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.
If I make them the day before, do you still recommended freezing?
No, just refrigerate the dough before baking.
Would it still be good if I made the dough today and kept in fridge till I cooked tomorrow?
Yes, but the dough will continue to rise in the fridge, just much more slowly.
Am thinking of making the dough in advance (a day or two). Thinking of trying…. After first rise, place dough in a zip lock bag and refrigerate. Bring dough to room temp – then continue recipe. Your thoughts?
It would work.
This is the 2nd time I made these rolls. OMG they are so easy & the BEST rolls I have ever had!!!
I am in charge of the dinner rolls for Thanksgiving.
Lets hope the family thinks the same.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!
I want to make these for Thanksgiving, but got one oven and loads of things to bake! Can I make these ahead of time like the day before and then just reheat them, would they still be soft and moist? I really don’t want to get up at like 4 am to get these done and out of the way!
Yes you can make them the night before and they will still be wonderful
I baked two pans of pull apart rolls in cake pans the day before . After they cooled, I covered them in foil. To reheat. I used my proofing oven on low with a glass of water for moisture. I think you could do the same in a regular oven too.
Hi Lillie, if cooling to take later should I butter them when they’re hot still?
Yes.
I make these ALL. THE. TIME. They are delicious!! Thank you! ♥️
I’ve been using this recipe every week for a year and my buns are always popular, I haven’t referred back to the recipe for a long time but some one asked for my recipe, and since it isn’t mine it seems right to me that I should print it from this page so that you get the credit. Anyways, I have been using 1/4-1/3 of a stick of margarine…my conversion was faulty from the first time I made them! The recipe calls for over twice that much. Is that a misprint or will this recipe really work with almost a half cup of margarine?
I am sensitive to tasting yeast in breads that rise quickly. Can I use 1 Tablespoon of yeast and double the rising time?
This recipe is not designed for that kind of alteration. Doubling the rising time doesn’t make up for the lack of yeast.
I saw this question and I was curious because…well instant dry yeast isn’t cheap but I am…I tried it today and it does work to halve the yeast, you need not double the rising time but it does take a little more time. I do believe that two tablespoons is the perfect amount for the recipe because not all yeast is equal and two tbsp is fail safe if you are using active dry yeast, expired yeast, breadmaker yeast, rapid rise…what ever you have, but with viable Instant Dry Yeast which is what the recipe calls for and what I tried today, halving the yeast is definitely OK, I can’t really say tho that I taste any less yeast in the finished product, they are just good and it is possible that what I taste as good you taste as yeast. I don’t mind if this comment doesn’t get published. Three little words, so hard to say…”I don’t know” but I can honestly say what you suggested did work for me today.
Can you Hali this recipe and have it turn out great?
Yes