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These Dinner Rolls are so light and fluffy and are the best homemade dinner rolls ever! These homemade rolls are made with only 8 ingredients and are so easy.
The Best Homemade Dinner Rolls are buttery, fluffy, and taste heavenly! These homemade rolls will be gone in no time in your home.
It is SIDE DISH week on Modern Honey so I can’t wait to share everything I have been whipping up in my kitchen.
My Mom is the Roll Master. She will shake her head and say, “no honey, I am not”….but I am here to tell you she is wearing the crown. She has always said in her perfect world, she would live on homemade bread and rolls. She is always in her kitchen making up some sort of baked good to deliver to a neighbor in need. Her heart is made of gold, I tell you.
When I was teaching cooking school for kids, I had her come over and teach them everything she knows about bread. So when I wanted to learn how to make homemade rolls, I called up my Mom and she was ready to teach me all the tricks of the trade.
These BEST Homemade Dinner Rolls are heaven sent.
These rolls are made with simple ingredients — yeast, water, sugar, butter, milk, flour, and salt. It’s the ratios that matter. The dough has just the right amount of butter to make them melt-in-your-mouth rolls and enough yeast to help them rise and make them fluffy. 
Dinner Roll Ingredients:
- Yeast — I suggest using instant yeast in this recipe but you can also use active dry yeast. More details about the differences between yeast are listed below.
- Water — using warm water (approximately 110 degrees) is the best way to active the yeast and let it proof, foam, and bubble
- Sugar — yeast loves sugar so this is a good way to ensure the yeast is working by adding it to the yeast and water mixture
- Butter — softened salted butter gives these rolls the perfect amount of richness and flavor
- Milk — use whole or 2% milk because of their fat content. It is best to slightly warm the milk to help it incorporate into the dough
- Eggs — the perfect binder to bring the dry and wet ingredients together
- Flour — you can use all-purpose flour or bread flour in this roll recipe
- Salt — this is one of the most important ingredients when baking bread. It is what brings out the flavor of all of the ingredients.
What type of yeast should I use in the dinner rolls recipe?
The most popular types of yeast used in baking are traditional active dry yeast and instant fast-rising yeast.
Active dry yeast has been around for ages and is sold in packets and in jars. It is a slower-working yeast. It can be added directly to the dough with the dry ingredients and doesn’t need to be proofed or activated with warm water.
Fast-rising or Instant Yeast is a finer granule and is known to work 50% faster than active dry yeast. The most popular brand is Fleishmann’s instant dry yeast. This yeast can be proofed or be added to the dry ingredients.
I always prefer to activate my yeast with warm water or warm milk and a sprinkle of sugar to ensure the yeast is working.
There is a Fleishmann’s RapidRise Yeast that only requires one quick rise.
Buttery, light, fluffy homemade dinner rolls are a must in our home! I am sharing all of the tips and tricks to make perfect dinner rolls every single time.
How to make the BEST Homemade Dinner Rolls:
- Let your YEAST PROOF. The key is to use very warm water (about 110 degrees). Adding sugar to the yeast helps it proof even faster. Let the yeast proof for at least 5 minutes. Remember to always use fresh yeast. You will know the yeast is working when it starts to form a creamy foam on the surface.
- Use BUTTER and EGGS. The butter and eggs are what adds richness to the homemade rolls dough.
- Use a STAND MIXER. This bread recipe is easiest with a stand mixer such as aBosch or Kitchenaid. This is a huge time saver as you knead the rolls for 5 minutes in the mixer. It saves you from doing it yourself! If you don’t own a stand mixer, you can knead the bread dough by hand. Watch for the dough to start pulling away from the sides. You still want the dough to be slightly sticky but begin to pull away from the sides.
- Let RISE until DOUBLE in size. This can be done in a warm place. If you want the dough to rise faster, place the dough covered in a warm oven. Set the oven to 200 degrees, turn it off, and then place the dough in the oven and let it rise until double in size. This expedites the rising process and cuts the time in half.
- Roll into BALLS and brush with softened BUTTER. Roll into desired size and place in baking pan. Place close together so as the rolls rise, they rise upwards and not out. It keeps them from spreading. Brush with softened butter.
- BAKE until GOLDEN BROWN. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake until light golden brown. Remove from oven and spread butter over the top of rolls to give moisture and shine.
Frequently Asked Questions:
HOW TO KNOW IF THE YEAST IS WORKING?
The key to making any type of homemade rolls recipe is to ensure the yeast is working and activated.
I suggest mixing the yeast, warm water or milk (about 105-110 degrees), and a touch of sugar into a bowl. The sugar will help to “feed” the yeast and help it to activate quicker. Yeast loves sugar! The warm water or milk also helps to activate the yeast.
If the water or milk is too hot, it can kill the yeast, but if it is too cool, it won’t incorporate with the other ingredients.
The yeast should start to become foamy or bubbles will begin to surface. This is a great sign that the yeast is working. Let it work for at least 5 minutes to see if it begins to proof.
If nothing happens, start again with a new batch of yeast, warm water, and sugar.
One other tip when trying to get the yeast to begin to foam and bubble, make sure to keep it away from salt as the salt can kill the yeast.
How to know if my roll dough has risen enough?
The rule of thumb with bread baking is to watch for the dough to double in size. If possible, place it in a warm place to expedite the process. You want it to look light and airy. 
POPULAR HOMEMADE BREAD RECIPES:
- Knotted Buttery Rolls
- Homemade Garlic Butter Rolls
- One Hour Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
- Miracle One Hour White Bread Recipe
- Easy Soft French Bread Recipe
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The Best Homemade Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Yeast
- 1/4 cup Warm Water
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1/2 cup Butter softened
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup Whole or 2% Milk best warmed
- 4 3/4 cups Flour may need to add more
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- Brush on top of rolls:
- 4 - 8 Tablespoons Butter softened
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add yeast, warm water, and sugar and set aside to proof. Let the yeast bubble and foam for 10 minutes.
