This easy dinner rolls recipe makes soft, fluffy homemade rolls fit for any holiday table. Top the baked rolls with creamy honey butter for a truly irresistible side dish!
You can also pair these fluffy dinner rolls with cheesy ground beef casserole for an easy weeknight dinner.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Dinner Rolls Recipe
There’s nothing like a warm sweet dinner roll, fresh from the oven and brushed with honey butter. Don’t be surprised if these homemade dinner rolls kickstart a new holiday tradition in your house! Here’s why they’re the best:
- Quick. This recipe uses rapid-rise yeast, which speeds up the rising time. Have these rolls ready for the oven in an hour or less.
- Soft, fluffy bread rolls. If you’re new to baking yeasted rolls from scratch, let this recipe be your guide. Bread-baking doesn’t have to be complicated. One bite of these soft dinner rolls, and you’ll be hooked.
- Sweetened with honey. A touch of honey goes a long way in this roll recipe. Honey gives the dough a hint of sweetness and chew. Paired with savory sides, it’s seriously irresistible.
What You’ll Need
Soft dinner rolls call for a richer, fattier dough than the kind needed for crusty bread (like French bread, for example). Below is what you’ll need to make the rich dough for these dinner rolls. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card for the full ingredient amounts and instructions.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Yeast – I always have Fleischmann’s RapidRise® Yeast on hand for dinner roll recipes like this one and my Parker House rolls. Instant yeast makes the rising time so much quicker.
- Salt
- Milk – You can use whole milk (my first choice for the best texture), 2% milk, or skim milk.
- Butter – I use salted butter, but you can use unsalted if you prefer.
- Honey – The sugars in honey sweeten the dough and feed the yeast. Don’t forget to set some aside for the honey butter topping!
How to Make Dinner Rolls
I’m a firm believer that soft homemade dinner rolls shouldn’t be reserved for special occasions. With recipes as easy as this one, you’ll want to bake them all the time. Let’s get started:
- Combine the ingredients. First, combine flour with yeast and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. In a separate bowl, warm milk, water, butter, and honey in the microwave, then add the warmed ingredients to your flour mixture. Mix to combine.
- Form the dough. One half-cup at a time, add in the remaining flour and continue to beat until the dough forms a ball.
- Knead the dough. You can do this using your hands or the dough hook attachment on your mixer. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes until it’s elastic and smooth. Afterward, cover the dough and leave it to rest for a few minutes.
- Divide the dough. Next, divide and shape the dough into 12 even-sized balls. Tuck these into a greased baking pan.
- Rise. Cover the dough again and leave the rolls to rise in a warm spot. After about 30 minutes, the rolls should be doubled in size.
- Bake. Bake your dinner rolls at 375ºF for 20 minutes, until browned. When they come out of the oven, brush the tops with a combination of melted butter and honey.
- Serve! Serve your rolls warm with your favorite mains. See below for ideas.
Tips for The Best Homemade Dinner Rolls
I hope you’re inspired to give these from-scratch dinner rolls a try. If you’re new to baking with yeast, here are some final tips to keep in mind for the best results:
- Check expiration dates. Make note of the dates on the package to ensure that the yeast you’re using hasn’t expired.
- Measure the flour correctly. This is key to avoiding a dense dinner roll! Don’t scoop the flour straight from the bag. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method to measure your flour instead.
- Don’t over-proof. Your rolls are ready for the oven once they’ve doubled in size. Be careful to not let the dough rise too much, as it can deflate.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, no problem. You can make these rolls by hand with a bit of elbow grease. I recommend mixing the dough using a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Keep your rolls warm after baking. Move your dinner rolls to a bowl or basket and cover them with a dish towel to trap the warmth.
Easy Variations
Feel like jazzing things up? Here are some easy add-ins that you can mix into your dough when adding the flour:
- Herb Dinner Rolls – Add 1-2 tablespoons of fresh or dried rosemary, basil, thyme, or Italian seasoning.
- Garlic Dinner Rolls – Add a teaspoon of garlic powder to the dough, and brush the tops with garlic butter.
- Cheddar Dinner Rolls – Sprinkle in grated cheddar cheese (no more than 1 cup). Any hard cheese variety will work.
- Parmesan Garlic Rolls – Borrow the garlicky parmesan and herb topping from my parmesan garlic biscuit rolls.
Serving Suggestions
Warm, oven-fresh dinner rolls are welcome at our table with any meal, any time. They’re perfect for dunking into a bowl of creamy chicken gnocchi soup or Sloppy Joe stew or serving alongside saucy short ribs with a side of green salad. These rolls also make the perfect holiday side dish next to a juicy roast turkey with mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. You can even turn these rolls into sliders and serve them with turkey chili for Super Bowl Sunday. The possibilities are endless!
Proper Storage
These rolls are at their best when they’re served warm, but you can store any leftovers for up to 2 days at room temperature. Make sure that the rolls are cooled completely before storing them airtight. I always like to re-warm these rolls in the microwave or oven before serving.
Can I Freeze Homemade Dinner Rolls?
Yes! Dinner rolls are very freezer-friendly, which always comes in handy during the holidays. Once the baked rolls have cooled, place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and keep them frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost the rolls at room temperature before warming them up and serving.
