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    Buttery Dinner Rolls Recipe

    Last Updated On: Apr 14, 2025 by Aarthi

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    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Dinner Roll Recipe. Making your own bread intimidates you, fear not! This recipe for homemade dinner rolls or buttery milk rolls is super easy and very straight forward and gives you fluffy soft dinner rolls all the time. Learn how to make the perfect dinner rolls with step by step pictures and video.

    tray of baked dinner rolls

    Dinner Rolls Recipe

    Making bread can be therapeutic at times. Whenever i feel stressed or need a break from usual routine, i will start making some dough. There is something so therapeutic and relaxing in making homemade breads and rolls. I love how the dough gets soft and smooth like a baby's bottom.

    With Decades of baking experience, I have made dinner rolls hundreds of time. This is one recipe which I have perfected over the years. The recipe is very simple, but there is few techniques you have to keep in mind to get the perfect tray of dinner rolls.

    It is a great feeling while kneading the dough. Of course you can knead the dough in a stand mixer. But nothing can take over kneading it by hand. So take your time and make it.

    Table of Contents

    • About Dinner Rolls Recipe
    • Watch Me Make Dinner Rolls
    • Dinner Rolls Ingredients
    • What is Yeast?
    • Expert Tips
    • How to Make Dinner Rolls (Stepwise Pictures)
    • Dinner Rolls (without Eggs)
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • 📖 Recipe Card
    • Buttery Dinner Rolls Recipe | Softest Dinner Rolls Recipe

    About Dinner Rolls Recipe

    This classic Soft and Buttery Dinner Rolls recipe is easy to make, full of great buttery flavour, and sooo delicious fresh outta the oven. Different shaped dinner rolls recipe. Learn to make dinner rolls in different shapes. How to make braided dinner rolls.

    This recipe is very basic and gives you the best soft dinner rolls ever. It is pretty easy to make and very basic. I will share a post for different shapes of dinner rolls which you can create in another recipe. If you are making rolls or bread dough for the first time. Then make sure you learn how to activate yeast properly.

    You will love my Hamburger Rolls, 2 Hour Burger Buns. If you are into sweet stuffs, then check Pecan Sticky Buns or Monkey Bread.

    Watch Me Make Dinner Rolls

    YouTube video

    Dinner Rolls Ingredients

    dinner rolls ingredients

    All Purpose Flour & Wheat flour

    I have made dinner rolls with plain flour and also with whole wheat flour. But I found out that using half plain flour and half whole wheat flour results in a tender yet soft rolls with great texture. If you don't want to use plain flour, you can check my whole wheat dinner rolls recipe.

    Yeast

    I always prefer to use dry yeast. I buy my yeast in bulk and store them in freezer. You can use instant yeast in this recipe. But I prefer using dry yeast and it gives me peace of mind to active my yeast before adding into the dough. If you are still afraid of yeast, scroll below I have shared more details on yeast.

    Egg

    I prefer using egg in my dinner rolls. Eggs makes rolls, buns and bread softer. I use them as egg wash over my rolls before baking to give a golden sheen on top.

    Honey or Sugar

    Any bread, rolls or buns needs some kind of sweet stuff to get the balance of taste. In this recipe I have used honey but I have made this same recipe using sugar and it still works great.

    Salt 

    Most important stuff in bread baking. Also make sure you use non iodised salt for best flavour.

    Milk

    Whole fat warm milk is used to make dough. I used some water along with milk to make the dough. Milk adds to the softness of the dinner rolls.

    Butter

    Most essential ingredients which gives the buttery taste to the dinner rolls. Use soft butter when making the dough which integrate into the gluten strands and makes the dinner rolls incredibly soft.

    dinner rolls dough

    What is Yeast?

    Yeast is a living microscopic single-cell organism that, as it grows, converts its food (through a process known as fermentation) into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This trait is what endears yeast to winemakers, brewmasters and bread bakers. Baker's yeast, as the name implies, is used as a leavener. It is basically a product which is used in breads and baked goodies to add air into the bread. It makes the dough and rolls rise and gets it fluffy and soft texture.

    How to activate dry yeast for baking?

