These rapid-rise skillet rolls are the perfect go-to when you’re short on time but still want soft and fluffy dinner rolls on the table. These are easy to make and while you certainly could use a stand mixer, it’s not required! All you need is a bowl, a spoon, and a little bit of muscle to put this dough together. A cast iron skillet adds a crispy bottom crust, but if you don’t have one, a regular 9×13 pan works just as well!
For other delicious and easy breads try our Jalapeño Cheese Bread or Rustic Garlic Parmesan Herb Bread.
Why Our Recipe
- Ready in just an hour, these rolls are a perfect alternative if you need dinner rolls on the table fast!
- A little honey is used to add sweetness and help make the tops golden brown.
- No stand mixer is required, plus you can bake them in a skillet or a 9×13 pan.
Our Best Homemade Dinner Rolls Ever have been made in millions of homes across the globe. They are absolutely heavenly, but we understand that sometimes you just don’t have three hours to make dinner rolls! If that’s the case for you, this is a quick yeast roll recipe that will get you delicious rolls on nights when you might not have as much time.
Ingredient Notes
- Instant yeast: The best yeast to use in this recipe is instant dry yeast, but it might also be called rapid-rise yeast, quick yeast, or instant yeast in the stores.
- Warm water: Be sure that you use warm water not hot water, otherwise the heat could kill your yeast. If the water is too hot for you to touch, it’s too hot for the yeast!
- Honey: The honey adds flavor, but you could also use regular granulated sugar in the same amount.
- Butter: Make sure the butter is melted for easier incorporation into the dough.
- All-Purpose Flour: Start with 2 1/2 cups and add more as needed. The exact amount may vary based on humidity and how you measure flour, but aim for a soft dough that’s tacky, but not sticky enough to stick to your hands. You can also use bread flour.
Instant Dry Yeast
Instant dry yeast is very similar to active dry yeast. They can be used interchangeably in recipes, but instant dry yeast has a smaller granule and doesn’t need to be dissolved in water before using it. It will begin to work in the recipe instantly, which cuts down on the rising time. That makes instant dry yeast ideal for easy bread recipes like these rolls!
Use a 9×13 Instead of a Skillet
If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, no worries! A 9×13 pan will still give you beautifully baked, soft, and fluffy rolls. Simply shape the dough into 12 rolls and arrange them evenly in a lightly greased 9×13 pan.
The rolls may not get as crispy on the bottom as they would in a cast iron skillet, but they will still bake up perfectly golden brown on top and soft inside. Keep an eye on them during the last few minutes of baking since different pans can result in slightly different bake times. A light aluminum or glass 9×13 pan might require an additional few minutes, while darker pans may not need any additional time.
Proofing Your Bread
This recipe does not require you to proof your bread, but it may come in handy during winter months and cooler weather where your house may not be ideal enough for a rapid rise. The rising time, however, may increase beyond 20 minutes if your house runs on the cooler side.
Since this is a smaller recipe, you can proof your bread quickly by microwaving a cup of water until it is steaming, and then adding the dough to the microwave. Try to get it into the microwave quickly so the steam doesn’t escape, and don’t open the door until it’s finished proofing.
If you’re making a larger bread recipe, or if you have a smaller microwave, you can proof your bread in the oven. Just heat your oven to 150 degrees, then turn your oven off and place the dough in the oven and close the door. That first blast of heat will help your dough rise quickly, and the oven will continue to stay warm long enough for your dough to rise.
Storage Instructions
Let your rolls cool completely before storing them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
I’m looking for some good rolls for Thanksgiving and tried these today. However, the dough was too sticky. Not sure what I did wrong. I watched your video and followed the recipe. (New to bread making).
Add a little more flour. The amount of flour you add in bread making is always an estimate and can change based on a variety of unpredictable factors. You can watch the video for a demonstration and more tips.
Made these for breakfast this morning and they were delicious. I cannot believe how easy and simple they were to prepare. Hubby really liked them. Love yeast rolls. Thanks for the recipe.
can you use frozen store bought rolls instead of homemade?
I’m not sure how to interpret this question since this recipe is for homemade rolls. Are you asking if store bought rolls can be cooked in as skillet? Yes, they can. But store bought rolls will never compare to my homemade ones.
Can I use whole what flour do not use white flour????
Whole wheat flour produces a much more dense result.
Do you have to use real honey or will the ‘fake’ stuff work?
You mean the walmart kind that isn’t real honey? Yes, that stuff still works.
Do you sift the flour?
Nope!
Can you freeze these dough balls and then cook when needed? So they have to rise first? (Homemade bread newbie). Thanks!
Yes you can, but it can be a bit tricky. It’s best to follow the recipe as written at first, and then try with freezing later.
I made similar rolls for thanksgiving but they turned out more like disks or bricks. I have a hard time with the rising process. No problems with ingredients but it’s the rising. They just don’t seem to rise. I set them on top of a boiling pot but they still didn’t rise as much as they needed and turned out wrong. Any suggestions are welcomed.
You might be applying too much heat. It’s really hard to guess without a lot more information, but it sounds to me like it is possible that you are killing the yeast with too much heat.
The use of multi purpose flour and bread flour
What are the difference results?
The texture is slightly different. They have different protein contents. Either will work and the results will only be slightly different in texture only.
Cant wait to try these rolls, but I sprinkled a little flour when rolling into balls, will this be ok ??
Yes it will. The amount of flour needed in bread making is always an estimate.
Due to the temp of my house rolls took longer to rise. I also added a TB of salt instead of tsp. Delicious. Great texture and flavor.
the salt slows the yeast action. may explain longer time to rise.