The ultimate light and fluffy dinner rolls, made with yeast for a classic holiday side dish. Top them off with some whipped honey butter!
The best homemade dinner rolls… perfect for holidays, and with a make-ahead option!
Have you ever made homemade dinner rolls? They have this reputation of being difficult and super time-consuming… but in reality, they’re not that bad! Most of the time involved is hands-off time while the dough is rising, which frees you up to go relax, hang out with guests, or work on other dishes for your meal. And yeast, well it gets a bad rap too, but I’ll go into more about yeast in the post. But, bottom line.. you CAN do this!!
DO YOU HAVE TO USE YEAST FOR DINNER ROLLS?
Yes… dinner rolls without yeast are possible, but they have a whole other texture. What we’re looking for in a dinner roll is a soft and fluffy texture, with that slightly crispy top.
WHAT TYPES OF YEAST ARE THERE?
There are several types, which can be divided into two categories. Fresh and Dry. Fresh yeast is very perishable, comes in compressed “cakes”, and mainly used by professionals. Dry yeast has two main types: active-dry and instant (also called rapid rise). Active-dry yeast needs to be “proofed” first, by adding it to a warm liquid (such as milk or water), with some sugar or honey and left to sit for 5-10 minutes. Instant yeast is made of finer granules and can be added directly to the flour and mixed right in with no proofing needed.
HOW DOES YEAST WORK?
As a science nerd, I’ll try not to go too crazy into the details… but let’s step back a tad. There are two types of leavening agents (what causes things to rise): chemical and biological. Chemical leavening agents, like baking soda and baking powder, literally cause a chemical reaction which releases carbon dioxide gas, rising the dough. Biological leavening agents, like yeast, work by fermentation. Yeast is a fungus, which consumes sugar and excretes carbon dioxide and alcohol as by-products. That’s why when you proof yeast, you always add some kind of sugar. Basically the yeast “eats” the sugar, and then releases the carbon dioxide into air bubbles in the dough and expand them (like blowing a bubble with bubblegum), causing the dough to rise!
DO YOU HAVE TO USE BREAD FLOUR FOR DINNER ROLLS?
I’ve made dinner rolls with all-purpose flour before, and they do have a denser texture… although I haven’t specifically tested these rolls using all-purpose. I recommend using bread flour for these dinner rolls though. Bread flour contains more gluten and protein, which gives the rolls a beautiful chewy, yet light texture.
HOW CAN YOU MAKE DINNER ROLLS AHEAD?
If you’re pressed for time on the day you’ll want to serve these dinner rolls, you can make them ahead in two ways!
Refrigerator:
- Let the dough rise for the 2 hours, punch it down, then cover tightly and refrigerate overnight or for 1-2 days. Remove dough from refrigerator, cut into 16 pieces, form into rolls and place in buttered baking dish and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 – 1 1/2 hours.
Freezer:
- Let the dough rise for the 2 hours, punch it down, cut into 16 pieces, form into rolls, place in buttered baking dish, then cover tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then let rise until doubled in size, about 1 – 1 1/2 hours.
Make-ahead dinner rolls are a great option for those that like to prep ahead, but as a general rule, the longer a yeast dough sits, the stronger the “yeasty” flavor will be.
DO YOU HAVE TO USE A STAND MIXER?
Of course not, but if you have one, definitely use it to save yourself the arm workout! You can use a hand mixer or go old school and use a wooden spoon, but you’ll have to knead by hand.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING DINNER ROLLS:
- First things first… deep breath. Bread-making is not as difficult as it’s made out to be, and you can absolutely do this!
- Watch when proofing your yeast. After sitting with the warm milk and sugar, the yeast should be frothy and foamy looking. If it doesn’t, then start over with a new batch of yeast. It should look like this:
- Make sure you oil your bowl before adding the dough to rise. Otherwise it can stick to the sides of the bowl too much.
- No warm spot in your kitchen? No problemo. Preheat your oven to 175 F degrees, then turn OFF the heat and place the bowl of dough in the oven to rise. Perfectly risen dough, even in the frigid winter.
- Don’t worry if the shaped balls of dough don’t look like perfectly round rolls. No one will care once they take a bite, I promise!
