Soft Homemade Dinner Rolls
My grandmother Pearl made dinner rolls every single Sunday without fail, and I mean every Sunday — rain, snow, Thanksgiving, Easter, the Sunday after her knee surgery when she probably should have been resting. Those rolls were non-negotiable. The whole family would gather at her long farmhouse table, and before anyone touched the roast or the mashed potatoes, those rolls had to be passed around first. Soft, pillowy, buttery, with that perfect golden top — I have chased that memory my entire baking life. This recipe, friends, is as close as I've gotten. 💛
Bread baking can feel intimidating if you've never done it, but I want you to know — these rolls are very forgiving. The most important thing is making sure your yeast is fresh and your liquids are the right temperature (warm, not hot). Once you get that down, the rest is almost foolproof. These are perfect alongside my Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork — piling that tender pork onto a warm homemade roll is absolutely one of life's great simple pleasures.
Soft Homemade Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm whole milk (110–115°F — it should feel comfortably warm on your wrist, not hot)
- 2¼ tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
- ¼ cup (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for brushing
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- Flaky sea salt for topping (optional but lovely)
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if kneading by hand), combine the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Stir gently and let stand for 5–7 minutes until foamy and fragrant. If nothing happens, your yeast may be old — start over with fresh yeast.
- Add the melted butter, egg, remaining sugar, and salt to the yeast mixture. Mix briefly to combine.
- Add 3 cups of flour and mix on low speed with a dough hook (or stir with a wooden spoon) until a shaggy dough forms. Increase to medium speed and knead for 8–10 minutes, adding flour a tablespoon at a time as needed, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and just slightly tacky but pulls away from the sides of the bowl cleanly.
- Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1½ hours, until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough gently. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 15 equal pieces (a kitchen scale makes this easy — aim for about 2 oz each).
- Shape each piece into a smooth ball by pulling the edges down and pinching them together at the bottom. Arrange the rolls smooth-side up in a greased 9×13-inch baking pan, spacing them evenly.
- Cover loosely and let rise again for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the rolls are puffed and touching each other. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the tops are deep golden brown. Immediately brush generously with melted butter and sprinkle with a little flaky salt if desired. Serve warm!
The moment you pull these out of the oven and that butter hits the tops — that smell alone is worth every minute of rising time. Katie calls me every Thanksgiving to ask if I'm making the rolls — as if I would ever dream of not making the rolls! I hope these bring a little of that same warmth and tradition to your table too. Happy baking, friends! 💛
Comments (3)
Margie, I was always scared of yeast breads but I tried these and they turned out PERFECT on the first try. My family couldn't believe I made them from scratch. I cried a little honestly. Thank you for making it feel doable!
Used the overnight tip for Easter dinner and it was a game changer. Pulled them out in the morning, let them rise, baked right before we sat down. Everyone raved. Printing and saving forever!
Helen, you made me tear up too! There is nothing like that feeling the first time a yeast dough works out beautifully. You've got it now — there's no going back! And SusieQ, that overnight method is exactly how I do it for big holidays. So glad Easter was a hit! 💛
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