These homemade dinner rolls are so fluffy & pillowy soft! Easy to make with pantry staples. Make them the night before & have warm, fresh bread with dinner.

Close up image of a basket of freshly baked soft dinner rolls.

Oh my gosh, I can’t believe Thanksgiving is next week!

I know I’ve been pushing Thanksgiving recipes all month long, but just last night it occurred to me that all next week my kids will be on break. I’m so excited to be able to sleep in!

And I think I’m all set with recipes. My sister-in-law will be hosting, but since I always have an abundance of baked goods lying around, I’ll be bringing pumpkin gooey butter cake, chocolate pecan pie, and sweet potato pie.

And now I can add these soft homemade dinner rolls to that list!

I looooved the way these came out. They are so pillowy soft and fluffy! And they have a rich flavor with just a hint of sweetness.

Plus they were super simple to make.

Nothing beats homemade bread, freshly made and still warm from the oven! You’re going to love this easy, delicious recipe.

Basket of soft homemade dinner rolls with a text overlay above that reads "Easy Homemade Dinner Rolls."

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE DINNER ROLLS

This recipe is so easy to make, it’s practically foolproof!

The method is as simple as stirring together a few liquid ingredients in one bowl, a few dry ingredients in another bowl, and then combining them. Then you just add eggs and keep kneading in flour until you get the right consistency. Easy peasy!

Let’s start with the liquid ingredients.

Combine milk, cream, melted butter, and sugar in a bowl. The milk and cream should be warm but not hot (think of a baby’s bath). If it’s too hot, the mixture will kill the yeast, so be gentle!

Glass bowl with milk, cream, melted butter, sugar, and yeast.

Sprinkle the yeast all over the surface of the liquid, and set it aside for a few minutes to dissolve.

Glass mixing bowl with dry ingredients for dinner rolls.

While that is doing its thing, whisk 2 cups of the flour together with the salt.

Adding liquid ingredients to dry ingredients for homemade dinner rolls.

Once the yeast has dissolved, pour the liquid mixture into the dry.

Large glass mixing bowl with both liquid and dry ingredients for making dinner rolls.

Stir everything together until it’s well combined, then let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes.

Adding eggs to dough for homemade dinner rolls.

Next you can add the eggs! Eggs give an added richness to this bread that is so good.

Adding flour to easy dinner roll dough.

The last step to making this bread dough is to add more flour, until you get the right consistency. Add it in slowly (about 1/2 cup at a time), mixing well, until the dough gathers itself into a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl cleanly.

Dinner roll dough in a large glass mixing bowl with a dough hook.

Keep in mind that you may not need all the flour! Or you may even need a little more flour than the amount listed in the recipe card.

Making bread is often more intuitive, and it’s more important to get the consistency right than it is to follow exact measurements, particularly when it comes to flour.

HOW TO SHAPE DINNER ROLLS

Now that the dough is made, you can shape the rolls. This part is fun!

Divide the dough into 24 equal portions. I like to use a digital kitchen scale for this. My rolls were around 1.75 ounces each, but yours may need to be a little bigger or smaller, depending upon how much flour you used.

Keep the dough balls covered with plastic wrap as you work.

Grab a piece of dough and knead it around 3 times to smooth it out, then roll it into a tight ball with your hands. Try to stretch the dough over the top of the roll so it’s nice and smooth.

Shaping homemade dinner rolls with your hands.

It might look like this on the bottom.

Underside of an unbaked dinner roll.

Repeat this with all 24 portions of dough, evenly spacing them on a baking sheet or 9×13-inch pan that’s been lined with a greased sheet of parchment.

Homemade dinner rolls on a tray, covered with plastic wrap.

Then cover the rolls with a sheet of plastic wrap that’s been misted with non-stick spray. Set them in a warm place to rise for about an hour.

After one hour they should be doubled in volume!

Risen dinner roll dough.

If your rolls don’t look like this, don’t proceed to the next step. Give them more time to proof; it might be too cold in your kitchen. And be sure to check the expiration date on your packet of yeast. Your yeast could be expired or you may have killed it if your liquids were too hot.

These dinner rolls will bake in the oven for around 18 to 22 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when they’re really puffy and golden on their tops.

Brushing homemade dinner rolls with melted butter.

Brush them with a little more melted butter to give them a bright shine and added flavor. So yummy!

CAN YOU MAKE DINNER ROLLS THE NIGHT BEFORE?

You can totally make these rolls the day before!

Make the dough and shape the rolls, placing them in the pan and covering them with greased plastic wrap.

