Easy Dinner Rolls Recipe

It's not a complete dinner without rolls, right? Virtually any evening meal is elevated with the addition of dinner rolls. However, no one needs to know just how easy these are to throw together. You don't need many ingredients to make dinner rolls from scratch, and of that already short list, you likely already have many of the ingredients sitting in your pantry. And, you can whip these rolls up in under an hour, so it's really a win-win recipe.

Recipe developer and health coach Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe for easy dinner rolls that are a great addition to many meals. "These rolls are very versatile," Hahn says. "They go well with any type of meat main dish, soups, chilis, salads or pastas." She even suggests serving them with some of her other recipe creations including this hearty fall salad or these lentil meatballs. But don't get us wrong, they are amazing on their own, simply with butter or maybe a drizzle of honey.

Gather your ingredients for easy dinner rolls

For this recipe, you will need butter, water, milk, honey, active dry yeast, flour, salt, and cooking spray. Hahn loves to use honey in this recipe as "it adds a hint of sweet and makes these rolls extra delicious."

Mix the wet ingredients for this dough

Into a medium saucepan, add the butter, water, milk, and honey. Place the saucepan on the stovetop over low heat until the butter is melted. Then, pour the mixture into a large bowl. Using a food thermometer, check the temperature of the melted butter and milk mixture. Once it reaches 110 F, add the yeast and stir. Allow the yeast to activate by letting it sit for 5 minutes, until the top gets bubbly and foamy.

Make and knead the dough

Now, add the flour and the salt to the mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Onto a floured surface, turn the dough out. Then, knead it for about 5 minutes, until the dough appears smooth.

With a few simple swaps, you can make this dough dairy free. Hahn says, "These are my go-to for the holidays and if you have guests with food restrictions they can be made plant-based with Earth Balance butter and a non-dairy milk. They taste the same both ways!"

Allow dinner roll dough to rise

To keep the dough from sticking, spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Then, add the dough and cover with a damp dish towel. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes, in which time it will rise and double in size. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 F.

Cut the dough into sections and roll into balls

Remove the dough from the bowl and cut it into 15 even sections. Then, roll each section into round balls and place into a large 9x13-inch baking dish. If you are preparing the dough ahead of time, Hahn notes that at this point you can "prep the rolls in a baking dish and keep it in the fridge to bake right before serving."

Bake the dinner rolls and brush with butter

Now, for the part you've been waiting for! Bake for 15 minutes, and you will have fresh golden dinner rolls. Remove them from the oven and brush them with butter while they are still warm. Are you drooling yet? Hahn notes that "these store well for a few days in a Ziploc on the counter. You can put them in the microwave to warm them up or if you have a warming drawer you can re-heat in there while you make dinner."

Easy Dinner Rolls Recipe
5 from 31 ratings
Give those store-bought dinner rolls a break and opt for these fresh and easy homemade ones instead.
Prep Time
40
minutes
Cook Time
15
minutes
Servings
15
servings
easy dinner roll with butter
Total time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons butter, plus more for serving
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
  • 1 teaspoon fine grain salt
Directions
  1. Put the butter, water, milk, and honey in a medium saucepan and cook on low heat until the butter is melted.
  2. Pour this mixture into a large bowl and use a food thermometer to check the temperature. When it reaches 110 F, add the yeast and stir. (If you don't have a food thermometer, the mixture should be warm to the touch, not too hot to leave the tip of your finger in for more than a second.) Let the yeast mixture sit for 5 minutes until it gets foamy and bubbly on the top.
  3. Add the flour and salt to the yeast mixture, then combine. Once mixed, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. It will get very smooth.
  4. Preheat the oven to 400 F so it can heat up while your dough rests.
  5. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and put in the dough. Cover with a damp dishtowel or saran wrap and let sit for 30 minutes. It should double in size.
  6. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 15 equal sections. Roll the dough sections into balls with your hands.
  7. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and add the dough balls
  8. Bake the rolls for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush on melted butter while they are still warm, and serve.
Nutrition
Calories per Serving 132
Total Fat 2.1 g
Saturated Fat 1.2 g
Trans Fat 0.1 g
Cholesterol 4.9 mg
Total Carbohydrates 24.1 g
Dietary Fiber 1.0 g
Total Sugars 1.6 g
Sodium 133.0 mg
Protein 3.6 g
The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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