These bread rolls are incredibly airy, buttery, fluffy rolls that are so soft that they practically melt in your mouth. And the best part is, you can make this best dinner roll recipe in your bread machine.
These dinner rolls taste like airy butter – and why would you want rolls to taste like that? Because having a fluffy, airy, and soft roll is the perfect compliment to the heavier sides that we call dinner. They take a bit of time to rise, but trust me the result is worth the wait.
If you love this recipe, you’ll also want to try my no knead dinner rolls recipe for buttery, dense rolls. Or try this easy homemade bread recipe to have a homemade sandwich loaf on hand whenever you need it.
This recipe has been my tried and true recipe for YEARS. Yes, years. What I love about it is you can make the roll dough in your bread machine which cuts out the guessing of how long to knead it. Just set it and forget it when it comes to the dough.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- Family Favorite: This recipe makes the fluffiest, softest rolls that are a hit with the whole family. Trust me, my family is a bit of a connoisseur of all things bread and they love it!
- Convenient: Thanks to the bread machine, this recipe is super convenient. Just set it and forget it until the dough is ready.
- Perfect For Heavier Mains: Having a fluffy, airy, and soft roll is the perfect complement to the heavier mains we often have.
- Comfort Food: There’s nothing quite like a warm, buttery roll to bring comfort to any meal – especially when they’re this airy and buttery.
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Key Ingredients
- Milk: Slightly warmed milk helps to activate the yeast, resulting in a light and airy texture for your bread rolls.
- Egg: A beaten egg adds richness and helps to bind the ingredients together, giving your rolls a soft and fluffy interior.
- Granulated Sugar: This sweetens the rolls and also feeds the yeast, helping the dough to rise.
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavor of the rolls and also helps to control the rate of yeast fermentation.
- Bread Flour: This type of flour has a higher protein content, which is important for the structure and chewiness of the rolls.
- Active Dry Yeast: This is the leavening agent in the recipe, which helps the dough to rise and gives the rolls their fluffy texture.
- Butter: Melt it and coat the dough balls with it for a rich, buttery flavor and a golden crust.
Equipment
- Bread Machine – You’ll need this to mix and knead the dough for this easy dinner roll recipe. Now if you don’t have a bread machine, be on the lookout for one. My machine broke last year and I found its replacement at a garage sale for $20. It had not been used.
- Baking Sheet – A light pan is essential for this recipe to achieve the soft, fluffy texture. If you use a dark pan, the rolls may crisp up on the bottom.
- Mixer (Optional) – A stand mixer with a dough hook attachment is useful for combining the ingredients if you don’t have a bread machine.
How to Make Bread Rolls
Preparation
First, gather all your ingredients. Make sure your milk is slightly warmed and your butter is melted. You’ll also need a bread machine for this recipe.
Step 1 – Mix the Dough
To make these dinner rolls add the milk, egg, sugar, salt, bread flour, and yeast to your bread machine. I would follow your manufacturer’s instructions on the order. But if you’ve lost that trusty pamphlet, the order listed above works just fine as that’s how I add it to mine. Select the dough setting and let it do its work.
Step 2 – Shape the Rolls
When the cycle is complete, punch the dough down. Take golf ball-sized portions of the dough and coat each one with the melted butter. Place the coated dough balls onto a butter-glossy baking sheet.
Step 3 – Let the Rolls Rise
Cover the dough balls and let them rise for about an hour. You’ll know they’re ready when they have doubled in size.
Step 4 – Bake the Rolls
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Once heated, bake the rolls for 9 to 11 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when they’re just starting to brown on the tops. Enjoy the soft, fluffy, buttery goodness of these homemade bread rolls!
Expert Tip
To make the fluffiest bread rolls, let your dough balls rise in a warm place. The easiest way to do that is to set your oven to 100° F. If your oven doesn’t go that low, you can create a warm oven by setting your oven to 350° F for one minute, then turning it off and placing the covered dough balls in the oven to rise. This gentle warmth helps the dough to double in size, resulting in light and airy rolls.
