flour yet so I may do that today and let you know. Hope that helps!
Just made these and they are terrific. One suggestion would be to warm the milk a bit and have eggs at room temperature. I found that by adding them cold, it made a cool dough which took longer to rise.
I believe your baking time needs to be adjusted. I left them in the oven for 14 minutes and they weren’t even close to being done. Typically buns/dinner rolls require about 25 minutes at 350 degrees. I just wanted to mention this for the novice bakers. Great recipe!
Will these freeze and then come back to life and still be as good?
Hi! I want to thank you for your wonderful recipes! My question about the rolls is how do you get them shaped so nicely? My dough was really sticky and so I kept adding a tbsp of flour at a time. It finally started to pull away from the bowl, and it rose beautifully in the oven as suggested. When I tried to form them into balls and put them on the pan they just slumped down. They rose back up some, but not like in the picture and I couldn’t get them smooth. Do I need more flour?
Thank you again and Merry Christmas!!!
Ps. We made your orange roll cake as well with my three little ones and they loved it!!!
Curious about this myself… making these now…
Hello Modern Honey!
I made a batch of the “The best homemade dinner roll”. This was my first time of baking rolls. And I can honestly say these were the BEST DINNER ROLLS not just homemade but also store bought. Everyone loved it. And this is coming from a family that do not eat dinner rolls! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Just want to know if I can substitute all purpose flour with wheat flour and what how many cups would be required? I baked a whole wheat bread and it turned out to a brick! Then I added 1 cup APF and it had a hole.
Your recipe is the BEST! I had tried to make dinner rolls severally even last week and it turned out HORRIBLY! Till I tried out your recipe and OMG it was amazingly good! I’m in awe. Best recipe dinner rolls I ever ate. Thank you so much.
Can these rolls be frozen after they are made? Only 2 of us & am looking for recipes that I can make & freeze to use as we want them
I am curious also if the dough may be frozen.
Hi Annette! I haven’t tried freezing the dough yet to see how it would do. I have made them ahead of time and frozen the rolls once they are baked. This is the direction I just gave to another reader asking if the rolls could be frozen, in case you want to try that route…
Yes, these freeze beautifully. My suggestion would be to bake them first, let them cool, and then carefully place them in freezer bags. I end up placing the freezer bags on a cookie sheet to lend support and place them in the freezer. They should stay good there for weeks. When ready to serve, leave out on the counter to bring to room temperature and then warm in the oven. I hope that helps!
So the dough rose really well, for the first rise I rolled them into balls, they looked great! I put them to rise( in the oven turned off) I think was my mistake. I got them out to cook and they were flat into the pan, I cooked them anyways,they have a great taste and the aroma is amazing!
What do you think happened?
Hello honey, can this be done in a bread maker at dough setting? I don’t have a mixer and am too old to knead dough. They sure look good.
Thank you for sharing this great recipe. I have been trying different dinner roll recipes over the last several years, looking for one that makes rolls as good as my mom made and this is the one. The rolls were a big hit at our Easter dinner this evening and the recipe is going into our family recipe book. Thanks again!
Absolutely the best dinner rolls I’ve ever made if I do say so myself I sub buttermilk for reg milk making them again today
These rolls are absolutely wonderful and for the first time i have made them so fluffy and soft i enjoyed cracking one open to get the taste of it.
These rolls are on my list from now on
I literally just took these rolls out of the oven a moment ago. i’m a novice home cook and have tried making rolls in the past to fail each time. this recipe is incredible! easy to make and so buttery. i also subbed almond milk for regular milk and it turned out just fine. thank you!!!
I baked these last night and I was wondering if they were supposed to be a dense roll or a fluffy roll(like bread). Mine turned out medium dense, so I was wondering where I could have gone wrong….
These rolls are FANTASTIC!!! Huge hit over Thanksgiving. Copied the recipe down and will use it as my rolls recipe from now on. For me, it made 24 little rolls. Perfection!
Can these be frozen? If so at what point do you freeze them? Thank you!
Hi Cecilia! Great question. Yes, these freeze beautifully. My suggestion would be to bake them first, let them cool, and then carefully place them in freezer bags. I end up placing the freezer bags on a cookie sheet to lend support and place them in the freezer. They should stay good there for weeks. When ready to serve, leave out on the counter to bring to room temperature and then warm in the oven. I hope that helps!
These are the BEST rolls ever! Took some to neighbor and they ate 4 right there.
Thanks, on Thanksgiving table for sure.
Brenda
Love to hear it, Brenda! Thank you for taking the time to write a comment. I appreciate it! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I made these last night and they were amazing! My husband said they were better than my grandmas buns and she’s basically the queen of bread. I used muffin tins instead though and they rose and turned out like perfectly shaped mushrooms haha
Have you ever used this dough to make cinnamon buns? Curious to know how it would roll out – the taste of the buns would be so perfect for cinnamon buns.