Then pop them into the fridge to chill. This will retard the growth of the yeast.

When you’re ready to bake them, first allow them to come to room temperature and then rise. Once they’re doubled in bulk they’re ready for the oven!

Homemade dinner rolls on a baking sheet.

HOW TO SERVE DINNER ROLLS

These dinner rolls are darn good at room temperature, but they’re even better warm from the oven!

I love them with a thick smear of salted butter. It’s comfort food at its best!

Place them in a basket or serving dish that’s lined with a cloth napkin, blanketing the cloth over the rolls to keep them warm and moist.

You can also use these dinner rolls for making sliders. They’re perfectly sized and their mild flavor will complement all sorts of sandwich fillings.

HOW TO KEEP THEM WARM

Few things in life are better than warm bread.

If you need to keep these warm for an extended period of time, just wrap them loosely in foil and place them in a warm oven (around 170 degrees F).

This way, they’ll stay warm as toast and so soft and moist.

HOW LONG WILL HOMEMADE DINNER ROLLS KEEP?

These rolls can be kept in a cupboard or bread box (at room temperature) for 2 to 3 days.

They’ll stay good in the fridge for up to a week. Just be sure to wrap them well so they don’t get stale or dry out.

CAN YOU FREEZE THEM?

You can freeze these rolls either before OR after baking them.

Baked dinner rolls will keep (tightly wrapped) in the freezer for several months. Thaw them at room temp and re-warm them in a warm oven, as noted above.

If you’d like to freeze the unbaked dough, shape them and then freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once they’re frozen hard, they can be transferred to a zip-top freezer bag and they will keep in the freezer for up to a month.

When you’re ready, remove them from the freezer and place them in a pan lined with greased parchment. Cover with greased plastic wrap and allow them to come to room temperature, and then double in bulk.

Then just bake them according to the recipe directions!

Tray of freshly baked easy dinner rolls, on a gray cloth with greenery in the background.

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Close up image of a basket of freshly baked soft dinner rolls.
4.86 stars (7 ratings)

Soft Homemade Dinner Rolls

Servings: 24 rolls
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
These homemade dinner rolls are so fluffy & pillowy soft! Easy to make with pantry staples. Make them the night before & have warm, fresh bread with dinner.
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup (236.59 ml) milk, (I used 1%), warm but not hot
  • 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) heavy cream,, warm but not hot
  • 4 tablespoons (59.15 g) unsalted butter, (half a stick), melted, plus extra for brushing
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 ounce (7.09 g) dry active yeast*, (1 packet)
  • 4 1/2 cups (562.5 g) all-purpose flour, (you may need slightly more or less flour)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 eggs, (large)

Instructions
 

  • Lightly mist a sheet of parchment with non-stick spray, and place it on a 10x15-inch baking sheet or in a 9x13-inch baking pan.
  • Stir the milk, cream, melted butter, and sugar together in a small bowl, then sprinkle the yeast over the surface and set aside for 5-10 minutes to dissolve.
  • Place 2 cups of the flour and the salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Add the milk/yeast mixture to the flour mixture, and stir together until combined.
  • Allow the mixture to rest for 10 minutes, then stir in the eggs.
  • Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough gathers itself into a ball and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. (You may need more or less flour depending on the humidity. Use as much or as little is needed in order to achieve the proper consistency.)
  • Divide the dough into 24 equal portions (about 1 3/4 ounce each, roughly), and roll each one into a tight ball.
  • Place the balls of dough on the prepared baking sheet, and cover with greased plastic wrap.**
  • Allow the unbaked rolls to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until nearly doubled in size.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and bake the rolls for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the dinner rolls are puffy.
  • Brush with melted butter and serve warm.

Notes

*Instant yeast may be substituted.  Rise time may need to be reduced by 10 to 15 minutes.  You'll know your dough is done rising when it has doubled in volume.
**For overnight dinner rolls, chill the shaped rolls (covered) in the refrigerator.  About 2 1/2 hours before serving, remove them from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature, then rise for about an hour, before baking.
This recipe was adapted from The Washington Post's Pillowy Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls.
Calories: 140kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 109mg, Potassium: 50mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 167IU, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 1mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Tried this recipe?Mention @bakingamoment on Instagram or tag #bakingamoment.
Dinner rolls in a basket with a text overlay.

Dinner rolls in a basket with a text overlay.

Dinner rolls in a basket with a text overlay.

Author

  • Allie

    Allie is the creator and owner of Baking a Moment. She has been developing, photographing, videographing, and writing and sharing recipes here since 2012.

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