Recipe Variations
- Cheesy Rolls: Add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese or your favorite cheese to the dough mixture. This will give your bread rolls a delicious cheesy flavor that everyone will love.
- Garlic Butter Rolls: After the rolls are baked, brush them with a mixture of melted butter and minced garlic. This simple addition adds a savory, garlicky twist to your bread rolls.
- Sweet Rolls: Increase the amount of sugar in the dough to 1/2 cup and add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. After baking, drizzle the rolls with a simple powdered sugar glaze for a sweet treat.
What to Serve With
- If you’re hosting a soup and salad lunch, these bread rolls are a must-have. They pair well with a variety of soups, from creamy tomato to hearty vegetable ones, and add a comforting touch to your meal.
- These bread rolls are also great with some beef stew, roast chicken, or any heavier main your family enjoys for dinner.
- You’ll also enjoy them with your favorite casserole recipes since they won’t take away from the flavors and your family will love how airy and buttery they are.
- They’re also great with some homemade jam or honey butter in the morning for breakfast with a hot cup of tea.
Recipe FAQs
You can use active dry yeast for this recipe. It’s important to make sure that the yeast is fresh and not expired for the best results.
Yes, you can. Simply mix the ingredients together in a large bowl, then knead the dough on a floured surface until it’s smooth and elastic. Let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
The rolls are done when they are just browning on the tops. This usually takes about 9 to 11 minutes in a 350°F oven. Be careful not to overbake them, as they can become dry.
Storing and Reheating
- Store: These bread rolls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. You can also make them a day ahead and allow them to fully let the rolls cool before storing them in an air-tight container.
- Freeze: You can also freeze them after they have completely cooled. Place the rolls in a freezer-safe bag or container, and they can be frozen for up to three months.
- Thaw: When you’re ready to enjoy the rolls, simply let them thaw at room temperature.
More Bread Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Serving Size
- What to Expect: This bread rolls recipe yields about 24 rolls.
- How to Scale: If you want to make more than 24 rolls, you can double the recipe. Just make sure your bread machine can accommodate the increased quantity of ingredients. Follow the rest of the instructions as directed, and you’ll have double the delicious, fluffy bread rolls.
Best Dinner Roll Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups milk slightly warmed to 105˚ F
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 3/4 cups bread flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 Tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- Into your bread machine pan, place the milk, egg, sugar, salt, bread flour and yeast in that order. Select the dough setting.
- When the cycle is complete, punch the dough down. Create golf ball size dough balls and coat with melted butter. Place onto buttered baking sheet.
- Cover and let rise for one hour or until doubled in size.
- Bake at 350° F for 9 to 11 minutes until just browning on the tops.
Comments & Reviews
Carmen Eskritt says
Would like the dinner roll recipie without using a bread machine please
Carmen
Lynette says
Hi! I’ve not made this yet without the bread machine, but kneading it by hand would work. I’ve not tested the timing to give the details but will try to in the future!
Katherine says
I made this with a stand mixer today: I mixed the dry ingredients with a dough hook, heated the milk to 120℉, added the milk and the eggs gradually with the mixer on, and when it came together in a ball I continued kneading with the dough hook at medium-low speed for 2 1/2 minutes. If I were making it by hand I’d have kneaded for maybe 10 minutes. I proofed it in a warm place for 90 minutes, then moved on to step 2.
For ingredients, I used active dry yeast and bread flour, as indicated. I measured 3 3/4 c. bread flour with the spoon and level method, which turned out to be 530g in my kitchen today, and I’ll probably add a bit less next time; the dough was a little drier than it needed to be for easy handling, and I think a cup of bread flour is only supposed to be 120 grams. It took 90+ minutes for the rolls to rise in step 3, and if I wanted to speed things up next time I might use 2 1/4 t. active dry yeast instead of 1 1/4 t. Honestly I’ll probably wait for the extra proofing time though, because too much yeast changes the taste and texture, and they came out great: delicate and puffy. Thanks for the recipe, Lynette!