These Dinner Rolls are so light and fluffy and are the best homemade dinner rolls ever! These homemade rolls are made with only 8 ingredients and are so easy.
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. 
Dinner Roll Ingredients:
- Yeast -- I suggest using instant yeast in this recipe but you can also use active dry yeast. More details about the differences between yeast are listed below.
- Water -- using warm water (approximately 110 degrees) is the best way to active the yeast and let it proof, foam, and bubble
- Sugar -- yeast loves sugar so this is a good way to ensure the yeast is working by adding it to the yeast and water mixture
- Butter -- softened salted butter gives these rolls the perfect amount of richness and flavor
- Milk -- use whole or 2% milk because of their fat content. It is best to slightly warm the milk to help it incorporate into the dough
- Eggs -- the perfect binder to bring the dry and wet ingredients together
- Flour -- you can use all-purpose flour or bread flour in this roll recipe
- Salt -- this is one of the most important ingredients when baking bread. It is what brings out the flavor of all of the ingredients.
What type of yeast should I use in the dinner rolls recipe?
The most popular types of yeast used in baking are traditional active dry yeast and instant fast-rising yeast.
Active dry yeast has been around for ages and is sold in packets and in jars. It is a slower-working yeast. It can be added directly to the dough with the dry ingredients and doesn't need to be proofed or activated with warm water.
Fast-rising or Instant Yeast is a finer granule and is known to work 50% faster than active dry yeast. The most popular brand is Fleishmann's instant dry yeast. This yeast can be proofed or be added to the dry ingredients.
I always prefer to activate my yeast with warm water or warm milk and a sprinkle of sugar to ensure the yeast is working.
There is a Fleishmann's RapidRise Yeast that only requires one quick rise.
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 aBosch or Kitchenaid. 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 it 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 the top of rolls to give moisture and shine.
Frequently Asked Questions:
HOW TO KNOW IF THE YEAST IS WORKING?
The key to making any type of homemade rolls recipe is to ensure the yeast is working and activated.
I suggest mixing the yeast, warm water or milk (about 105-110 degrees), and a touch of sugar into a bowl. The sugar will help to "feed" the yeast and help it to activate quicker. Yeast loves sugar! The warm water or milk also helps to activate the yeast.
If the water or milk is too hot, it can kill the yeast, but if it is too cool, it won't incorporate with the other ingredients.
The yeast should start to become foamy or bubbles will begin to surface. This is a great sign that the yeast is working. Let it work for at least 5 minutes to see if it begins to proof.
If nothing happens, start again with a new batch of yeast, warm water, and sugar.
One other tip when trying to get the yeast to begin to foam and bubble, make sure to keep it away from salt as the salt can kill the yeast.
How to know if my roll dough has risen enough?
The rule of thumb with bread baking is to watch for the dough to double in size. If possible, place it in a warm place to expedite the process. You want it to look light and airy. 
POPULAR HOMEMADE BREAD RECIPES:
- Knotted Buttery Rolls
- Homemade Garlic Butter Rolls
- One Hour Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
- Miracle One Hour White Bread Recipe
- Easy Soft French Bread Recipe
The Best Homemade Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Yeast
- ¼ cup Warm Water
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- ½ cup Butter softened
- ½ cup Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup Whole or 2% Milk best warmed
- 4 ¾ cups Flour may need to add more
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- Brush on top of rolls:
- 4 - 8 Tablespoons Butter softened
Instructions
- 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.
Video
Notes
What type of yeast should I use in the dinner rolls recipe?
The most popular types of yeast used in baking are traditional active dry yeast and instant fast-rising yeast. Active dry yeast has been around for ages and is sold in packets and in jars. It is a slower-working yeast. It can be added directly to the dough with the dry ingredients and doesn't need to be proofed or activated with warm water. Fast-rising or Instant Yeast is a finer granule and is known to work 50% faster than active dry yeast. The most popular brand is Fleishmann's instant dry yeast. This yeast can be proofed or be added to the dry ingredients. I always prefer to activate my yeast with warm water or warm milk and a sprinkle of sugar to ensure the yeast is working. There is a Fleishmann's RapidRise Yeast that only requires one quick rise.HOW TO KNOW IF THE YEAST IS WORKING?