More Holiday Sides
- Cranberry Focaccia Bread
- Crock Pot Corn Bread
- Sweet Potato Biscuits
- Fluffy Homemade Popovers
- Pumpkin Sage Drop Biscuits
Dinner Rolls
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 rolls 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dinner
Description
This easy dinner rolls recipe makes soft, fluffy homemade rolls topped with creamy honey butter. They’re a perfect side dish for dinner parties and holiday meals!
Ingredients
-
2 1/4 – 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-
1 (2-1/4 tsp.) packet Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast
-
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-
1/2 cup milk (whole, 2%, 1% or skim)
-
1/4 cup water
-
2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/4 cup honey
Topping:
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Combine 1 cup flour, dry yeast and salt in bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and stir until blended. Combine milk, water, butter, and honey in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments until very warm but not hot to the touch (120°F – 130°F). Add to flour mixture.
- Mix for 2 minutes on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in 1/2 cup more flour mix for 2 more minutes on high speed. Stir in just enough of the remaining flour (3/4 to 1 cup) so that the dough will form into a ball.
- Replace the paddle attachment for the dough hook attachment and mix on medium speed for 6-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and springs back when lightly pressed with 2 fingers. Alternately you can do this step by hand, kneading the dough on a lightly floured surface for 6-8 minutes. Cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into balls using your hands. Place in greased 8-inch round or square pan. Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise in a warm place, until they’re doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
- Bake rolls in preheated 375ºF oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- For the topping combine the butter and honey in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds until butter is melted. Mix together and brush the melted honey butter on warm rolls.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Store airtight for up to 2 days. Best served warm.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 roll
- Calories: 174
- Sugar: 8.5 g
- Sodium: 237.9 mg
- Fat: 5.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.7 g
- Protein: 3.4 g
- Cholesterol: 13.5 mg
Hello, I will be using traditional active dry yeast for this recipe. Will I add it directly to the flour, or will I need to proof it first?
Yes, active dry yeast need to be reactivated. Instant dry yeast doesn’t need it 🙂
Hi,
the first time I tried this, they failed. But I discovered my yeast was out of date. Trying them again today, took quite a while to begin to rise, bu t they are looking good now. Baking soon!!!
Question: I’ve not had to knead my dough this long for other yeast recipes, it is because of the honey?
This is the usual time I knead my yeast dough! I learned a lot from the folks at Fleischmann’s and their experts and have followed their lead.
What is the measurements difference if per chance i don’t have honey but Organic caster sugar?
You really need to use honey, or cane syrup, maple syrup or even corn syruo in place of the honey in this recipe 🙂
How much would it change the texture and taste of the rolls if we used sugar instead of honey?
You can’t sub honey for sugar in equal measure in this recipe.
I don’t know who is putting four stars but but this recipe does deserve five stars it is melt-in-your-mouth delicious and my whole family can vouch for this recipe I make it all the time now I just think that whoever’s putting any lower stars in five are the people that don’t know what they’re doing or don’t have a clue
Ha! thank you! we love these rolls so much!
Use two tablespoons of sugar instead of the honey.
Made these tonight, and wow! Brought me back to my grandma’s! They are so light and fluffy and perfectly sweet. Thank you for an excellent recipe!
So I’d like to make these to go with my dinner tonight, I only have the original active dry yeast. Will that completely change the outcome, even if I let the rolls rise longer?
Yes, the rise time will be longer, that will be the only difference!
Omy…..God beyond Delicious everybody loves I’m fascinated with them they are so delicious the best rolls I’ve ever tasted and ever made
Omy…..God beyond Delicious everybody loves I’m fascinated with them they are so delicious the best rolls I’ve ever tasted and ever made
I don’t have a mixing bowl with an attachment I just have a spatula that I normally use when I make my rolls…I was doing it like I do my rolls other times and ended up adding thenmilk mixture to all the flour at once 🙁 I just paddled it all together and then when it got good enough finished off with my hands. The dough is in a bowl covered with a towel now so I am hoping it rises
So do I bake the rolls in the same 8inch pan that I let them rise in? Also, does it need to be a metal pan? Thank you!
Yep!And no it doesn’t need to be a metal pan!
Hi! So, my husband and I have attempted to make this recipe twice. He even measured the temperature of the hot liquid before adding it and it seems like we do all of the steps, for exactly the amount of minutes, and our dough doesn’t really double. They are coming out dense, not fluffy and light… any help?? What are we doing wrong?? Thanks
Oh no!! I would recommend letting the dough rise until it doubles. Depending on the temperature in the room, or where you are allowing the dough to rise will affect the rise time. You can turn your oven on to warm, then turn it off and place the dough in the warm oven. That’s a trick I use. But if the dough isn’t doubling in size while rising, that’s definitely the issue. Please let me know if you try them again!
This was my problem! I used a thermometer, mine doubled in size, but still was dense and didn’t fully cook inside. I felt like my dish was over crowded, so I’m going to try this one more time before I give up lol
Hello! I have a quick question. If I making the rolls today for Thanksgiving tomorrow, should I still put the butter on them after I bake them today? Or should I leave that step until tomorrow and serve them warm?
Thank you! Happy Thanskgiving!!
I always recommend baking the rolls the same day you plan on serving them. You can absolutely make the dough a day ahead and roll them into balls and place in the pan to rise slowly overnight in the refrigerator, instead of at room temperature They will just rise slowly, instead of quickly. You can pop them out of the fridge and bake the next day, that way they will be fresh!