Dinner Rolls
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Perfectly soft, fluffy, and buttery—these are the absolute best homemade dinner rolls, and they’re sure to make any meal feel extra special.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
In my first cookbook, I dedicated a whole chapter to homemade breads, from traditional challah and cornbread to sweet cinnamon swirl bread. When my editor suggested I include a simple dinner roll recipe in the mix, I set to work testing dozens of recipes. While many were quick and easy with short rising times—a plus, for sure—they were also disappointingly bland and dense. I finally came up with this recipe, which uses instant potato flakes and nonfat dried milk to tenderize the bread and add flavor. These dinner rolls are soft and fluffy, with an open crumb and rich, buttery flavor. While they may not the fastest dinner rolls out there, I firmly believe they are the very best.
“These were a hit! Surprised because I thought was making just a basic dinner roll. Nope!”
What You’ll Need To Make Dinner Rolls
- Milk: Adds richness and flavor to the dough, contributing to the tender texture of the rolls.
- Water: Provides additional moisture needed for the dough.
- Egg: Contributes to the richness and color of the rolls.
- All-purpose flour: The base of the rolls, providing the necessary gluten for the rolls’ texture.
- Instant potato flakes: Add moisture, tenderness, and flavor to the rolls, also help to retain freshness.
- Nonfat dried milk: Adds protein, fat, and flavor to baked goods without impacting the liquid-to-dry ratios. This enhances flavor, tenderness, and the browning of the crust.
- Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to the rolls to enhance their flavor.
- Instant, quick, or rapid-rise yeast: Leavening agent that causes the dough to rise, making the rolls light and fluffy.
- Butter: Adds flavor, richness, and tenderness to the rolls; also used for brushing on finished rolls for a soft, flavorful crust.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Dough
In a small microwave-safe bowl combine the milk and ¼ cup water. Heat until lukewarm, 20 to 30 seconds on high heat. (This can also be done in a small saucepan on the stove.)
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the egg, flour, potato flakes, dried milk, sugar, yeast, salt, and 3 tablespoons of the butter.
Add the warm milk/water mixture.
Knead on medium-low speed for about 5 minutes until you have a smooth, soft dough. (Don’t worry if the dough sticks a bit to the bottom of the bowl.)
To remove the dough from the bowl, dust your hands with flour and scrape it out. Using your hands (dust them with more flour if necessary), shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel.
Step 2: Allow the Dough to Rise
Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it’s doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes.
Invert the dough onto a lightly floured work surface (it will deflate).
Step 3: Form Buns and Let Rise Again
Divide it into 12 even pieces (each piece should weigh 1¾ to 2 ounces). Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball by tucking and pinching the edges underneath to form a plump little bun.
Grease a 9-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place the rolls in the pan, arranging 8 evenly around the perimeter and 4 in the center. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let the rolls rise until they’re almost doubled in bulk, puffy, and touching, about 1 hour. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Brush the rolls with the melted butter.
Step 4: Bake
Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven, and turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with butter. Store the rolls in a sealable plastic bag for several days at room temperature, or freeze for longer storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Potato flakes and nonfat dried milk may seem like unusual ingredients for rolls, but they actually serve an important purpose in the baking process. Potatoes have a lot of starch, which is able to absorb and retain a lot of moisture. Adding potato flakes to the bread dough results in soft, fluffy rolls with an extended shelf-life. Additionally, dried milk — which is milk in its most concentrated form — adds protein, fat, and flavor to baked goods without impacting the liquid-to-dry ratios. This translates to bread and rolls that are especially tender and flavorful.
Yes! While the recipe calls for instant, quick, or rapid-rise yeast, it’s fine to use active dry yeast if that’s what you have on hand. In the past, active dry yeast needed to be dissolved in liquid before incorporating it into a recipe, but it has now been reformulated into a smaller particle size, making it easier to use without dissolving it first. The dough will just take a little longer to rise.
Yes, you can freeze the rolls before or after baking. To freeze before baking, after completing the first rise and shaping the dough into 12 balls, put the dough balls on a baking sheet, pop them in the freezer for about an hour or until they are no longer tacky, and then put then in a resealable freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, thaw the dough balls at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours. Once thawed, place the dough balls in the baking dish for the second rise and proceed with recipe.
To freeze the baked rolls, let them cool completely, wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and place in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 1 month. To thaw, remove the rolls from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours. Place the foil-wrapped rolls in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until warm.
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Dinner Rolls
Perfectly soft, fluffy, and buttery—these are the absolute best homemade dinner rolls, and they’re sure to make any meal feel extra special.
