These Big Soft Fluffy Dinner Rolls are a favorite at our dinner table. Irresistibly soft on the inside with a buttery golden crust, this recipe makes a big batch of 35 rolls at once, making it a perfect side for holiday and family dinners.
What we love about these Soft Fluffy Dinner Rolls
These rolls really are soft, fluffy, and irresistible. As soon as they are out of the oven, my kids are waiting to get their hands on them. These homemade dinner rolls make any meal special. They are a perfect side for soup night, family dinners, holidays, potlucks and gatherings, and we also love them as rolls for sliders.
One of my favorite things about the recipe is that they make a big batch, so you can make 35 rolls at once on a baking sheet, which really helps when preparing food for a crowd and for the holidays.
Looking for other holiday recipes? Try our Marmalade Glazed Ham, our Garlic Parmesan Green Beans, or our Cherry and Cream Cheese Pie.
What you need to make these Soft Dinner Rolls
You will need the following ingredients:
- Milk
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Warm water
- Active dry yeast
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- 3 large eggs, beaten
Dinner Rolls Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand, and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- You could try substituting honey for the granulated sugar.
- You could try bread flour in place of the all-purpose flour.
- You could try substituting the butter in the dough with oil.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. In a small pot on the stove, add the milk, ½ cup butter, and sugar. Bring to just a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Set aside to slightly cool, to about 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2. In a small bowl, combine the warm water and active dry yeast. Stir to mix to moisten the yeast granules. Set aside and let it sit for about 5 minutes for the yeast to bloom. It will rise and bubble.
Step 3. In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, mix together the yeast mixture, 4 cups of the flour, the melted butter mixture, the eggs, and salt. Beat on medium speed for one minute until ingredients are combined. Continue to add the flour ½ cup or cup at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the bowl. Switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook and knead the dough in the mixer on medium speed for 6-7 minutes (you can also knead by hand).
Step 4. Turn the dough into the prepared bowl and cover with plastic wrap (I lightly grease the side with cooking spray that touches the dough) or a towel. Let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes, until doubled in size.
Step 5. Punch the dough down. Scoop out 2-3 tablespoons of dough. Shape the dough into a ball by gathering the edges of the dough and pinching them underneath. Using your hands, shape the dough into a circle, and place it seam side down into the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the dough to make 35 rolls and line the rolls up 5 rolls across and 7 rolls down in the pan. (In this image I made 40 as I was making several batches for an event and was trying to make more. I prefer 35.) Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes, until doubled in size. The sides of the rolls should be touching after the second rise
Step 6. Bake the rolls at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, then brush with butter immediately after removing the pans from the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature
Tips
- It can take a little practice making bread with yeast, see my notes section after the recipe for tips on how to be successful using yeast.
- I love my USA pan baking sheets, they cook so evenly, are high quality, and long-lasting. They work perfectly here for the dinner rolls.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Can dinner rolls be made in advance? |
| a. You can make the dough in advance by making the dough, letting it rise, and then shaping the dough into rolls. Store the shaped rolls in the refrigerator, tightly covered, the day before you want to bake them. Remove them from the fridge about 3 hours before you need them. Have the rolls rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours before baking. b. If freezing, after the first rise of the dough, shape them into rolls and freeze them in the pan, and then once frozen, they can be pulled apart and placed in a freezer bag. Allow them 4-5 hours to thaw and rise at room temperature before baking. |
| How to store dinner rolls? |
| a. Once the dinner rolls cool to room temperature, store them in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Putting them in the fridge will dry out the rolls so I recommend freezing them for longer term storage. To freeze them, store the rolls in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw the rolls completely at room temperature. |
Big Soft Fluffy Dinner Rolls
35
minutes20
minutes2-3
hours35
rollsThese Big Soft Fluffy Dinner Rolls are a favorite at our dinner table. Irresistibly soft on the inside with a buttery golden crust, this recipe makes a big batch of 35 rolls at once, making it a perfect side for holiday and family dinners.
Ingredients
2 cups milk
3/4 cup butter (1 ½ sticks), divided
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup warm water (temperature should be between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, using the spoon and level method for measuring your flour.
2 ¼ teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, beaten
Directions
- Lightly grease a 13×18-inch baking sheet and a large bowl.
- In a small pot on the stove, add the milk, ½ cup butter, and sugar. Bring to just a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Set aside to slightly cool, to about 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a small bowl, combine the warm water and active dry yeast. Stir to mix to moisten the yeast granules. Set aside and let it sit for about 5 minutes for the yeast to bloom. It will rise and bubble.
- In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, mix together the yeast mixture, 4 cups of the flour, the melted butter mixture, the eggs, and salt. Beat on medium speed for one minute until ingredients are combined. Continue to add the flour ½ cup or cup at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the bowl when mixing instead of sticking to the bowl.
- Switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook and knead the dough in the mixer on medium speed for 6-7 minutes (you can also knead by hand). Turn the dough into the prepared bowl and cover with plastic wrap (I lightly grease the side with cooking spray that touches the dough) or a towel. Let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes, until doubled in size.
- Punch the dough down. Scoop out 2-3 tablespoons of dough. Shape the dough into a ball by gathering the edges of the dough and pinching them underneath. Using your hands, shape the dough into a circle, and place it seam side down into the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the dough to make 35 rolls and line the rolls up 5 rolls across and 7 rolls down in the pan. If you have extra dough, you can place it in a muffin pan or cake pan for a few extra rolls. Cover with plastic wrap (I lightly grease the side that touches the dough with cooking spray), or a towel and let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes, until doubled in size. The sides of the rolls should be touching after the second rise.
- While the rolls rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake the rolls for 20 minutes, then brush with butter immediately after removing the pans from the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Before baking with yeast, always make sure your yeast isn’t expired by checking the date on the package.
- Make sure you measure your flour with the spoon and level method for the softest rolls. To use this method, use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup and repeat until the flour is mounded, then use a straight edge, like a knife, to level off the excess flour.
- It’s important when baking with yeast to make sure the liquid is warm, with 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit being the ideal temperature for active dry yeast.
- Don’t add salt with the yeast when it is blooming or it will slow the growth of the yeast down.
- Kneading the dough develops the gluten. You can do that by hand or in your mixer with the dough hook.
- The temperature and humidity of your kitchen will affect how fast the dough will rise. Keep the dough in a warm, draft-free place to rise. According to King Arthur Baking Company: “The longer dough rises (up to a point), the more flavor it develops. Conversely, dough that rises too quickly produces bread with flat flavor. Nail the sweet spot — warm enough to rise at a decent rate, yet cool enough to develop flavor — and you’re golden…
Studies have shown that the optimum temperature for yeast to grow and flavor to develop is 75°F to 78°F”
