These dinner rolls are soft and fluffy, easy to make, and practically melt in your mouth. They are truly the most amazing dinner rolls ever. Just read all the rave reviews!
This dinner roll recipe took Chef Rachel Farnsworth over 5 years of testing to develop. It has since been enjoyed by millions of people around the world with thousands and thousands of rave reviews, heralded as the best dinner rolls on the internet. In addition to being published in her best-selling cookbook The Stay At Home Chef Family Favorites, this dinner roll recipe is used in restaurants and bakeries around the world.
Whether you are new to bread making or an experienced baker, this recipe is sure to please. Be sure to review the frequently asked questions for any troubleshooting and watch the included video demonstration so that you too can enjoy these famous rolls at home.
What if I don’t have a stand mixer?
No mixer? No problem! You can knead your dough by hand! Start out by stirring with a spoon until it becomes too difficult to stir. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead it with your hands, gradually adding in more flour and folding, pressing, and working the dough (kneading) until you have a soft and smooth dough ball that is tacky, but not sticky enough to stick to your hands.
What is the difference between active dry yeast and instant dry yeast?
Instant dry yeast can be added straight to dry ingredients and doesn’t require any waiting period or proofing. It also rises a bit quicker. Active dry yeast is a bigger size of granule and generally needs to be dissolved in a liquid before adding to a recipe. It activates a bit slower so expect 10-15 minutes extra in rise time.
What should the dough feel like?
The dough should be smooth and slightly tacky, but still very soft and pliable. If it is sticking to your hands or the sides of the bowl, you need more flour. If you add too much flour and the dough stiffens, your rolls will also get a little stiff so always add additional flour a small amount at a time. The exact amount of flour you add in bread making can vary a great deal so it’s important to go by feel. I like to say you can feel a soft roll just by touching the dough.
How should I measure the flour? Should I sift it?
The flour you buy at the store these days is generally pre-sifted. There is no need to sift your flour. I prefer the scoop and sweep method as it is ultra-convenient. Simply give your flour a fluff, use your measuring cup to scoop out the flour, and level off the top. Weighing your flour using a kitchen scale is the only way to ensure complete accuracy. Even then, bread making is both fickle and forgiving and the actual amount of flour you add can change just due to the humidity in the air. When making this roll recipe, it is best to go by the touch and feel of the dough. 1 cup of flour is approximately 125 grams.
Can I substitute gluten-free flour?
This recipe was not designed to be gluten-free. Gluten free baking involves completely different chemistry. In general, you cannot substitute gluten-free flour in baking recipes and expect it to work, however, several people have reported that a blend like Cup for Cup will work.
How do I make my rolls equal in size?
The best way to ensure that your rolls are equal in size is to weigh them. Weigh the entire batch of dough using a kitchen scale and divide that weight by 24. This will give you your target weight for each roll. Usually, this is somewhere around 2.5 ounces.
How do I shape dinner rolls so that they are round?
Once you have your dough divided into 24 pieces you can shape your rolls. Place your hand into a cupping shape parallel to a clean countertop. Place the dough ball between the palm of your hand and the countertop. Roll the dough in a circular motion between your palm and the countertop for approximately 30 to 45 seconds until you have a smooth, round roll.
Does this roll recipe make a good loaf of bread? What about cinnamon rolls?
We love a good loaf of bread and we know that the amazing results of these rolls will quickly have you wondering if you can turn it into a loaf of bread. Unfortunately, the incredibly soft and melt-in-your moth results of this roll does not produce a sturdy loaf. Instead, we worked tirelessly to bring you the ultimate guide to homemade bread instead.
This recipe does make an incredible batch of cinnamon rolls. Be sure to check out the best homemade cinnamon rolls ever!
Freezer Instructions
You can freeze dinner rolls for later baking immediately after you shape them into rolls. When ready to eat, remove them from the freezer and allow to thaw and produce their second rise until double in size before baking. This can take anywhere between 1 to 2 hours, depending on the temperature in your home.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Need to make your dough ahead of time while you are busy doing other things? Make your dough as directed and let it rise for the initial 90 minutes. Shape the dough into rolls and place them on your baking sheet. Instead of letting them rise for an additional 60 minutes, cover the shaped rolls with plastic wrap and place the pan directly into the refrigerator. While it doesn’t stop it completely, the cool temperature of the fridge will slow the growth of your yeast. Your rolls will only rise slightly while refrigerated and you can hold them this way for up to 24 hours.
When ready to bake, remove them from the fridge and allow the rolls to rise at room temperature while your oven preheats, about 30 minutes. Continue to bake as directed.
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Is Rapid Rise yeast the same as the yeast you use?
Yes, that is a term used by specific brand.
I am making these for the second time today, and my first question is, how long do you need to knead with the Kitchenaid? And secondly, my first rise is done in under an hour. It is more than doubled. Any thoughts or has anyone else experienced that? Love the buns!! Keeper recipe.
You only need to knead it as long as it takes to combine all the flour into the bread which should only take a few minutes. Rising times will always vary based on humidity and air temperature so it’s hard to predict. Once it has doubled, you can consider it done rising.
Thanks!!
Hi! Can I use this recipe to make loaves of bread? I made the rolls and they were over the top delicious!
You can, but it doesn’t quite work the way you think it will. It doesn’t make the best loaf ever. It’s good, but not the best.
Just tried this recipe! RESULT!!! Absolutely loved it – really easy too, my kids helped and they LOVED the end result too! Thanks for sharing your amazing recipe!
You did not oversell these rolls! This is a fantastic recipe, and the rolls were tender, airy and delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Rachel! What an awesome roll recipe you have created! I made these for our family get together for Easter dinner today. They were a hit!! My grandson, who is very selective in his eating, ate at least four of them, and wanted to take home the few rolls that were left. I made a honey and cinnamon butter to go with the warm rolls….YUMMY! On Friday, I made the rolls in my bread maker on dough cycle with Fleschman’s Instant dry yeast for bread machines. I put the dough in a bowl and covered it and let it raise for 90 minutes. I weighed and formed the rolls, and put them in the freezer. This Sunday morning, I took them out and let them thaw for 2 hours, but should have taken them out 1 hour earlier as they weren’t totally thawed and raised. I put them in a 130 degree oven for 1/2 hour and then baked them for 13 minutes at 375 degrees and OMG…they were wonderful! I will definitely be making these again! Thank you again for this great roll recipe! Happy Easter!
I found this recipe about a year ago and it has become my go to for family holidays. I always get rave reviews. The best part is how easy they are to make. Thank you!
Can you use Rapid Rise Yeast with the same results?
Rapid Rise Yeast is the same as instant yeast. You’ll probably see the words instant yeast somewhere on the package.
Dear Rachel, simply loved your recipe!
Never done them before. But tried so I could serve mini hot dogs at kids party and they loved. So fulfilling to cook something good and people eat and liked.
Thank you so much for sharing it with us!
If I half the recipe do I the rise time?
No.