    Take yeast in a bowl, add little sugar or any sweetener. Because yeast loves sugar which helps it to activate. Now add warm water. Experts say about 110 degrees but who's checking that? Just use very warm water. If you put your fingers in the water, you wont feel it around your fingers. It has to be blood temperature water.

    You do not need hot water to activate the yeast. Hot water kills the yeast.

    A small amount of slightly warm water works best. Let it sit for a minute or two and then stir it with a spoon or a fork until the yeast is completely dissolved. Set aside for 5 mins till you see it foamy and bubbly.

    Why My Yeast is Not Activating?

    There may be three reasons for your yeast not proofing.

    • You have added too cold water. Always use warm water for activating yeast.
    • You have added hot water. Boiling hot water kills the yeast.
    • Your yeast has expired.

    PRO TIP: Always store dry yeast in freezer.

    dinner rolls shaped and proofed

    How to Make The Softest Dinner Rolls 

    Activate Yeast

    Take warm water, milk, honey in a bowl. Sprinkle yeast over it and set aside for 5 minutes. If your water milk temperature is correct yeast will activate immediately. Your mixture will look foamy and bubbly. If your mixture doesn't look like that, you have to discard the whole stuff and start again.

    Dinner Rolls Dough

    I used my stand mixer to make the dough. But you can use a hand mixer with dough hook attachment for making the dough. If you don't have stand mixer and hand mixer, you can knead the dough using a bowl and fork. This dinner rolls is sticky, so start mixing with a fork and then you can knead the dough. If you are using hands to knead the dough. Check my tips section for more tips and tricks.

    Shaping Dinner Rolls

    Dinner rolls can be shaped into balls, arranged in a baking tray and baked. But you can make various shaped dinner rolls as well..

    Baking

    Rolls are baked at high temperature to get the proper rise, fluffy texture and golden sheen on top. Make sure you apply a generous layer of melted butter over the rolls once they come out of the fridge.

    soft texture of dinner rolls

    Expert Tips

    soft and butter dinner rolls is achieved by kneading the dough. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer is more convenient for getting the texture. Kneading the dough for at least 4 to 5 minutes is essential for gluten development.

    Don't have stand mixer, no worries. Use a bowl and fork to knead the dough. The dough will be very sticky. So once the flour and water comes together into a sticky dough. You can transfer the dough to a work surface and gently start kneading. You can sprinkle some flour as you knead if you find it too sticky.

    The main step in making perfect rolls is activation of the yeast. Refer the post intro for all the steps. Knead the dough really well for soft rolls. Don't over bake the rolls else it will turn hard.

    Storage

    These rolls can be stored room temperature in an air tight container for 2 days. Store in fridge for a week and reheat for few seconds in microwave or oven.

    More Breads & Rolls Recipe

    Garlic Bread

    Cheesy Garlic Bread

    Dominos Cheese Burst Pizza 

    Real Dominos Cheese Burst Pizza

    Oregano Seasoning Mix

    Basic Cheese Sauce

    Dominos Stuffed Garlic Bread

    How to Make Dinner Rolls (Stepwise Pictures)

    Activating Yeast

    1)Start by activating yeast. Take warm water and warm milk in a jug. Make sure you use warm water. Experts say about 110 degrees but who's checking that? Just use very warm water. If you put your fingers in the water, you wont feel it around your fingers. It has to be blood temperature water.

    warm water and warm milk in a jug

    2)Now drizzle in honey and sprinkle over yeast. If you don't have honey. You can add sugar. But some kind of sweet stuff is essential for activating the yeast.

    add honey and yeast

    3)Once yeast is mixed in. Set this aside for 5 minutes. Look how foamy the yeast has become. this step is crucial before you proceed. If your yeast doesn't look foamy, you have to discard the whole thing and start again.

    activating yeast

    4)Now add in egg and whisk till combined.

    add egg and mix well

    5)I used my stand mixer to make the dough. But you can use a hand mixer with dough hook attachment for making the dough. Take plain flour in the stand mixer bowl.

    plain flour in stand mixer bowl

    Dinner Rolls Dough

    6)Add in wheat flour.

    wheat flour in stand mixer bowl

    7)Add salt to this.

    add salt to taste

    8)I used dough hook attachment. Let the mixer run for a good 1 minute. This allow the dry ingredients to combine.

    mixing in stand mixer

    9)Pour in the yeast liquid.

