These homemade soft dinner rolls are fluffy, buttery, and incredibly soft, with a tender interior and golden tops brushed with melted butter. Made with just seven simple ingredients, these rolls are perfect for Thanksgiving dinner, holiday gatherings, or serving alongside your favorite homemade meals.
They’re made completely from scratch and are well worth the time it takes for the dough to rise. Whether you’re serving them warm alongside dinner or saving a few for sandwiches the next day, these homemade dinner rolls are sure to become a favorite.
Why You’ll Love These Homemade Soft Dinner Rolls
- Soft and fluffy: These rolls have a tender, pillowy interior with lightly golden tops.
- Made with simple ingredients: You only need seven everyday ingredients to make them from scratch.
- Perfect for any occasion: Serve them with weeknight dinners, Sunday suppers, Thanksgiving, or holiday meals.
- Great for making ahead: Prepare the dough in advance so you can have freshly baked rolls ready when you need them.
- Delicious the next day: Leftover rolls are perfect for sandwiches or simply warmed up with a little butter.
Soft Dinner Rolls Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure for the rolls while keeping the texture soft and tender.
- Whole milk: Adds richness and moisture to the dough. Warm the milk before adding it to help activate the yeast.
- Active dry yeast: Helps the dough rise and gives the rolls their light, fluffy texture.
- Granulated sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness and helps feed the yeast.
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness and tenderness to the dough. Melt and allow it to cool slightly before using.
- Egg: Adds structure, richness, and helps create a soft texture.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the flavor of the rolls.
- Melted butter: Brushed over the warm rolls after baking for a buttery finish. Particularly delicious when mixed with some honey, too!
How to Make Soft Dinner Rolls
Here’s how to make these delicious rolls:
Step 1: Make your dough
Add the warm milk, melted butter, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Let sit for 5 minutes.
With the mixer on low, add the egg yolks, salt, remaining sugar, and about one-third of the flour. Mix until incorporated. Add the remaining flour and gradually increase the mixer speed to medium. Continue mixing for 3–5 minutes, or until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should feel slightly tacky but not sticky. If it feels too sticky, add a little flour, one tablespoon at a time.
Step 2: Let the dough rise.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for about a minute, just until you can form it into a ball. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2–3 hours. It should look like this:
A note about rising: This is an enriched dough, meaning it contains eggs, butter, and milk. Because of that, it takes longer to rise than a basic bread dough. I like to use my oven with the light turned on and cover the bowl with a few kitchen towels to help keep it warm.
Step 4: Shape the rolls.
Make sure to have a 9×13 pan lined with parchment paper ready to go.
Once the dough has doubled in size, gently punch it down to release the air. Transfer it to your work surface and divide into approximately 1.5-ounce portions. To shape each roll, flatten the piece of dough slightly and fold the opposite sides toward the center. Pinch the seams together, then rotate the dough in your hand as you continue pinching to form a smooth ball. Place each roll seam side down in the prepared baking dish. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, divide the dough into approximately 20 equal portions.
Step 5: Let the rolls rise again.
Cover the baking dish loosely with plastic wrap and a couple of kitchen towels. Let rise at room temperature for another 1–2 hours, or until the rolls are puffy and touching. Toward the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 6: Bake.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the tops are nicely golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with your favorite topping, such as honey and melted butter, melted butter alone, or melted butter with chopped herbs. Serve warm.
How to Make These Dinner Rolls Ahead of Time
To prepare the rolls ahead of time, follow the recipe through shaping and the second rise. After placing the shaped rolls in the baking dish, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 3 hours, or until puffy and touching. Bake as directed.
This keeps the overnight option clear and gives readers a realistic reminder that the rolls need time to come back to room temperature and finish rising.
How to Store Homemade Soft Dinner Rolls
Store leftover dinner rolls in an airtight container or resealable bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
To freeze, allow the rolls to cool completely, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and warm briefly in the oven before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my dinner roll dough taking so long to rise?
This recipe uses an enriched dough made with milk, butter, and egg yolks. These ingredients make the dough richer and heavier, so it naturally takes longer to rise than a basic bread dough. Give it enough time to double in size rather than relying strictly on the clock.
Can I make these dinner rolls ahead of time?
Yes! You can shape the rolls, arrange them in the baking dish, cover, and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, allow them to sit at room temperature until puffy and touching before baking.
Can I freeze homemade dinner rolls?
Absolutely. Once baked and completely cooled, store the rolls in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before reheating.
How do I know when the dinner rolls are done baking?
The tops should be golden brown, and the rolls should be baked through. If you’re unsure, you can check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer.
Homemade Soft Dinner Rolls
Equipment
- 1 9×13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 4 cups King Arthur AP flour, spooned and leveled
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 ¼ cup + 1 tbs milk warmed
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar 1 tbs separated
- 3 tbs unsalted butter melted
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt or sub 1.5 teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Add the warm milk, melted butter, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, add the egg yolks, salt, remaining sugar, and about one-third of the flour. Mix until combined. Add the remaining flour and gradually increase the mixer to medium speed. Knead for 3–5 minutes, or until the dough begins pulling away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be slightly tacky but not sticky. If it feels too sticky, add a little flour, one tablespoon at a time.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about a minute, just until you can form it into a smooth ball. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2–3 hours.
- Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, uncover it and gently punch it down to release the air. Transfer to your work surface and divide into approximately 1.5-ounce portions. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and arrange in the prepared baking dish, seam side down. If you don't have a kitchen scale, divide the dough into approximately 18–20 equal pieces.
- Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap and a couple of kitchen towels. Let rise at room temperature for another 1–2 hours, or until noticeably puffy and touching. Preheat the oven to 375°F toward the end of the second rise.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with your favorite topping, such as honey and melted butter, melted butter alone, or melted butter with chopped herbs. Serve warm.
Dee
Let me know if you have any questions!
Alyssa Wolf
Hi! This recipe looks delicious and I am excited to try for Thanksgiving!
Have you tried making the rolls the day before and baking the day of? Trying to prep as much before Thanksgiving as I can!
Dee
Hi Alyssa! I just tested this and yes you can! Do everything up until the second rise. So after the first rise, roll them into balls and put them in the baking pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave them in the refigerator. Take them out to rise a few hours before you’re ready to bake!
Alyssa Wolf
Amazing, thank you!!
Rob
I made these rolls on Thanksgiving and they were the hit of the meal! Thank you for sharing your love of cooking with us
Deb
These are so yummy! I made them to use for small ham sandwiches for my daughter‘s lunch and they are the closest bread I’ve found to Jimmy John’s bread! I highly recommend these!
Dee
Woohoo!! Thanks so much Deb! That sounds yummy!
May
Hi! How would I go about mixing the ingredients together if I don’t have a stand mixer? Thanks!
Dee
Hi May! You can absolutely do it by hand with a wooden spoon, it’ll just take a bit longer. Once it comes together, I’d dump it on to a clean work surface and knead it until it reaches the consistency (tacky).
Rob
I made them by hand as I don’t have a mixer. Like Dee states, it does take longer to come together, but still produces amazing results
Elle
Have you frozen this dough with good results?
Dee
I haven’t tried to freeze them 🙁
Katherine Doyle
Hi! I made them, they were great but they had a little bit of a thick/hard top is there a way I can fix this?
Dee
Oh that’s so strange! I’ve made them multiple times without that happening, hmmmmm. Did you use King Arthur flour? Liquid has to be adjusted slightly if using a different brand.
Kaitlynn
Hi,
If I wanted to make these but I’m traveling 90 mins for the meal would you recommend letting them do their second rise at home and baking on arrival? Or would you recommend baking at home and just heating them up in the oven to serve warm?
Thanks!
Dee
So I’m making these for a Friendsgiving and my plan may work for you! I’m going to make them the night before and do everything UP UNTIL the second rise. So after I roll them into the small balls I plan on putting them in the baking pan, covering in plastic wrap, and leaving in the refrigerator. Then I’ll take them out and have them rising in the car while I’m driving to my friends. Since they’re being refrigerated they take a bit longer to rise anyway (need to come to room temp). Then I’m baking at my friends once they’ve finished rising! I’ve already tested them with the overnight method, and they worked great!
Kaitlynn
Great! Thanks so much. Looking forward to trying them 🙂
Silas
Having a hard time finding King Arthur flour. I have gold medal. What would you suggest the liquid ratio for this one?
Dee
I’d reduce the liquid slightly to ensure the dough isn’t TOO wet — OR just have extra flour close by and add a bit (like a few TBS at a time) if the dough seems too wet until it reaches a supple and tacky consistency. Once you remove it to knead it on a floured work surface, you can just add a touch of flour at a time to form your dough ball.
Silas
Thanks so much!!
Harley
Help. I can’t stop making these rolls. Made them for Thanksgiving dinner and have made them twice since. I think I’m in love with you lol. Tonight I put garlic butter with herbs over the top and almost died
Dee
HAHAHAHA HARLEY!!! I’m so happy to hear this. And GARLIC BUTTER WITH HERBS? That sounds heavenly.
Hannah
Loved these rolls! I made them for thanksgivng the day before by following the steps as directed up until the second rise. I rolled them up, let them sit in the frige over night, let them rise for 2 hours the second day at room temp and they turned out great. I also used gold medal ap flour which gave me good results but I had to atleast use a cup or more of flour but overall, would make these again!
Dee
So glad you enjoyed them! Yes, whenever you use a different brand of flour from the recipe the ratios can be a little off. So glad it worked out!!
Alisa
I found this recipe through TikTok and I have made it for every holiday dinner since. They also are perfect for dipping in soup or using as slider buns. I’m making them tonight as a side for potato soup.
Dee
Oh gosh, Alisa! That makes me soooooo happy! They’re so addictive.