Easy Homemade Dinner Rolls: Soft, Fluffy & Perfect for Any Meal
Imagine the irresistible aroma of freshly baked bread wafting through your kitchen, leading to a batch of piping hot dinner rolls, straight from the oven. Pair that with a generous dollop of creamy, melting butter, and you have a moment of pure culinary bliss. These easy homemade dinner rolls are designed to deliver that experience with minimal fuss, ensuring soft, fluffy perfection every single time.
Many of you might be familiar with my beloved pull-apart dinner rolls recipe. I’ve personally made them countless times, even par-baking and freezing them for those last-minute dinner emergencies. They are truly fabulous, known for their incredible softness and relatively straightforward preparation.
However, the pull-apart method involves an extra step: breaking down the dough into smaller pieces to achieve that distinctive, segmented effect. While the results are delightful, this additional shaping can add valuable time to your prep. This recipe offers a brilliant solution, cutting down the hands-on time significantly. Instead of meticulously shaping multiple small pieces, we roll the dough into one large mass, then divide it into 12 simple balls, making the process faster and incredibly efficient. You still get those wonderfully soft dinner rolls, but with less effort, making them perfect for busy weeknights or when you need a quick batch for unexpected guests.
Choosing Your Baking Vessel for Perfect Yeast Rolls
For these soft dinner rolls, I opted for my trusty cast iron skillet and a charming, homemade stoneware bowl I discovered at a local thrift store. Both provided excellent results, offering a beautiful golden crust and even baking. The beauty of this easy dinner roll recipe lies in its adaptability. You can achieve equally fantastic results using a standard 13×9 baking pan, a favorite casserole dish, or even a lasagna pan. The key is to ensure your chosen pan allows for even heat distribution and provides enough space for the rolls to rise and bake without crowding. Just make sure to properly grease your pan, regardless of material, to prevent sticking and ensure easy removal.
The core recipe for these fluffy dinner rolls remains the same as my original, but the method is slightly streamlined for efficiency. For those who love to plan ahead, you’ll be delighted to know that these rolls are also perfect for par-baking and freezing. I’ve included detailed instructions below on how to par-bake these yeast rolls, allowing you to enjoy fresh-from-the-oven goodness whenever the craving strikes, with minimal effort on the day of serving.
Baking Homemade Dinner Rolls: Tips for Success
Making yeast bread can sometimes seem intimidating, but with this simple bread recipe, you’ll gain confidence in no time. Here are a few extra tips for ensuring your dinner roll dough rises perfectly and your final rolls are wonderfully soft:
- Yeast Activation: Always check the temperature of your milk. It should be warm to the touch (105-115°F / 40-46°C) – hot enough to activate the yeast but not so hot that it kills it. If your yeast doesn’t foam or bubble after a few minutes with the sugar in the milk, it might be expired or the liquid was too hot/cold. Start over with fresh yeast.
- Flour Measurement: While the recipe provides a range for flour, the exact amount can vary based on humidity and how packed your flour is. Add flour gradually until the dough is soft and slightly sticky, but manageable. Avoid adding too much flour, as this can lead to dense, dry rolls.
- Proofing Environment: For the dough to double in size within 45 minutes, it needs a warm, draft-free spot. A slightly warmed oven (turned off!), a microwave with a cup of hot water, or simply a sunny spot in your kitchen can work wonders.
- Shaping Rolls: When rolling the dough into individual balls, ensure you pinch the seams together at the bottom. This creates a smooth top and helps the rolls maintain their shape during baking.
- Spacing: Leaving about 1/2 inch space between each roll allows them to expand and puff up beautifully, creating that classic soft-sided dinner roll texture.
- Brushing with Butter: Don’t skip the melted butter and coarse salt before baking! This step adds incredible flavor, a beautiful golden sheen, and that delightful hint of salty crunch.
The Magic of Par-Baking: Make-Ahead Dinner Rolls
Par-baking is a game-changer for anyone who loves fresh bread but needs the convenience of make-ahead options. Essentially, you partially bake your bread or rolls and then freeze them to finish baking later. This process effectively kills the yeast and establishes the structural integrity of the starches and proteins. The result is a roll that is almost fully cooked on the inside but hasn’t yet developed that signature golden-brown crust. This technique allows you to bake your bread or rolls to about 80% completion, making them perfect for transport, gifting, or simply having ready in your freezer for whenever you need them.
When par-baking your rolls, the goal is to achieve a developed internal structure without any browning. The dough should feel firm to the touch after the initial bake. To prepare these particular rolls for par-baking, omit the step of brushing them with melted butter and sprinkling with coarse salt before the first bake. These delicious finishing touches should only be applied once you remove the rolls from the freezer and are ready for their final bake.
Bake the rolls in a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven, but significantly shorten the baking time to approximately 9 minutes. Remember that oven temperatures and climate conditions can vary, so keep a close eye on your rolls. Remove them from the oven as soon as they are set and firm, but *before* any browning begins. They should still be very pale in color.