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream butter and sugar for 1 minute. Add eggs and milk and mix for 2 more minutes. Add in proofed yeast mixture.
- Pour in flour and salt. Mix for 5-7 minutes. Watch for the dough to start to come off the sides of the bowl. Add 1-3 Tablespoons of flour, if needed.
- Cover bowl and set aside to rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1-2 hours. If you want to expedite the rising process, heat the oven to 200 degrees, turn off the oven, and place the oven-safe bowl to rise until double in size.
- Once the dough is doubled, roll into small balls, about 16 - 20 depending on size preference. Place on greased or buttered baking sheet, close together to ensure the rolls rise upward and not spread, and brush rolls with softened butter. Cover and set aside to rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 14 - 18 minutes or until golden brown. Brush rolls with remaining melted butter.
- Serve warm or store in air-tight container.
Video
Notes
What type of yeast should I use in the dinner rolls recipe?
The most popular types of yeast used in baking are traditional active dry yeast and instant fast-rising yeast. Active dry yeast has been around for ages and is sold in packets and in jars. It is a slower-working yeast. It can be added directly to the dough with the dry ingredients and doesn't need to be proofed or activated with warm water. Fast-rising or Instant Yeast is a finer granule and is known to work 50% faster than active dry yeast. The most popular brand is Fleishmann's instant dry yeast. This yeast can be proofed or be added to the dry ingredients. I always prefer to activate my yeast with warm water or warm milk and a sprinkle of sugar to ensure the yeast is working. There is a Fleishmann's RapidRise Yeast that only requires one quick rise.HOW TO KNOW IF THE YEAST IS WORKING?
The key to making any type of homemade rolls recipe is to ensure the yeast is working and activated. I suggest mixing the yeast, warm water or milk (about 105-110 degrees), and a touch of sugar into a bowl. The sugar will help to "feed" the yeast and help it to activate quicker. Yeast loves sugar! The warm water or milk also helps to activate the yeast. If the water or milk is too hot, it can kill the yeast, but if it is too cool, it won't incorporate with the other ingredients. The yeast should start to become foamy or bubbles will begin to surface. This is a great sign that the yeast is working. Let it work for at least 5 minutes to see if it begins to proof. If nothing happens, start again with a new batch of yeast, warm water, and sugar. One other tip when trying to get the yeast to begin to foam and bubble, make sure to keep it away from salt as the salt can kill the yeast.Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Happy Baking, my friends! xo
Would they bake properly in a stainless steel pan? I wanted to make half a recipe, but don’t have smaller than 9×13 glass baking pans.
Very nice. Fluffy, nice salt level, definitely will make these again.
We love these rolls as well as the garlic and herb rolls on this website. We like our rolls dense and chewy, therefore I use bread flour. When making these,I had to add over an extra 1/2 cup of flour to get the right consistency. I also prefer to use Red Star Platinum Superior Baking Yeast. If you are an avid bread maker you will love this yeast!
Thank you so much for sharing your tips! I love using bread flour as well. Sometimes I even use half all-purpose flour and half bread flour. But you are right…sometimes you end up needing a little more flour. I love Red Star Superior Baking Yeast as well. It works so well!
Can I prep the dough in advance?
I’d love to know, too.
Are there any special instructions for doubling this recipe?
These are my absolute favorite rolls (and I’ve tried many recipes). I have to make extra because my friends are always begging for them. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Jessica! Thank you so much for your great endorsement. I appreciate it so much! I double this rolls recipe all of the time, with no problem. I would just suggest placing the roll dough in a large enough bowl to allow for it to rise double its size.
Made these for Thanksgiving and they were a huge hit!! This will forever be my go to dinner roll recipe!
These rolls are awesome! I followed the recipe and could not be happier with the results! They made a great side to our Thanksgiving dinner:)
Hands down the best recipe for fluffy, pillows of yeast goodness. These were beyond my expectations and I’m so looking forward to another holiday to show them off. I used fast acting yeast because I was worried about time and temperature. When I walked away and came back smelling yeast in my kitchen I knew it was ready. Frothy and foamy on top. I also used king Arthur’s bread flour. I kept mine near the stove and allowed it to rise the first time for about 2 hours then pinched out balls and shaped them. I got about 20 decent rolls in a 8×16 pan. I brushed with butter baked them off and pulled them out about 20 minutes through. So so so good.
I tried making this with a hand held mixer and ended up having to add more flour…like a lot more. I’m curious how much time it would take to knead the dough by hand as the mixture was so sticky! It was my first time making rolls so it may have just been a rookie mistake.
Unfortunately, I ran into some issues with these, which have been mentioned by others reviewers, but not addressed. I added the correct amount of flour and the dough did start to come off the sides, which about half around the dough hook and the other half in the basin of the bowl. I wasn’t sure if all of it should have formed into one ball or not, but went with your instructions which stated “when the dough starts…” my dough rose fine but was way too sticky to handle or roll into balls. I had no idea what to do. I floured a surface and would drop a lump into it, roll it in the flour, and could barely manage to get it into a ball and onto the sheet. Please update your instructions to prevent sticky dough and add a section to help people correct the issue if this happens to them. Also, why would you butter the rolls before covering them? I don’t want my dish towel covered in butter…
My dad is a person that eats to live, not lives to eat. I made these rolls for thanksgiving this year and was very clearly instructed by him to not give these away. He never says anything about the food. These are some of the best rolls my family has ever had, and I will be forced to make them for every occasion.