    pour in yeast mixture

    10)Knead this dough till it starts to come together like this.

    knead the mix in stand mixer

    11)Now start adding soft butter little at at time. Keep adding as the mixer runs for even distribution of the butter.

    add butter and mix well

    12)Now the dough has knead for around 4 to 5 minutes. The dough looks elastic and strechy.

    dough knead

    13)Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the dough and shape it gently into a ball like. Place it in a greased bowl. I used the same bowl of my stand mixer. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour till it gets doubled in size.

    smooth dinner rolls dough ready to proof

    14)Look how airy it looks like. it is almost more than doubled in volume.

    dinner rolls dough proofed

    Shaping Dinner Rolls

    15)Now you have to divide this dough into 18 equal portions. First I divide the dough into three equal portions. Then each portion is divided into three sections. Then each portion of dough is divided into three. Now you have 18 portions.

    dough divided into equal portions

    16)Flatten each ball slightly and gently. Use your hands to tuck the edges and bring it into a round shape. Now use your hands as a cup like and shape it into a smooth ball. Check my video for clear understanding.

    dough shaped

    17)Arrange the balls in a greased 9x13 baking tray. Now cover this with a tea towel and allow it to rest and rise for another 30 minutes to 1 hour.

    dinner rolls arranged in 9x13 baking tray

    18)now it looks all puffy.

    dinner rolls proofed

    Baking & Serving

    19)Dinner rolls needs egg wash. You can crack one egg in a bowl and whisk it gently. Brush the beaten egg all over the rolls. You can use milk instead of eggs too. But egg wash gives the golden colour when it is baked.

    egg wash over dinner rolls

    20)bake the dinner rolls till golden brown. As soon as they comes out of the oven, brush the top with generous amount of melted butter. Serve warm.

    baked dinner rolls

    Dinner Rolls (without Eggs)

    close look dinner rolls without eggs

    Ingredients

    • 2.5 cups All Purpose Flour 
    • 1 tsp Salt
    • 1 cup Milk (250 ml)
    • 4 tbsp Butter (melted)
    • 1.5 tsp Dry Yeast
    • 2 tbsp Sugar

    How to Make Dinner Rolls without Eggs

    1)Take butter in a sauce pan, melt it on low heat.

    melted butter in sauce pan

    2)Pour milk into the sauce pan and mix. Dip your fingers in the milk to check the temperature. It has to be luke warm.

    add in milk

    3)Now add in sugar.

    add sugar

    4)Sprinkle over yeast and set aside for 5 mins to the yeast activates.

    add yeast

    6)Now yeast looks activated.

    yeast activated

    7)Mix plain flour with salt in a mixing bowl.

    add salt to flour

    8)Pour this into the dry flour mix and mix well.

    pour yeast mixture

    9)The dough will be little sticky, but thats okay. Knead for 2 mins.

    knead into dough

    10)Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour so the dough doubles in size.

    dough risen

    11)Now punch the air out and add more flour and knead for 2 mins. Divide the dough into equal portions balls.

    divide dough into equal portions

    12)Roll each ball into a smooth round using your hands.

    shape dough into balls

    13)Arrange it in a greased baking pan and set aside for another 30 to 45 mins.

    arrange dough balls in baking tray

    14)During the last 10 mins or proofing time, preheat oven to 200 degree C. Now brush the top with some milk. 

    dinner rolls milk washed

    15)Bake for 20 to 25 mins till golden.

    dinner rolls baked

    16)Remove and serve warm.

    soft and fluffy dinner rolls

    How to Make Dinner Rolls in Different Shapes

    For making different shape dinner rolls, you can use either one of the dough, either with egg or without eggs. You have to follow certain steps to make shaped dinner rolls.

    shaping dinner rolls
    • Make the dough as mentioned in the recipe.
    • Allow it to proof for 1 hour till the dough is doubled in size.
    • Now place the dough in fridge for at least 2 hours for the dough to firm up a little.
    • Now remove the dough from fridge and divide into equal portions. Since the dough is chilled it will be easy to work with.
    • Roll the dough into different shapes. You can refer this video for shaping the rolls.
    • Allow it proof again for few minutes and Bake till done.
    YouTube video
    shaped dinner rolls

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I make bread and buns without oven?

