Is there anything better than warm bread smeared with melty butter? Thousands of people across the country have fallen in love with these dinner rolls, and for good reason- they truly are THE BEST! They are beginner friendly, so if you’re nervous about working with yeast, don’t be. This recipe makes two full pans of rolls and will definitely fill a standard Kitchenaid mixer to the absolute brim, so feel free to cut it in half if you are feeding a smaller crowd.
Ingredients Needed
- Milk – Whole milk is best. You can use 2% in a pinch, but avoid 1% or skim.
- Active Dry Yeast – This recipe calls for active dry yeast. I have not tried using rapid rise yeast, where the first rise is replaced by a 10 minute rest of the dough. If you feel like experimenting feel free to give it a try, just know it hasn’t been tested for this particular recipe. If you’re nervous about working with yeast, check out this post on tips for working with yeast dough.
- Eggs – You’ll notice the recipe calls for beaten eggs. Why should you beat your eggs first? Same reason you should combine your dry ingredients before adding them to moist ingredients when making cookies and cakes–it ensures everything is well-mixed and can be evenly-distributed through your dough or batter. If you add the whole eggs, your dough may not be as consistent.
- Sugar
- Butter
- Salt
- Warm water
- All-purpose flour
- Eggs
How to Make the World’s Best Dinner Rolls
- Combine milk, sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter melts. It’s salty. It’s sweet. Yum.
- Remove from heat. Allow to cool to lukewarm. I usually rub some ice cubes along the sides of the pan or pop the entire pan in a sink full of ice cubes to cool the mixture down because this step can take forever. This step is really important because if the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
- While the milk mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes or until the yeast is very bubbly and the mixture has risen significantly. If the yeast hasn’t bubbled, you’ll need to repeat this step–moving on with yeast that hasn’t been activated properly will only end in heartache.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of flour and milk mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes.
- Crack your eggs and give them a good whisking (this little heart whisk is one of my favorite tools for jobs like this). Add to dough mixture and mix until well combined.
- Stir in as much remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough. This dough should be very soft–it will be coming away from the sides of the bowl, but it will still stick to your finger when you touch it. Don’t worry, it will firm up during the rising process. Part of what makes these rolls so good is that they’re so soft and light; if you add too much flour, they will be heavy and dense.
- Place the bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean towel; allow to rise 1 hour.
- Punch down dough. Lightly flour your work surface and turn dough out onto surface. Divide in half.
- Spray 2 9×13 glass pans with cooking spray. Roll first portion of dough into a rectangle and then cut it into 12 equal-sized pieces. I like to use a pizza cutter because it has a blade on each side (a plastic bowl scraper is also fantastic), so it cuts right through dough without sticking to the blade. This dough should be very easy to work with, almost like playdough. Shape each piece into a ball and place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough in the second pan.
- Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. When dough has about 15-20 minutes to go (depending on your oven), preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden-brown. When done, remove from oven. Rub a stick of cold butter over the tops of the rolls. You must now eat one. Now. While it’s hot. Then pop the rest into a bowl and no one will ever know that you cheated.
Storing and Other Tips
- Homemade rolls are best eaten the same day as baking. If you do need to make them a day ahead of time, make sure they are cooled completely before storing in an airtight container.
- For best results, consume rolls within 1-2 days.
- P.S. Using this cinnamon roll filling or these cinnamon or orange roll filling, this dough makes fabulous cinnamon or orange rolls. Just bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these ahead and freeze?
While I do think rolls are best fresh and hot the day you make them, you can in fact prepare these ahead of time. Make dough through the roll-shaping step. Place your shaped rolls on parchment paper in a single layer and place in freezer. Once frozen solid you can place them in a bag together. When ready to cook, leave at room temperature, lightly covered with a piece of plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick spray. They will need to defrost and then also have time to rise (think store-bought Rhodes rolls) so you will want to leave plenty of time for that (I’m guessing 3-5 hours). You can also cook the rolls, cool completely, and then freeze immediately.
My rolls are dense and doughy. What happened?
There could be a few culprits here. If your yeast is old or not activated properly, the dough will fail to rise and create air pockets, leaving the final product flat and dense. Too much flour will do the same thing. Make sure your yeast is fresh and active and refer to the pictures above to see how your dough should look when it has the perfect amount of flour! Lastly, don’t rush the rise. If your house isn’t very warm, it will take longer for your rolls to proof and be ready to bake!
Can I use rapid rise yeast and skip the first rise?
In theory, this would work ok, but I have not personally tried that method with this recipe. If you feel like trying it out, give it a go! If you’re looking for a recipe designed for use with rapid rise yeast, try out these One-Hour Dinner Rolls.
World’s Best Dinner Rolls
These reader favorite dinner rolls are soft and fluffy. Perfect for holiday dinners!
Servings rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk if you’re in a pinch, you can use 2%, but whole is best. Don’t use 1% or skim.
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar divided
- ⅓ cup butter 5 ⅓ tablespoons
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 packages active dry yeast or 4 ½ teaspoons
- ⅔ cup warm water 105-115℉
- 8-9 cups all-purpose flour divided
- 3 beaten eggs
Instructions
- Combine milk, ½ cup sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter melts. Remove from heat. Allow to cool to lukewarm. I usually rub some ice cubes along the sides of the pan or pop the entire pan in a sink full of ice cubes to cool the mixture down because this step can take forever. This step is really important because if the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
- While the milk mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes. If the yeast hasn’t bubbled, you’ll need to repeat this step–moving on with yeast that hasn’t been activated properly will only end in heartache.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups flour and milk mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes.