- Don’t forget the whipped honey butter topping… it really takes these dinner rolls from great to amazing.
OTHER GREAT HOLIDAY DISHES:
- Copycat HoneyBaked Ham
- Cheesy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Garlic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes
- Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese
- The Ultimate Sweet Potato Casserole
- Slow Cooker Roasted Carrots
- Homestyle Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
SHOP THE RECIPE:
- Baking Dish – normally I bake in ceramic dishes, but I like to use glass here so I can see how things are baking on the sides.
- Stand Mixer – my FAVORITE kitchen appliance… been a workhorse for years and still going strong!
- Yeast – I use this brand all the time… consistently perfect results!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed to 105-110 F degrees
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 large whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 - 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
WHIPPED HONEY BUTTER
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened completely to room temperature
- 1/4 cup honey
Instructions
- Grease bottom and sides of a very large mixing bowl, set aside for later.
- Add warmed milk to bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add yeast and sugar, then stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Mixture should be frothy/foamy.
- Add honey, egg, egg yolk, melted butter, salt and 3 cups of flour. Mix on LOW speed for a minute or two, then add remaining 1/2 cup flour. Mix on LOW for another minute, until it all combines.
- Dough should be soft and thick, and slightly sticky. You're looking for the dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl as it mixes.
- Increase mixer speed to MED to "knead" the dough for a minute or two. The dough will slap against the sides of the bowl when finished.
- Turn dough out into prepared mixing bowl, turning dough to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, then place in a warm spot to rise for about 2 hours, until dough has doubled in size.
- When dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down (this removes air bubbles), then turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface (I use my countertop).
- Cut dough into fourths, then cut each fourth into 4 equal sized pieces, for a total of 16 pieces of dough.
- Form into balls and place into a buttered 9x13 baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled and puffy in appearance, about 45 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Bake dinner rolls for 18-22 minutes, or until golden brown and the tops of rolls have a hollow sound when tapped.
MAKE WHIPPED HONEY BUTTER:
- Add butter and honey to a mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer until whipped, smooth and completely combined.
- Spread honey butter on top of freshly baked rolls, and store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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Chef Tips
- Recipe makes 16 rolls.
- Prep time does not include rising times, as these will vary slightly from individual to individual.
- Flour amount is an approximation, as things like humidity in your house can effect how much flour needs to be added. Start with the 3 1/2 cups, and add more, 1 Tbsp at a time, if needed to get a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Leftover rolls can be kept for up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or frozen for 2-3 months. Warm in 300-325 F degree oven for 10 minutes or so to reheat.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Recipe slightly adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
Bob says
This is definitely a keeper. I thought the mention of honey in the dough was a mistake repeat from the honey butter recipe, which I didn’t want to make anyway, but then reread the recipe and realized I don’t have any honey. So I used real maple syrup in place of the honey. Will try again with actual honey next time, and I’ll also follow the directions and use the dough hook instead of the standard mixer attachment.
Sandy Fry says
Hi, I was wondering if you could make the dough in a bread machine on dough setting and then take out divide and let them rise?
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t have a bread machine, so I haven’t tested it. If you try it, let me know how it goes! 🙂
Carol N. says
No stand mixer? I kneaded by hand for years. Until I got old & my shoulders no longer worked well. Then I bought the super power big dog stand mixer everybody loves. Doesn’t have to be perfect. Just flatten dough out on the work surface. Then put hand under the side away from you. Pick it up & roll toward you, push down slightly. Turn dough left or right a quarter turn. Do it again. If sticky pick up flour off the board & work in as you turn. Dough will become stretchy & springy as you work. More elastic in other words. Work it until it springs back each time you push down. You get a feel for it with time.
You will get the hang of it. Don’t give up. Waste a little flour. No crime.
Satisfying use of time. I’m 84.
Sandy Fry says
Hi Amanda
I want to make these dinner rolls but I don’t have a stand mixer with a dough hook. I only have a hand mixer. Would this recipe work with a hand mixer? Thanks Sandy
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t know if a hand mixer would be strong enough to mix and knead this dough. I would just go old school with mixing it by hand with a wooden spoon, and kneading by hand. It’ll be an arm workout, but should come out just fine 🙂
Melissa Kirk says
Great rolls for any occasion! Such a forgiving recipe too. I have made them a few times and after the 1st time decided they needed just a touch more salt. I also have used agave instead of honey successfully because it is what I had on hand.