    Yes you can. check my recipe for "How to make buns without oven"

    Why are my dinner rolls hard?

    Here are some of the reasons rolls can come out hard and flat. if your yeast is not activated, then dough wont rise and the bread will be hard. Over baking can make your rolls hard. Also not letting the dough rise enough also makes it hard.

    Why are dinner rolls called rolls?

    A bread roll is a piece of bread, usually small and round and is usually a side dish. ... These were named depending on how the dough was made and how the roll was cooked.

    Can you over knead dough?

    If you think you've over-kneaded the dough, try letting it rise a little longer before shaping it.

    What happens if I don't knead my dough enough?

    If you don't knead your dough enough by hand or if you don't allow it enough time in your mixer, the dough will lack strength. Once baked, an under-kneaded bread loaf will be flat and dense in texture

    Why is my rolls so heavy and dense?

    you did not knead it or leave it to prove for long enough or you could have killed the yeast by leaving the dough to rise in a place that was too hot.

    Can you let bread rise too long?

    Letting the dough rise for too long makes the structure of the bread weak, so it can't support itself.

    What can I eat with dinner rolls?

    You can serve it with just soups. You can even serve it with sabzi, kheema, bhurji, omelette or any curries to soak the rolls in. Garlic Soup Sticks, Masala Buns, Butter, Buns, Pav Buns, Pizza Bites and Submarine Buns.

    More Buns and Rolls to try

    • Garlic Pull-Apart Rolls Recipe
    • Easy Croissants Recipe
    • Bakery Style Butter Bun Recipe
    • Stuffed Buns Recipe
    • Hot Dog Buns Recipe
    • Madurai Special Butter Bun Recipe

    📖 Recipe Card

    Buttery Dinner Rolls Recipe | Softest Dinner Rolls Recipe

    Dinner Roll Recipe. Making your own bread intimidates you, fear not! This recipe for homemade dinner rolls or buttery milk rolls is super easy and very straight forward and gives you fluffy soft dinner rolls all the time. Learn how to make the perfect dinner rolls with step by step pictures and video.
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Resting Time: 2 hours hours
    Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 18 rolls
    Calories: 253kcal
    Author: Aarthi

    Equipment

    • Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
    • oven

    Ingredients

    Dinner Rolls Recipe

    • 2 cups All Purpose Flour | Plain flour (240 grams)
    • 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour (240 grams)
    • 2 tsp Salt
    • 1 cup Warm Milk (240 ml)
    • ½ cup Warm water (120 ml)
    • 4 tbsp Honey
    • 2 tsp Dry Yeast
    • 1 Egg
    • 40 grams Butter (3 tbsp)
    • 1 Egg (for egg wash)
    • 2 tbsp Butter (melted)

    Dinner Rolls (without Eggs)

    • 2½ cups All Purpose Flour (240 grams)
    • 1 tsp Salt
    • 1 cup Milk (300 ml)
    • 4 tbsp Butter (melted)
    • 1½ tsp Dry Yeast
    • 2 tbsp Sugar

    Instructions

    Dinner Rolls Recipe

    • Start by activating yeast. Take warm water and warm milk in a jug. Make sure you use warm water. Now drizzle in honey and sprinkle over yeast. If you don't have honey. You can add sugar. But some kind of sweet stuff is essential for activating the yeast. Once yeast is mixed in. Set this aside for 5 minutes. This step is crucial before you proceed. Now add in egg and whisk till combined.
    • I used my stand mixer to make the dough. But you can use a hand mixer with dough hook attachment for making the dough. Take plain flour, wheat flour and salt in the stand mixer bowl. I used dough hook attachment. Let the mixer run for a good 1 minute. This allow the dry ingredients to combine.
    • Pour in the yeast liquid. Knead this dough till it starts to come together like this. Now start adding soft butter little at at time. Keep adding as the mixer runs for even distribution of the butter. Now the dough has knead for around 4 to 5 minutes. The dough looks elastic and strechy.
    • Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the dough and shape it gently into a ball like. Place it in a greased bowl. I used the same bowl of my stand mixer. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour till it gets doubled in size.
    • Now you have to divide this dough into 18 equal portions. First I divide the dough into three equal portions. Then each portion is divided into three sections. Then each portion of dough is divided into three. Now you have 18 portions.
    • Flatten each ball slightly and gently. Use your hands to tuck the edges and bring it into a round shape. Now use your hands as a cup like and shape it into a smooth ball. Check my video for clear understanding.
    • Arrange the balls in a greased 9x13 baking tray. Now cover this with a tea towel and allow it to rest and rise for another 30 minutes to 1 hour.
    • During the last 10 minutes of proofing, preheat oven to 200 degree C (392 degree F) for at least 10 minutes.
    • Dinner rolls needs egg wash. You can crack one egg in a bowl and whisk it gently. Brush the beaten egg all over the rolls. You can use milk instead of eggs too. But egg wash gives the golden colour when it is baked.
    • bake the dinner rolls in 200 degree c (392 degree F) preheated oven for 15 minutes till golden brown. As soon as they comes out of the oven, brush the top with generous amount of melted butter. Serve warm.