- Add beaten eggs.
- Stir in as much remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough, about 5 – 6 cups. This dough should be very soft–it will be coming away from the sides of the bowl, but it will still stick to your finger when you touch it. Don’t worry, it will firm up during the rising process. Part of what makes these rolls so good is that they’re so soft and light; if you add too much flour, they will be heavy and dense. Place the bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean towel; allow to rise 1 hour.
- Punch down dough. Lightly flour your work surface and turn dough out onto surface. Divide in half.
- Spray two 9×13 glass pans with cooking spray. Roll first portion of dough into a rectangle and then cut it into 12 equal-sized pieces. I like to use a pizza cutter because it has a blade on each side, so it cuts right through dough without sticking to the blade. This dough should be very easy to work with, almost like playdough. Shape each piece into a ball and place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough in the second pan.
- Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. When dough has about 15-20 minutes to go (depending on your oven), preheat oven to 375℉.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden-brown.
- When done, remove from oven. Rub a stick of cold butter over the tops of the rolls.
Notes
- MAKING AHEAD: We have received tons of comments and emails asking about making these rolls ahead, or freezing the dough, etc. Note that we have never before tried any of these methods so we can’t give you an answer for sure. You can try freezing the dough after they have been shaped (but before the second rise) and you can certainly try cooking and cooling completely and then freezing. Just keep in mind we only make these fresh and eat them hot from the pan so that’s all the info we can give you.
- For best results, consume rolls within 1-2 days.
- P.S. Using this cinnamon roll filling or these cinnamon or orange roll filling, this dough makes fabulous cinnamon or orange rolls. Just bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutrition
Serving: 1roll, Calories: 214kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 231mg, Potassium: 89mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 141IU, Vitamin C: 0.002mg, Calcium: 35mg, Iron: 2mg
Calories: 214kcal
Cost: $8
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Questions & Reviews
Great recipe! I made 30 rolls out of the dough and baked in 2-9×13 glass dishes. I made the dough the night before I needed them, after the first rise I formed and placed the dough in the pans and covered with plastic wrapped sprayed with cooking oil. Then placed in my very cold garage on the concrete floor overnight:) In the morning I brought them inside to warm up and continue rising (they rose a tiny bit overnight). Baked both dishes in the oven at the same time but switched the pans and rotated 180 degrees 1/2 way through baking. Turned out beautifully! And cut down on the cooking and baking on Thanksgiving Day!!
I did it!! But not without some serious stress… After an hour waiting to rise, sitting on the stove with the oven set to 200 degrees with no action, i turned up the heat to 350, cracked the door and 40 minutes later: BAM! I had massive dough. Those puppies are amazing. I make no apologies for eating three right out of the oven. 😉
Thanks for the great recipe!!
I just made these as a pre thanksgiving trial since I am hosting it this year. This is only my second attempt at baking rolls from scratch, first was yesterday and they came out more like muffins (different recipe). I found this recipe online and tried it out today and wow, perfect! I did the 1/3 recipe since it was a trial and only used two cups of flour total. I baked 9 in a glass pie pan and the other 9 are in the fridge, I put them in before the second rise which I am not sure if that is right or wrong but I guess I will find out tomorrow. I ate three and my husband ate the other 6- delicious, thank you for sharing!
Made these tonight. They were fantastic. These definitely should be sold in stores. They are that good 🙂
Bet you could stuff a little sausage in the middle of the dough before the second rise … kolaches! Yummm (I always boil my little sausages first to get out as much of the grease as I can and then cool and dry them completely before I put them in the dough) 🙂
I struggled for YEARS with yeast dough! I loved it when it worked, but many times it did not. Then I found an almost foolproof method that protects the yeast and speeds up the process resulting in a much more user friendly yeast dough experience! Basically you mix 1/2 the flour and all the dry ingredients, including the yeast. Then you add the wet ingredients gradually as you mix. Once it is all incorporated well, mix for another minute. Then add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. When the yeast is mixed in with the flour, it insulates the yeast against minor temperature variations, so you are not as likely to accidentally kill your yeast! I have been making breads and rolls like this for over 15 years now and would never go back!
I made these for dinner at my BF’s sister’s house and everyone loved them. First time baking anything involving yeast! They turned out great! Thanks for the help!!!!
I made this for the first time last night with some clam chowder and oh my holy heaven they were amazing! The only thing I did differently is egg wash them before baking. Even my mother-in-law who has been baking for 50 years said that they are the best dinner rolls she’s ever had. After biting into one she says “You need to open a store to sell these!” hahaha Thank you so much for the fantastic recipe!
Holy yeast rolls batman!! These were absolutely AAAHHH-MAZING!!!!! Made these tonight, and normally I don’t go back to comment on recipes I try, but these were too good not to! I only had one egg but they turned out perfect, yeasty and soft and mile-high! My 11 year old said we needed to find a baking competition and enter these, he at 4 and wanted more but I made him stop! They were wonderful!!!!
Is there any substitute for the milk? I would love to make these but we have non dairy meals quite often. Can I uses apple/orange juice, water or soy milk? Or will the recipe be ruined if I do?