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup water
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off, plus more for dusting
- ½ cup instant potato flakes
- 2 tablespoons nonfat dried milk
- 2½ tablespoons sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons instant, quick, or rapid-rise yeast
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for serving
Instructions
- In a small microwave-safe bowl combine the milk and water. Heat until lukewarm, 20 to 30 seconds on high heat. (This can also be done in a small saucepan on the stove.)
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the egg, flour, potato flakes, dried milk, sugar, yeast, salt, and 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add the warm milk and water mixture and knead on medium-low speed for about 5 minutes until you have a smooth, soft dough. (Don’t worry if the dough sticks a bit to the bottom of the bowl.) To remove the dough from the bowl, dust your hands with flour and scrape it out.
- Using your hands (dust them with more flour if necessary), shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it's doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes.
- Invert the dough onto a lightly floured work surface (it will deflate). Divide it into 12 even pieces (each piece should weigh 1¾ to 2 ounces). Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball by tucking and pinching the edges underneath to form a plump little bun.
- Grease a 9-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place the rolls in the pan, arranging 8 evenly around the perimeter and 4 in the center. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let the rolls rise until they're almost doubled in bulk, puffy, and touching, about 1 hour. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Brush the rolls with the melted butter and bake for 23 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven, and turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with butter. Store the rolls in a sealable plastic bag for several days at room temperature, or freeze for longer storage.
- Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the rolls before or after baking. To freeze before baking, after completing the first rise and shaping the dough into 12 balls, put the dough balls on a baking sheet, pop them in the freezer for about an hour or until they are no longer tacky, and then put then in a resealable freezer bag; freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, thaw the dough balls at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours. Once thawed, place the dough balls in the baking dish for the second rise and proceed with recipe. To freeze the baked rolls, let them cool completely, wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 1 month. To thaw, remove the rolls from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours. Place the foil-wrapped rolls in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until warm.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Calories: 139
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 119 mg
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Followed as written. Weighed instead of measured. Had 11 rolls weighing 1.9 oz each before baking. Fantastic taste and fluffy texture. Thank you!
Hi Jenn,
Love your all your recipes! If I make these the night before I want to serve; what’s the best way to reheat them to serve warm with out drying out?
Hi Jordan, So glad you enjoy the recipes! I would reheat in a 325-oven, covered with foil, for 10-15 min.
Can I double this recipe or should I make 2 separate batches?
Hi Roberta, Yes, you can double the recipe – a 9 x 13-inch baking dish should work, but for the most predictable results, I’d use two 9-inch round pans. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
SOOO delicious and surprisingly easy to make. These will be the perfect addition to all holiday meals.
Made these this weekend and the flavor was spot on. I felt like the rolls could have been a little lighter. Can you help me troubleshoot? I used KA bread flour and a muffin tin because I didn’t have a nine inch round pan, otherwise no other changes. Should I have let them rise a little longer? I did 90 minutes in my oven on the proofing function at 80 degrees.
Hi Kerrie, Glad you enjoyed them. I suspect it was the bread flour that made them a little heavy. I would try them again with all-purpose.
Will do! Got a nine inch round pan today by USA Pans. Never tried that brand before, excited to see what they are like!
Jenn,
Made these tonight with the AP flour and 9 inch round. Turned out killer! Tall and fluffy!
So glad to hear it — thanks for taking the time to report back!
Hi Jenn, are instant potato flakes same as instant potatoes ?
Yep!
Hi Jenn!
If I wanted to make these ahead of time and freeze them, would it be best to freeze the unbaked dough or bake the rolls and then freeze? Thank you so much – I can’t wait to try them!
Hi Wendy, you can go either way, but I’d probably bake them and freeze (just because it seems easier to me). Hope you enjoy them!
So interesting, Jenn. Dried milk, potato flakes, not ingredients I would have thought to relate to bread rolls. It’s a bit of work, but worth it if the rolls can remain fresh for a few days. Home bakes using yeast, generally don’t. Especially cakes.
Hi Jenn,
Would love to make these but done have a stand mixer, how long would I have to knead for. Thanks in advance.
I’d knead the dough for 5 minutes.
Jen,
All we have on hand is standard yeast, can I just increase rising time?
Thanks, B
Yep, that’s fine. Hope you enjoy!
The rolls turned out with a great texture. But the bottoms were more brown than I would have liked and they seemed a bit sweet. Any suggestions?
Hi Janet, sorry you found them too sweet and the bottoms to be more browned than you would’ve liked.. You can serve the rolls with salted butter to balance things out and if you choose to make them again, feel free to reduce the sugar. Also, next time, put the pan with the rolls on a baking sheet prior to putting it in the oven. That will provide an extra layer of insulation. Hope you enjoy them, nevertheless!