    Dinner Rolls (without Eggs)

    • Take all purpose flour, salt in a bowl and mix well, Set aside. Take butter in a sauce pan, melt it on low heat, pour milk into the sauce pan and mix. Dip your fingers in the milk to check the temperature. It has to be luke warm. Now add in sugar and sprinkle over yeast and set aside for 5 mins to the yeast activates.
    • Now once the yeast is activated. Pour this into the dry flour mix and mix well. The dough will be little sticky, but thats okay. Knead for 2 mins. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour so the dough doubles in size.
    • Now punch the air out and add more flour and knead for 2 mins. Divide the dough into small balls and arrange it in a greased baking pan and set aside for another 30 to 45 mins.
    • During the last 10 mins or proofing time, preheat oven to 200 degree C. Now brush the top with some milk and bake for 20 to 25 mins. Remove and serve warm. 

    Video

    YouTube video

    Notes

    • The main step in making perfect rolls is activation of the yeast. Refer the post intro for all the steps.
    • Knead the dough really well for soft rolls.
    • Leave the dough to rise well for soft rolls.
    • Don't over bake the rolls else it will turn hard.
    • These rolls can be stored room temperature in an air tight container for 2 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1rolls | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 451mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 244IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @yummytummyaarthi or tag #yummytummyaarthi!
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    If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @[email protected] and I’ll help as soon as I can.

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    IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR ANYTHING FROM YUMMY TUMMY, MAKE SURE TO POST IT AND TAG ME SO I CAN SEE ALL OF YOUR CREATIONS!! #YUMMYTUMMYAARTHI AND @YUMMYTUMMYAARTHI ON INSTAGRAM!

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    Aarthi

    About Aarthi

    Over the past few years I’ve been on a mission to find and create recipes that I can make from scratch. I hope you enjoy the recipes on this blog as they are tried and true from my kitchen to yours!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anonymous

      at

      Looks good...Iam gonna try it

      Reply
    2. SUMANA ANANTH

      at

      Wow!

      Reply
    3. KIRAN ATIF

      at

      Can v make the same dinner rolls without egg in the same recepi ?

      Reply
      • Aarthi

        at

        yes u can make

        Reply
    4. Anonymous

      at

      Hi
      I ve done dinner rolls as per ur receipe.
      It didn't come well.
      Its not fluffy.
      The upper surface is hardened.
      Pl. Let me know why?
      Thank u in advance.

      Reply
    5. Parineeti Chopra

      at

      Hello Arthi I am make dinner rolls I have one question how much maida I can use 240 gm or 2cup and more mean and it is really fluffy and how can it makes upper crust hard

      Reply
    6. Maria

      at

      I have active yeast so how much should I use?

      Reply
      • Aarthi

        at

        same quantity

        Reply
    7. pooja dhaba

      at

      Nice recipe.. I must plan this for my office staffs in the coming lunch plan.
      hope they will like this.. thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.

      Reply
    8. Deepa's Review

      at

      The steps given are also easy to use to help me make dinner rolls. I find this recipe different and I will definitely make it at home.

      Thanks for sharing the wonderful recipe.

      Reply
    9. Giftbasketworldwide

      at

      Very inspiring post. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    10. Melfinoreen kharkongor

      at

      5 stars
      It's my first time making bread and it came out so perfectly thank you so much for this recipe and for your time.
      Regards,
      Melfi

      Reply
    4.67 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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