The Softest Homemade Dinner Rolls

_{These deliciously soft Homemade Dinner Rolls are simple to make! Homemade with just a handful of simple ingredients, the BEST Dinner Rolls can be on your table in a jiffy. You’ll never go store-bought again. This recipe makes 17 – 18 rolls.}

The Softest Homemade Dinner Rolls

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Additional Time: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes Total Time: 1 Hour, 55 Minutes Servings: 17 – 18 Rolls

Looking for a YUMMY and Delicious Easy Homemade Dinner Roll Recipe? What is a dinner party or gathering without a basket of warm rolls on the table? These homemade rolls will be gone in no time in your home.  

This is a family staple in our home. These rolls are soft and tender, but with enough substance to them that they won’t break apart under the butter knife. They have a mild sweetness that goes well with a Sunday chicken dinner or at a potluck supper.  You can make these rolls in a few hours and all from scratch.

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.

Why you will love these dinner rolls

Simple Ingredients: Made with basic pantry staples like flour, water, yeast, and a touch of sugar, you can easily whip these rolls up whenever the craving strikes. They’re uncomplicated yet deliver exceptional flavor.

Homemade Goodness: There’s a special satisfaction that comes from baking your own bread. I always feel good when I made homemade food for my family.

Freezing and Reheating Friendly: Make a large batch and freeze the extras! These rolls can be easily reheated, allowing for fresh-baked enjoyment even on busy days. My son loves these as an after-school snack with cheese.

Ingredients Needed

Please note that a full list of ingredients and a printable version of this recipe is available below.

• Dry active yeast – You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. If using active dry yeast, the rise times will be a little longer.
• Warm water and scalded milk cooled to warm – The milk and water is what activate the yeast, so be diligent about checking for the right temperature. You’re looking for somewhere between 100-110F. I warm mine water in the microwave in a glass measuring cup and then use this thermometer to check the temperature. If it gets too hot, let it sit until it reaches the right temperature. Killing the yeast is a big no-no
• Sugar – Sugar feeds the yeast, increases its activity, and tenderizes the dough.
• Egg – One egg beaten will provide the rolls with their structure. Keeping them from falling apart.
• Salt – You can’t make flavorful rolls without salt!
• Unsalted Butter – Butter promises a flavorful and soft dinner roll. Make sure it’s room temperature. Plus, we are using extra to coat our rolls before they go in the oven.
• All-purpose flour – You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour in this recipe. All-purpose flour is convenient for most, but bread flour produces chewier dinner rolls. There are no other changes to the recipe if you use bread flour. I had done it both ways.

How to Make Homemade Dinner Rolls

STEP ONE: First, in a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes until it becomes foamy, then stir in sugar and add egg, salt, warm milk, and 4 ounces of butter.

Pro-Tip –  If your yeast isn’t alive anymore, it’s not going to work. If your yeast looks airy and you can see it producing little bubbles within the warm water, congratulations! You are good to go ahead with your baking recipe.

STEP TWO: Slowly add about 5 cups of flour, adding more as needed to make an elastic dough. Mix well by hand. It’s a bit of a workout, but it’s worth it! You can use a hand mixer with a dough hook attachment. I prefer hand mixing.

STEP THREE: Then roll out onto a floured surface and knead the dough for about 5 minutes once you have formed a nice bowl of dough. The dough should feel slightly sticky, but still very soft and pliable. It should slightly stick to the bowl.

If you add too much flour and the dough stiffens, your rolls will also get a little stiff.

STEP FOUR: Place dough in a buttered bowl, cover with a towel, and set in a warm place to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

STEP FIVE: Punch down the dough and form the dough by hand into balls. As a guide, I use a 1/4 measuring cup for sizing my rolls. Each piece I use is placed in the cup.

STEP SIX: Place dough balls together, but leave a one-inch gap on each side.

STEP SEVEN: Cover with a towel and allow to rise for an additional 1/2 hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush with remaining melted butter. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden

How to freeze rolls

You can freeze these after you shape them into rolls. When ready to eat, remove them from the freezer and allow them to thaw and rise until they double in size before baking. This can take anywhere between 1 to 2 hours, depending on the temperature in your home.

Other Homemade Baking Recipes

Homemade Cherry Cinnamon Rolls

Blueberry Sour Cream Pound Cake

Strawberry Filled Angel Food Cake

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