Dinner Rolls (BEST Recipe!)

These light and fluffy Dinner Rolls will be the best you’ve ever tasted. They have a hint of sweetness and incredible pillowy texture. The sweet and savory honey butter topping is the perfect finishing touch!

Bonus: You don’t have to be a baking expert to nail this easy recipe!

Dinner Rolls

You’ve never tasted Dinner Rolls like this! These homemade rolls are so soft, light, and fluffy, with a hint of sweetness and the best homemade flavor. This will definitely be your go-to roll recipe! My favorite part is that you don’t need a lot of ingredients or fancy techniques to nail this! 

Be sure to check out my pro-tips below to ensure ultimate success. BONUS– You can make these ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze them until ready to bake! 

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Combine warm milk with yeast. Stir in 1/2 of the honey. Cover with saran wrap and let sit for 5-10 minutes, you will see foam on the top.

Stir in the remaining honey, cornstarch, salt, egg, butter, and 1/3 of the flour. Mix on low speed and add the remaining flour gradually. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add 1 tbsp flour at a time until the dough is manageable. Knead in the bowl for 3 minutes. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl and cover with saran wrap.

Place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, 1-2 hours. Punch the dough down, then roll into 15 balls and place in a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Cover with saran wrap and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Bake at 375° F for 18 minutes. Brush with honey butter and bake for 3-5 minutes. Serve warm.

Make Ahead Methods

Method 1: Refrigerate Unbaked Rolls

• Form the dough, let it rise, and shape into rolls. Don’t do the second rise.
• Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days. 
• Remove from the fridge. Keep covered and let rise for 1-2 hours before you plan on baking, then bake as outlined.

Method 2: Bake and Reheat

• Bake for 18 minutes, before the tops start to brown too much.
• Don’t top them with the melted butter yet. Let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container.
• When ready to serve, bake for 5-7 minutes at 375°, until the tops are golden brown.
• Top with melted honey butter and serve!

Method 3: Freeze Unbaked Rolls

• Form the dough, let it rise, and shape into rolls. Flash freeze on a baking sheet before the second rise. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag.
• When ready to bake, remove from freezer bag and let them rise on a lightly greased, covered baking sheet for 4-5 hours prior to baking.

Pro Tips

• Stand Mixer– The dough can be mixed by hand with a wooden spoon if needed, note that it’ll take a bit of muscle.
• Yeast– Instant Yeast may be used instead of Active Dry if needed. Make sure it’s not expired!
• Flour–
  • Weigh the flour if at all possible to ensure that you add exactly the right amount.
  • Otherwise: Take a spoon and scoop it into the measuring cup as opposed to dipping the measuring cup into the flour. Use the knife to level off the top. This is important to have an accurate measurement.
• Cornstarch– This is my secret ingredient! It creates extra soft, tender rolls with a light and fluffy crumb.
• Egg Substitute
  • ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce, plain yogurt, or buttermilk can be used instead of an egg if needed.
  • I have (accidentally) omitted the egg in this recipe and they’ve still come out great! (The dough is also less sticky and easier to work with, without the need for additional flour.) -Though I do prefer the texture and taste with an egg.
• Milk– The warm temperature of the milk is needed to activate the yeast. I microwave it in 30-second increments until it’s warm to the touch. A kitchen thermometer is also helpful to ensure accuracy. Note that if the milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
• Shaping the Rolls:
  • Optional: Weigh the dough and divide that number by 15 to determine how much each one should weigh. -Eyeballing it is fine too! (My dough in this photo weighed 811 grams, or 54 grams pre roll.)
  • Don’t flour your hands or work surface while shaping the dinner rolls to keep the dough nice and tight. Pinch the dough into one central spot to create a tight ball and place them seam-side-down in the baking dish.
• Leftovers– Leftover rolls make the BEST slider rolls! (Especially with holiday leftovers!)

Additions/Variations:

Add when the flour is added:

• Cheese: 1 cup of soft, shredded cheese can be added. I love adding sharp yellow cheddar cheese.
• Herbs: 2 tbsp fresh or 2 tsp dry herbs can be added. Options include rosemary, thyme, chives, parsley, oregano, and basil! 1 teaspoon garlic powder can be added with the herbs as well!

