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.

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.

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About Dinner Rolls
Dinner Rolls Ingredients
Expert Tips
Step by Step Pictures
FAQ
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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.

About Dinner Rolls

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.

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.

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.

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

Step by Step 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.

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.

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.

4)Now add in egg and whisk till combined.

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.

Dinner Rolls Dough

6)Add in wheat flour.

7)Add salt to this.

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

9)Pour in the yeast liquid.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

FAQ

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.

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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 @aarthi198689@gmail.com and I'll help as soon as I can.

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