Alannah 🙂
Hello, I found this by searching for Thanksgiving homemade rolls. 🙂 Can I double the recipe from the get-go or will that mess with the yeast, water, etc proportions? Thanks!
If it helps, when i make this recipe I make the balls about the size if golf balls and I get 24 every single time. I bake them as directed, close together, in rows 4×6 and they are perfect every time. Just FYI in case you don’t want to risk doubling the recipe, you can get quite a lot of rolls from this recipe!
Thanks, Heather for the help! You are awesome! Thank you for trying my recipe and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Hi Sara! Absolutely! You can double it no problem. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Hi I’m attempting to make rolls with your recipe. However I’m a little confused so if you could please help I’d greatly appreciate it. Your recipe calls for sugar with the yeast as well as with the butter cream. Is it also the 1/2.
Hi Priscilla! The sugar is listed twice — once to be added to the yeast (1 teaspoon) and 1/2 cup to be creamed with the butter. I hope that helps!
I tried this recipe today for Thanksgiving and it smelled wonderful — but the rolls came out very dense, like heavy biscuits. Not sure what I did wrong, except maybe not kneading enough. The dough felt right. Will try it again, though, because they sound delicious!!
Tried these for Thanksgiving made them the night before and they were amazing. Reheated the next day and were not as light and airy but still good.
My dough was so sticky, I could not roll them out. What did I do wrong?
Oh yes these rolls are good. I sprinkled some Murray River Flake Sea Salt on top after I brushed with melted butter. So good. I baked off 6 buns and shaped and froze the rest. Will bring some out tonight and see how that goes. I prefer fresh out of the oven, althought they are so easy to make could make fresh every day. I have added dried rosemary to the dough and that is delicious as well.
I made these rolls last night and the smell was so wonderful. Your recipe states 1 1/2 Tablespoon of yeast. I was using the small packages of yeast and each package stated it was 1 1/2 teaspoon. I only used one package thinking all three would be too much yeast. They turned out great; but I am wondering for the next batch if I need to add all 3 packets of yeast to the recipe.
I made these for my work potluck (very first time baking with yeast). I kind of went overboard with the first rise…as it went about triple in size. So I was so afraid these wouldn’t turn out right. I ended up punching the dough down and re-kneading them then shaped them and put them in the fridge overnight to bake in the morning. Well they turned out delicious, but huge (which no one minded). The slight golden crust on the outside with the soft, fluffy, chewy inside was so good! I was so worried I messed them up but they were a hit. Many of my employees asked me for the recipe.
Your bread instructions are terrific . Thank you. And God Bless you
Hi! I’ve read in other bread & roll recipes not to use metal spoons or bowls. Do you use the metal bowl for your stand mixer to knead these?
Thanks,
Wanda Rhiner
Hi, I made these and loved them! However, using the active dry yeast took so much longer than my usual recipe. I assume it would be okay to make these with rapid rise? I would incorporate the yeast w the dry ingredients, etc. Thanks!
Best bun recipe, I have made in a long time. Thank you!
What size baking sheet do you use for this recipe?
I’m planning to make these for tomorrow but I’m wondering if I can prepare these ahead of time TONIGHT without baking. What I mean is, after rolling into balls, instead of letting rise for an hour and then immediately baking, I would put them in the fridge all night. Do you think this would work? 🙂 If so, should I let the balls rise an hour before putting them in the fridge? Or just go ahead and put them in the fridge?
Im curious about this also. I was wondering at what point the dough should go in the fridge: before letting it double in size and then rolling / letting rise an hour the next day? Or instead rolling the night before and then rising or just immediately popping them in the fridge as you’ve said. 🤞
There’s a previous question and she answered that they can be covered and refrigerated to rise overnight. I would probably say to let them warm up slightly before baking. I had the same question!
When I mix the dough for 5-7 min, should I be using the dough hook? Same to cream the butter & sugar?
Is the butter salted or unsalted?
For those that may wonder, 1.5 Tbsp of yeast = 2 packets of red star active yeast.
Should the butter in this recipe be salted or unsalted?
Can this be made without a stand mixer? I only have a hand mixer
I’ve tried zillions of dinner roll recipes and have searched and searched for the perfect dinner roll – You have ‘nailed it’ This rolls are just as you describe! The Best Homemade dinner rolls! Thanks for sharing your recipe. And Merry Christmas (these rolls will be on my Christmas Eve Menu!)
I saw same previous questions and don’t see responses. Is butter unsalted or salted?
I only use unsalted in all my baking.
These rolls were awesome! Thank you for this recipe. They remind me of sister Schubert rolls but better!
I only use unsalted in all my baking.
These ARE the best rolls…EVER!
Can you offer any suggestions to get a smoother top? Do you roll them on a board?
Mine look a bit ragged! Thanks!