Heather says
Hey I am making these for Thanksgiving! They look amazing! Question- can I make the dough tonight and put in fridge and finish process in the morning?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, you can 🙂 Check out the section of the post titled “how can you make dinner rolls ahead” for all the details.
Melanie Barrett says
Amanda, these look delicious! I can’t wait to try them! One question: I am lactose intolerant and use lactose free milk. Do you think the lack of lactose would cause a less than perfect roll?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not done any testing on these rolls with lactose free milk, but I don’t think that would negatively effect the baking process 🙂
Kala says
I tried making this recipe tonight and I couldn’t get my milk mixture to froth up like your picture. It also didn’t rise as well as it should have. I went ahead and finished the recipe and it still turned out okay, but do you have any ideas on what I did wrong? I’m still new at this whole cooking thing so I’m sure I have a lot to learn. Thank you so much! <3
The Chunky Chef says
It sounds like your yeast was on the older side, which would cause less frothy-ness and the dough to not rise as much.
Jessica says
Make them. Just do yourself a favor, and make them. Literally the best dinner rolls I’ve ever had. Incredibly light, fluffy, and flavorful. Tips: 1) As she said, you may need more flour. I did, and added it a spoonful at a time. 2) Why 16 rolls?! It’s a 9×13 pan, just make 15 rolls dividing the 16th roll between the rest. 3) Bake to an internal temp of 195-200°F 4) Use salted butter for the honey butter for more flavor.
Jana says
I made these rolls for Thanksgiving using the refrigerator method. Excellent! Easy and great directions! Beautiful! Delicious! Husband is still talking about how great they are! I’ll be making these again and again and again! Thanks for a great dinner roll recipe.
Michelle M. says
Hi! I’m excited to do a trial run on your rolls for Thanksgiving this week. This recipe looks so good, thank you for sharing it out there!
Quick question for a newbie bread/roll baker:
When you measure your flour (since it’s in cups and not grams), do you measure in sifted cups, cups sifted, or do you fluff up your flour and measure that way? I’m particular in my baking, but don’t know how flour is typically measured in cups for bread baking, as it may be different.
Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Michelle! I hope you love the rolls, and kudos to you for doing a trial run 🙂 I measure mine by spooning the flour into a measuring cup and then leveling it off with a knife.
Sheila says
I made these rolls today. Excellent recipe!!! Easy to follow directions. Hubby loved them too! Thank you so much!
EJ says
HI there!
I am hosting my first Friendsgiving and feel these homemade rolls will be the perfect addition to my menu.
Since I will be busy all day and prefer not to freeze/make ahead, can I make dough batter at 8am and continue with the process if I am not calling dinner until 7pm or will too much time impact yeast flavor in a bad way?
thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
I wouldn’t let the rolls rise at room temperature for that long, they’ll be WAY over-proofed and can deflate back on themselves or have a sour taste. I would recommend making them through step 8, then form the rolls and place in a buttered baking dish. Cover and refrigerate until about an hour and a half before you want to have dinner. You said dinner is at 7, so at 5:30, go ahead and set the dish on the counter and let them warm up. Around 6:15 or so, go ahead and preheat the oven, then bake as directed.
Amy says
These look so good! I love how fluffy these look! I have to make these!
Krista says
I needed a new roll to try over the Holidays! This is it!
Dee says
These would be perfect for the holidays!
Melanie Bauer says
Looks absolutely delicious! I’m seriously drooling over this goodness, need to make this immediately!
Bryan says
I love dinner rolls! SometimeI get carried away though and eat waaay too many but this would be a great addition for thanksgiving! Plus no one would judge me for eating so much haha
Mahy Elamin says
Holidays are coming and I need interesting recipes. I really like your recipe. It’s really unique! Of course I want to try because it is looks incredibly delicious! THANKS!
Chrissie Baker says
Wow, these rolls are so cute! I would love to eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Thank you for sharing this great recipe!