The key to making any type of homemade rolls recipe is to ensure the yeast is working and activated. I suggest mixing the yeast, warm water or milk (about 105-110 degrees), and a touch of sugar into a bowl. The sugar will help to "feed" the yeast and help it to activate quicker. Yeast loves sugar! The warm water or milk also helps to activate the yeast. If the water or milk is too hot, it can kill the yeast, but if it is too cool, it won't incorporate with the other ingredients. The yeast should start to become foamy or bubbles will begin to surface. This is a great sign that the yeast is working. Let it work for at least 5 minutes to see if it begins to proof. If nothing happens, start again with a new batch of yeast, warm water, and sugar. One other tip when trying to get the yeast to begin to foam and bubble, make sure to keep it away from salt as the salt can kill the yeast.Find ALL of my Modern Honey Thanksgiving recipes by clicking HERE. Pin the image below on Pinterest to share with your friends and family. 
Happy Baking, my friends! xo
Kathy
Would they bake properly in a stainless steel pan? I wanted to make half a recipe, but don't have smaller than 9x13 glass baking pans.
Sherry B
Very nice. Fluffy, nice salt level, definitely will make these again.
Debs
We love these rolls as well as the garlic and herb rolls on this website. We like our rolls dense and chewy, therefore I use bread flour. When making these,I had to add over an extra 1/2 cup of flour to get the right consistency. I also prefer to use Red Star Platinum Superior Baking Yeast. If you are an avid bread maker you will love this yeast!
Modern Honey
Thank you so much for sharing your tips! I love using bread flour as well. Sometimes I even use half all-purpose flour and half bread flour. But you are right...sometimes you end up needing a little more flour. I love Red Star Superior Baking Yeast as well. It works so well!
Amanda
Can I prep the dough in advance?
Diane
I'd love to know, too.
Jessica Buick
Are there any special instructions for doubling this recipe?
These are my absolute favorite rolls (and I've tried many recipes). I have to make extra because my friends are always begging for them. Thank you for sharing!
Modern Honey
Hi Jessica! Thank you so much for your great endorsement. I appreciate it so much! I double this rolls recipe all of the time, with no problem. I would just suggest placing the roll dough in a large enough bowl to allow for it to rise double its size.
Susan K
Made these for Thanksgiving and they were a huge hit!! This will forever be my go to dinner roll recipe!
Amber Reynolds
These rolls are awesome! I followed the recipe and could not be happier with the results! They made a great side to our Thanksgiving dinner:)
roxanne Grace Ellis
Hands down the best recipe for fluffy, pillows of yeast goodness. These were beyond my expectations and I'm so looking forward to another holiday to show them off. I used fast acting yeast because I was worried about time and temperature. When I walked away and came back smelling yeast in my kitchen I knew it was ready. Frothy and foamy on top. I also used king Arthur's bread flour. I kept mine near the stove and allowed it to rise the first time for about 2 hours then pinched out balls and shaped them. I got about 20 decent rolls in a 8×16 pan. I brushed with butter baked them off and pulled them out about 20 minutes through. So so so good.
Justina
I tried making this with a hand held mixer and ended up having to add more flour...like a lot more. I'm curious how much time it would take to knead the dough by hand as the mixture was so sticky! It was my first time making rolls so it may have just been a rookie mistake.
Natalie
Unfortunately, I ran into some issues with these, which have been mentioned by others reviewers, but not addressed. I added the correct amount of flour and the dough did start to come off the sides, which about half around the dough hook and the other half in the basin of the bowl. I wasn’t sure if all of it should have formed into one ball or not, but went with your instructions which stated “when the dough starts...” my dough rose fine but was way too sticky to handle or roll into balls. I had no idea what to do. I floured a surface and would drop a lump into it, roll it in the flour, and could barely manage to get it into a ball and onto the sheet. Please update your instructions to prevent sticky dough and add a section to help people correct the issue if this happens to them. Also, why would you butter the rolls before covering them? I don’t want my dish towel covered in butter...
