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When nothing but homemade bread will do, try these easy Soft Yeast Dinner Rolls. They are perfect at your holiday table, on the side of Sunday Supper, piled with any kind of meat, or served simply with a bowl of soup.
Megganโs notes
Back in culinary school, I made these scrumptious rolls every week for months on end, for our dinner service class. The customers simply couldnโt get enough of them. Small, soft, yeasty, and golden brown, they are everything you want in a dinner roll. Serve them with softened, salted butter, and itโs hard to stop eating them.
The secret to these soft dinner rolls is the dry milk powder. Dry milk adds extra protein which means your rolls can rise higher without falling. The lactose in the milk adds natural sugars which means a faster rise (the sugar feeds the yeast) and a slightly sweeter dough.
No matter how busy I am, there are some times when I feel compelled to just slow down and make fresh bread. But since itโs so hard to slow down, I love that you can freeze these rolls for later. That means you can bake them when you have time and save them for the precious days when you need them the most.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Active dry yeast:ย Sold in little packets or jars at the store in the baking aisle. If you already have some, make sure itโs active and hasnโt expired. If you buy the jar, store it indefinitely in the freezer after opening.
Step-by-step instructions
- Soften (bloom) the yeast in warm water for 5 minutes.
- In a bowl of an stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine flour, salt, sugar, dry milk powder, butter, and egg. With the motor running on low, slowly drizzle in the yeast mixture.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and mix until shiny and smooth, about 10 minutes.
- Turn out the dough onto a dry surface and shape into a ball.
- Place into a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (80 to 85 degrees, see notes) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Punch down the dough and allow to rest a few minutes for the gluten to relax. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 4 equal portions and then divide those into 8 equal portions (about 1 ยผ oz each).
- Knead each portion into a round ball by pushing and turning the palm of your hand in a circular motion against the floured work surface, and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Cover the shaped rolls with a clean kitchen towel and place the baking sheets on top of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and proof the shaped rolls until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
- Gently brush the tops with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Serve warm or allow to cool, place in zipper-top plastic bags, and freeze for another night.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 32 delicious, buttery dinner rolls.
- Storage:ย Store cooled rolls in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days at room temperature, or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezer:ย Place on a baking sheet or plate and put in the freezer until frozen solid. Transfer the individually frozen rolls to a freezer-safe plastic bag, then bag again (I like the double-bag method for best results). Freeze for up to one month. Thaw for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Blooming yeast:ย In this recipe, you add yeast to 1 ยฝ cups lukewarm water (110 to 115 degrees). At the end of 5 to 10 minutes, the yeast should look foamy. If it does not, the yeast isnโt alive and should be discarded. Yeast activates at 40 degrees and dies at 140 degrees.
- Proofing the dough:ย Turn your oven on to the lowest temperature it will go, usually 200 degrees. Once it reaches 110 degrees, turn the oven off. Place the dough in the oven and close the door. Opening the oven door will lower the heat a bit, and thatโs okay (youโre aiming for 75 to 85 degrees).
Frequently Asked Questions
Active dry yeast lies dormant and needs a warm liquid to become โactivated.โ For best results, use lukewarm water (temperature of 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit) and give the yeast 5 to 10 minutes. Adding a little bit of sugar (especially if itโs already in your recipe) feeds the yeast, and it will bloom faster.
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Soft Yeast Dinner Rolls
Ingredientsย
- 4 (0.25 ounce) packets active dry yeast (3 tablespoons, see note 1)
- 1 1/2 cups warm water 110 to 115 degrees
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons dry milk powder
- 4 tablespoons butter softened (ยฝ stick)
- 1 egg
- egg wash (1 whole egg + 1 tablespoon water whisked together)
Instructionsย
- Soften (bloom) the yeast in warm water for 5 minutes. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine flour, salt, sugar, dry milk powder, butter, and egg. With the motor running on low, slowly drizzle in the yeast mixture.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and mix until shiny and smooth, about 10 minutes. Turn out the dough onto a dry surface and shape into a ball. Place into a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (80 to 85 degrees, see notes) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Punch down the dough and allow to rest a few minutes for the gluten to relax. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Turn out the dough onto a dry surface. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 4 equal portions and then divide those into 8 equal portions (about 1 ยผ oz each). Shape each portion into a round ball by pushing and turning the palm of your hand in a circular motion against the countertop and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Cover the shaped rolls with a clean kitchen towel and place the baking sheets on top of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and proof the shaped rolls until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
- Gently brush the tops with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Serve warm or allow to cool, place in zipper-top plastic bags, and freeze for another night.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Active dry yeast:ย Sold in little packets or jars at the store in the baking aisle. If you already have some, make sure itโs active and hasnโt expired. If you buy the jar, store it indefinitely in the freezer after opening.
- Yield: This recipe makes 32 delicious, buttery dinner rolls.
- Storage:ย Store cooled rolls in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days at room temperature, or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.