Storage

• Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week. You can also freeze leftover rolls to enjoy another day.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

• Kitchen Thermometer – To test the temperature of the milk, it should be 110-115° to properly activate the yeast.
• Kitchen Scale– To weigh the flour, it’s super important to use the right amount.
• Stand Mixer– A life saver for making dough and baked goods. I use Cuisinart brand. 
• Large Silicone Spatula– Make it easy to handle/manage the dough.
• Large Glass Bowl– To place the dough for rising.
• Bench Scraper– Makes it easy to divide the dough into 15 parts. 
• 9 x 13-inch Baking Dish– The perfect size for baking these rolls.
• Pastry Brush– To brush the honey butter on top.

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Dinner Rolls (BEST Recipe!)

Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 21 minutes minutes

Rising Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 56 minutes minutes

5 from 5 ratings

Servings: 15 Rolls

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These light and fluffy Dinner Rolls will be the best you've ever tasted! They have a hint of sweetness and a soft, pillowy texture. The sweet and savory honey butter topping is the perfect finishing touch.

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

• ▢ 1 cup warm milk, 110-115° F. Any fat content is fine.
• ▢ 2 ¼ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast, or 1 packet. Instant yeast may also be used.
• ▢ 2 tablespoons honey, can sub sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature. Cut into 4 cubes
• ▢ 3 ¼ cups (390 grams) all-purpose flour, or bread flour

Butter Topping

• ▢ 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey

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Instructions

• Combine the warm milk and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. Stir in 1 tablespoon of honey. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, it’s ready when you see foam on the top.
• Stir in the remaining honey, cornstarch, salt, egg, butter, and 1/3 of the flour. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment. Add the remaining flour gradually, while mixing, for 30 seconds.
• Switch to the dough hook attachment and beat on medium-low speed for 2 minutes. If the dough is too sticky to work with, beat in 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough is workable. The dough should still be sticky, but manageable. *Don't use any more flour than needed to work the dough. (I usually add 5-6 tbsp.)
• Dust your hands with flour and knead the dough in the bowl for 3 minutes.
• Use a silicone spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl and transfer it to a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover it with saran wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1-2 hours. (The cooler it is, the longer it takes.)
• Punch the dough down to release the air. Shape each into 15 tight, smooth balls of equal size. Place in a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• Bake for 18 minutes.
• Combine the melted butter and honey. Remove the rolls from the oven and brush the tops with honey butter. Return to the oven and bake for 3-5 more minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Watch them carefully during this time.
• Cool for a few minutes, then serve warm! (See notes for storage info!)

Notes

Pro Tips:

• Make Ahead Method- See blog post for 3 make-ahead options!
• Stand Mixer- The dough can be mixed by hand with a wooden spoon if needed, note that it’ll take a bit of muscle.
• Yeast- Make sure it’s not expired!
• Flour-
  • Weigh the flour if at all possible to ensure that you add exactly the right amount.
  • Otherwise: Take a spoon and scoop it into the measuring cup as opposed to dipping the measuring cup into the flour. Use the knife to level off the top. This is important to have an accurate measurement.
• Cornstarch- This is my secret ingredient! It creates extra soft, tender rolls with a light and fluffy crumb.
• Egg Substitute
  • ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce, plain yogurt, or buttermilk can be used instead of an egg if needed.
  • I have (accidentally) omitted the egg in this recipe and they've still come out great! (The dough is also less sticky and easier to work with, without the need for additional flour.) -Though I do prefer the texture and taste with an egg.
• Milk- The warm temperature of the milk is needed to activate the yeast. I microwave it in 30-second increments until it’s warm to the touch. A kitchen thermometer is also helpful to ensure accuracy. Note that if the milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
• Shaping the Rolls:
  • Optional: Weigh the dough and divide that number by 15 to determine how much each one should weigh. -Eyeballing it is fine too! (My dough in this photo weighed 811 grams, or 54 grams pre roll.)
  • Avoid adding flour to your hands or to your work surface when shaping the rolls, this ensures the dough stays nice and tight. Pinch the dough into one central spot to create a tight ball and place them seam-side-down in the baking dish.
• Leftovers- Leftover rolls make the BEST slider rolls! (Especially with holiday leftovers!)

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Storage:

• Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week. You can also freeze leftover rolls to enjoy another day.

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Nutritional information is an estimate and is per roll. There are 15 rolls in this recipe. The honey butter topping is included in the calculation.

Nutrition

Calories: 168kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 179mg, Potassium: 65mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 182IU, Vitamin C: 0.02mg, Calcium: 28mg, Iron: 1mg

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Course: Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Author: Stephanie