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.
can I make bread loafs with this recipe?
You CAN, but I’m not a huge fan of the loaf form of this bread. It’s the perfect roll, but not the perfect loaf.
Hello!
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! I have made these numerous times and love them so much. I have been reading through the comments trying to see if I could find my answer, but there are so many I just couldn’t make it through them all and I hope I am not asking a duplicate question ( I apologize if I am, I know that is so annoying!).
When I put all the ingredients in the mixing bowl and use the dough hook, my dough comes together RIGHT away after adding the remaining flour and pulls away from the sides. If I let it knead more, it starts sticking. I have heard you are supposed to knead bread to develop the gluten and form a lighter texture, so I wasn’t sure if I should knead it more or not? I bake all the time, but am a lazy baker and make quick things that don’t require yeast and rising time lol. I love these rolls so much, but want to make sure I am making them to their full potential!
Hi Rachel, I was wondering if these could be made more savoury rather than sweet. More like a European flavored soft rolls. I find American bread to be too on the sweet side and I miss normal bread. I like the idea of soft rolls though. How would reducing the sugar to 1 tsp just for rising affect the recipe? Thank you!
It’s definitely worth a try!
Hi there – I am going to try this recipe this weekend for our Christmas Dinner. I will be using traditional yeast, would I measure the same amount as the instant dry yeast? 2 Tbsp?
Thank you! I can’t wait to try them 🙂
Yes, the measurements are the same.
These rolls are amazing. My husband has made them 3 times for holiday dinners. I will be trying the cinnamon rolls for Christmas. Can’t wait!
When you make these, make sure you knead them enough. I didn’t and they were more biscuit like. Still good.
Can this be baked in a loaf pan or two ?
It works, but honestly, it’s not the best loaf bread. It is simply too soft.
Metric measurements for 8 rolls.
10 oz. Or 300 ml of milk
1x level tbsp. of yeast.
50 grm. of sugar
1 tsp. of salt
50 grms of butter
1x large egg
500 grms of flour
Knob of butter to brush over once cooked. Yes can be frozen and be used as dinner rolls or burger buns. All done in bread making machine.
Oven temp.180c cook for 12 minutes.
What size pan do you use?
I use a baker’s half sheet which is 13 inches by 18 inches.
Do you have to bake these immediately Fter the second rise? I am looking for a recipe I can make earlier in the day and then bake right before dinner so they can be eaten almost right out of the oven. How long can they sit after the second rise before baking they need to be baked or is it better to wait for the second rise just prior to baking. How would we store them? Fridge, countertop? Thank you!
As with any yeast based roll, if they rise too long they will deflate. You can put them in the fridge to slow down yeast growth, but even in the fridge there is some yeast growth.