Ryan
My dad is a person that eats to live, not lives to eat. I made these rolls for thanksgiving this year and was very clearly instructed by him to not give these away. He never says anything about the food. These are some of the best rolls my family has ever had, and I will be forced to make them for every occasion.
Janice
Getting ready to make these rolls,
Can you use bread flour?
KJ
What kind of yeast do you use in this recipe? Active Yeast? Rapid Rise yeast? There are different kinds so so would assume the type matters.
Caleb Rodriguez
A few questions.. where it says 4 3/4 cups. Does that mean (4) 3/4 cups. Or a total of four cups and 3/4 of flour. I used all purpose flour. Letting dough rise as I'm typing this. Also, is it correct to cover rolls once you've rolled them and placed on baking sheet? Thanks in advance!
Modern Honey
Hi Caleb! So it means it is 4 cups plus 3/4 cup of flour. So it would be 4 full cups of flour plus 3/4 cup of flour. I like to lightly cover the rolls while they rise with a flour sack towel or light tea towel. I don't want to put anything heavy on the rolls to keep them from rising. I hope this helps!
Micki
Good evening, I want to make them for thanksgiving. Can I make Tuesday and shape rolls then freeze and defrost Thursday? If so, how long do I defrost? Do I put in fridge Wednesday night to defrost then on counter Thursday to rise?
marcus
I've done that many times (freezing the dough). The link below (King Arthur freeze bake rolls) is exactly what I follow to freeze and thaw and bake and never failed.
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2015/10/05/freeze-bake-rolls
Susan
Really want to make these for Thanksgiving, but what kind of yeast do you use? And what kind of flour??
Diana Schultz
In regards to the melted butter it is shown under the ingredients as follows:
Brush on top of rolls:
4 - 8 Tablespoons Butter softened
Hope this helps, I am going to make these for Thanksgiving, they look so good....
Modern Honey
Thank you so much, Diana! I appreciate it.
Annie
Can I make these ahead for Thanksgiving and freeze them? ????????
Modern Honey
Absolutely! You can make them ahead of time, let them cool to room temperature, and transfer them to a Ziploc freezer bag or something that will protect them once the rolls are in the freezer. I hope they turn out great!
Sylvia
Hi Melissa!
I really, really want to make these tomorrow morning. They look so delicious and yummy and puffy! One question: the recipe says "Bake for 14-18 minutes or until golden brown. Brush hot rolls with remaining melted butter."
I don't really understand where this melted butter came from. I do not see anywhere in the recipe it says melted butter, so I do not know what you mean by "brush them with the REMAINING melted butter."
I would really appreciate if you could clarify this for me.
Thank you so much!
Danielle
The ingredients say 1/2 c butter that goes in the rooms, and at the bottom it says 4-8 T butter for brushing on top.
Anna
Can I make these and freeze them? If so how long do I let them sit out before baking?
Rhonda Holstien
Trying to make these rolls right now, but the recipe does not say what kind of attachment to use with the stand mixer. Dough hook, whisk, or paddle?
Modern Honey
Hi Rhonda! I use the dough hook usually with bread but you can use the paddle with this recipe too. I would suggest the dough hook though. Happy Baking!
Tracy Dove-Terry
Can you update the type of flour and yeast to the recipe. Or can anyone answer this question. Self rising or All purpose? And yeast type please? Im excited to try these.
marcus
All-purpose flour, do not use self-rising. You can use instant yeast, fast-rise, or standard (active dry) yeast, whichever you prefer. The rise times will be quicker with the instant and fast-rise.
Kelly
All purpose flour.
MARILYN W BAUER
Video shows you using paddle, not dough hook. If using dough hook, do you use it from the very beginning? If not, when do you switch?
Marilyn
Do you use the dough hook on your KitchenAid from the start or do you switch once the flour is incorporated and ready to knead the dough?
Modern Honey
Hi Marilyn! I just made these dinner rolls last night for dinner and I just used my paddle attachment. You can use a dough attachment (which is what I usually do) but either of them works just fine. When making bread dough, I use both a Kitchenaid and Bosch mixers, depending on the recipe. I usually use the dough hook but with this recipe, the paddle works just fine. I hope this helps!
Sharon sue
I used the whisk attachment on my kitchen aid stand mixer and it worked great .