Dinner Rolls

Learn how to make the fluffiest dinner rolls! These rolls are buttery, soft, and loved by everyone I serve them to. They make an excellent holiday side dish or paired alongside your favorite weeknight meal!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword dinner rolls, easy dinner rolls

Freezer Friendly Yes

Prep Time 2 30

Cook Time 20

Total Time 2 50

Servings rolls

Calories 178kcal

Ingredients

1 cup warm whole milk, heated to 110℉
1 packet of active dry yeast, or 2 1/4 teaspoons
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
6 tablespoons salted butter cubed and softened, plus more for greasing
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
3¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons salted butter melted and cooled for brushing
flakey salt optional topping

Instructions

Note: These instructions are for mixing without a stand mixer; if you have one, you can use it to help with the mixing and initial kneading steps.
Activate the yeast: In a large bowl, whisk together the warmed milk, yeast, and sugar. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
Note: if you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step and add all of the ingredients together.
Add the remaining ingredients, but gradually add the flour. Add the salt, softened butter, 1 large egg, and egg yolk. Mix these ingredients, then working in 1 cup increments, slowly add the flour, mixing constantly and scraping down the bowl as needed.
Knead the dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 8 minutes. The dough will be sticky at first, so dust with flour as you knead until the dough becomes smooth. Continue to knead until the dough springs back slightly when pressing with your finger.
Note: If using a stand mixer, with the dough hook attachment, mix on low for 5 minutes and then knead by hand for 3 more minutes.
First rise. Grease a large clean bowl with a little bit of olive oil or a neutral oil then place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and leave to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Cut and shape the rolls. Pour the dough out onto an unfloured surface. Using a knife or bench scraper, cut into 15 equal pieces. If you have a scale, each piece should be around 60 grams.
To shape into a ball, pull the edges of the piece of dough outward and then back into the middle until you create a round shape. Then flip it over and using a cupping motion with your hand, work the dough into a circle until it forms a smooth ball. Repeat.
Note: It is very important to use a clean surface for this step. The dough will shape nicely against the tension of a dry, unfloured surface.
Second rise. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter. Place the dough balls equally spaced in the dish and give a little room around the edges. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area for 1 hour.
With about 15 minutes left, preheat your oven to 350℉ with the rack in the middle.
Bake. Remove the plastic wrap and bake at 350℉ for 18-20 minutes until the tops of the rolls are golden brown.
While baking, melt 2 Tbsp butter and let cool.
Serve. Once out of the oven, brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter and optionally sprinkle with flakey salt. They are best served warm alongside your meal!

Video

Notes

Use your oven for rising. To create a warm spot for the dough to rise, and you don't have a proofing drawer or oven, you can turn on your oven for about 60 seconds, and then turn it off to capture some heat. You can also use your oven light, but some can get too hot so be careful with that. You are looking for about 80 degrees for optimal proofing.
Bake the next day. If you want to make the dough ahead of time, you can skip the final rise after shaping, and place the covered dish in your refrigerator overnight and then bake the next day.
Reheat before serving.

Nutrition