The Best Basic Soft Dinner Rolls

You know those holiday gatherings where you have amazing homemade turkey and side dishes and pies and just…so much food??  And then bread was a complete afterthought so someone grabbed a couple packages of rolls from the store?  

These are not those rolls.  These soft dinner rolls are easy and delicious, and need to become your go-to for any kind of dinner party or holiday gathering.

A really good soft dinner roll is a thing of beauty.  Pillowy and a little chewy, they have that awesome texture when you rip them.  They don’t try to take over on flavor, but are the best vehicle for piling on butter and honey.  And who knew they were so easy to make?!

While these homemade yeast rolls are pretty basic, they can easily be flavored a bit if desired…some garlic, herbs, or honey are all good options.  Go nuts!

These rolls make my list of best Thanksgiving recipes for sure!

To prepare the dough, put the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment  Lightly stir together, then cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

Once the yeast has bloomed, add the remaining sugar, the egg, butter, salt, and 1 cup of flour.  Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 

Add the remaining flour gradually, as you may not need all of it (I didn’t).  You want a stickier dough.  Beat or knead on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl (about 2 minutes).

Keep the dough in the mixer and knead for an additional 2 minutes (or you can turn it onto a lightly-floured surface and knead by hand for a couple minutes).

Lightly grease a large bowl with oil and place the ball of dough in the bowl, briefly turning it to coat all sides in the oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1-2 hours, or until double in size. 

Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan (glass preferable to metal) or two 9-inch baking pans (you can use alternative pans if you want).

When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air (“knocking it back”) and divide into 14-16 equal pieces.  I like to use a scraper tool for this, see link below.  Perfect isn’t necessarily here. 

Shape each piece into a smooth ball.  I kind of roll it into a rough ball, place it in the palm of my hand and pull pieces out to tuck under the ball (to make it smooth on top), then gently roll the knit/seams on the counter.  See photos above. 

Arrange in your prepared baking pans, leaving a little room between them since they’ll grow on their second rise.  Cover the pans with plastic wrap and allow to rise again until puffy, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.  Rotate the pan halfway through.  If the tops are browning too fast, you can cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter (or honey butter), then allow to cool slightly before serving.  The melted butter not only gives you that little glisten on top, but also helps make sure that they stay *soft* dinner rolls and don’t get stale quickly.

Look at those babies gleam!!  These homemade yeast rolls definitely deserve a permanent spot in your holiday recipe repertoire.

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

The Best Basic Soft Dinner Rolls

Yield: 12-15 depending on size

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes

These homemade yeast rolls are easy and so soft and delicious...perfect for any dinner party or holiday gathering!

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Ingredients

• 1 cup (240ml) of whole milk, warmed to about 110°F
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) of yeast
• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, divided
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup (60g) of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 4 pieces
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 3 cups (375g) of all-purpose flour or bread flour; I didn't use all of this
• Optional topping:  2 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter (can mix with honey if you want sweeter), sea salt flakes

Instructions

1. To prepare the dough, put the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment  Lightly stir together, then cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
2. Once the yeast has bloomed, add the remaining sugar, the egg, butter, salt, and 1 cup of flour.  Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 
3. Add the remaining flour gradually, as you may not need all of it (I didn't).  You want a stickier dough.  Beat or knead on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl (about 2 minutes).
4. Keep the dough in the mixer and knead for an additional 2 minutes (or you can turn it onto a lightly-floured surface and knead by hand for a couple minutes).
5. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil and place the ball of dough in the bowl, briefly turning it to coat all sides in the oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1-2 hours, or until double in size. 
6. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan (glass preferable to metal) or two 9-inch baking pans (you can use alternative pans if you want).
7. When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air ("knocking it back") and divide into 14-16 equal pieces.  I like to use a scraper tool for this, see link below.  Perfect isn't necessarily here. 
8. Shape each piece into a smooth ball.  I kind of roll it into a rough ball, place it in the palm of my hand and pull pieces out to tuck under the ball (to make it smooth on top), then gently roll the knit/seams on the counter.  See photos above. 
9. Arrange in your prepared baking pans, leaving a little room between them since they'll grow on their second rise.  Cover the pans with plastic wrap and allow to rise again until puffy, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
10. Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.  Rotate the pan halfway through.  If the tops are browning too fast, you can cover loosely with aluminum foil.
11. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter (or honey butter), then allow to cool slightly before serving.

Notes

• A glass pan is definitely preferable to metal, which will brown faster and more unevenly (possibly leaving a doughy center)
• You can add flavors to these easily, like chopped fresh herbs, garlic powder (or a garlic butter brushed on), dried fruit to make it sweet, etc.

Recommended Products

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• 
  OXO Multi-Scraper Tool

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