Once removed from the oven, allow the par-baked rolls to cool slightly in the pan for about 20 minutes. Then, transfer them to a plate or sheet pan that fits comfortably in your freezer. Arrange the rolls so they are not touching each other – this prevents them from freezing into a single block. Let them freeze until they are completely hard, which usually takes about 2 hours. Once frozen solid, transfer them into a durable zipper-lock freezer bag. This airtight storage will protect them from freezer burn, allowing you to store them for several weeks, ready to be transformed into warm, golden dinner rolls at a moment’s notice.
Par-Baking But Not Freezing (Same-Day Freshness)
The par-baking method isn’t just for long-term freezing; it’s also perfect for preparing rolls in the morning to enjoy later that evening. This strategy is ideal for hosts planning a family gathering or a party, who want to serve fresh rolls without the stress of last-minute prepping and baking at someone else’s house. Simply follow the par-baking instructions outlined above, but instead of transferring the rolls to the freezer, place them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to leave. Transport them in a covered container, then proceed with the final baking as described for frozen rolls, keeping in mind that you may need to slightly reduce the baking time since they won’t be frozen solid.
How to Bake Par-Baked Frozen Dinner Rolls
When you’re ready to enjoy your delicious make-ahead rolls, simply remove the desired number from the freezer bag. There’s no need to thaw them! Spray a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray, then brush each frozen roll with melted butter and sprinkle them with coarse salt. Place them in a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven and bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until they are beautifully golden brown and heated through. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can serve hot, fresh, homemade dinner rolls!
Easy Homemade Dinner Rolls
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
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Ingredients
- 1 package quick-acting active dry yeast or 2 1/4 tsp bulk quick acting yeast, I use SAF instant
- 1 ⅓ cup milk 105 to 115F degrees
- 3 to 3 ½ cups flour or whole wheat flour
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- coarse salt
Instructions
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Dissolve yeast in warm milk with sugar in electric mixer bowl. Stir in 1 cup flour, oil, and salt. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour, scraping dough from side of bowl, until soft dough forms (mine always requires all the flour, your climate may act differently). Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 45 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Punch down dough in center and fold over a few times. Prep two cast iron skillets or stoneware bakers, or a 13×9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Separate dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls, pinching the dough together with your fingers at the bottom. Place rolls into baking dish, leaving about 1/2″ space between each. Brush with melted butter; sprinkle with coarse salt.
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Bake until crust is light golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Immediately remove from pan. Store loosely covered.
Par-Bake
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Par-baking means that you are partially baking your bread and then freezing it to finish off later. Par-baking kills the yeast and creates the structure for the starches and proteins. This means it’s essentially baked on the inside, but it hasn’t developed that lovely golden crust on the outside yet. Par-baking allows you to bake bread or rolls to about 80% and then transport or save it to finish baking later.
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When par-baking your rolls, you want them to have developed structure, meaning that your dough should feel firm to the touch, but they should not have browned yet. To par-bake these rolls, skip the step of brushing them with butter and adding the salt. That should be done once you remove them from the freezer.
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Bake them in a preheated 400 F oven, only shorten the baking time to about 9 minutes or so. Of course, you may need to adjust your time as oven temps and climate conditions vary. Just keep an eye on them and remove them from the oven before they brown.
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Allow them to cool a bit in the pan, about 20 minutes, then remove to a plate or sheet pan that will fit in the freezer. Place in the freezer, none of the rolls touching each other, and allow them to get hard, about 2 hours. Remove from the freezer and pop them into a zipper freezer bag, put back in the freezer until you are ready to bake them.
Par-Baking but not Freezing
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You can par-bake your rolls in the morning to have later that night. This can be ideal for someone who wants to make rolls for a family gathering or party, but wants to skip the hassle of prepping and baking at someone else’s house. Simply par-bake as instructed above, however instead of placing rolls in the freezer, just place them in the refrigerator until you are ready to leave. Transport in a covered container, then bake as described below, but you may need to cut the baking time a little because they are not frozen.
Bake Par-Baked Frozen Rolls
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Remove desired number of rolls from freezer bag, do not thaw. Spray a baking pan with cooking spray, then brush each roll with melted butter and sprinkle with course salt. Bake in preheated 400 F oven for 12 minutes, or until browned.
Nutrition
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
More Delicious Bread Recipes to Explore
If you’ve enjoyed making these easy homemade dinner rolls, you might be inspired to try more bread-making adventures. Here are some other fantastic recipes from Amanda’s Cookin’ and other reputable food blogs:
From Amanda’s Cookin’:
- Partybrot – German Party Bread
- Quick Orange Rolls
- Simple One-Hour Homemade Bread
- Homemade French Bread
- Homemade Amish White Bread
- Homemade Multi-Grain Bread
- Bretzel Rolls – Pretzel Sandwich Rolls
- Homemade Italian Bread
From Other Great Cooking Blogs:
- Homemade Ramp and Cheddar Cheese Dinner Rolls – from If Music be the Food of Love, Play On
- Buttered Rosemary Rolls – from The Pioneer Woman
- Sweet Potato Buttermilk Rolls – from Pinch My Salt
- Poppy Seed Yeast Rolls – from Salad in a Jar
- Parker House Rolls – from One Perfect Bite
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