Homemade Dinner Rolls

{AKA, Buttery Balls of Dinner Roll Awesomeness}

This dinner roll recipe just might be my family’s most requested item. They are a staple at Thanksgiving dinner and pretty much every other special occasion where dinner rolls are appropriate. We mostly just call them, “those rolls”.

As in, “What do you want for your birthday dinner?”

“Those rolls.”

Or, “We would love to come for dinner. What can I bring?”

“Those rolls.”

Or, “When are you going to make those rolls again?”

All of you bread baking veterans out there will take one look at this dinner roll recipe and know instantly why these rolls are so delicious: plenty of butter, milk and eggs.

If you are new to homemade bread, this dinner roll recipe is a great place to start.

These dinner rolls are fairly quick and easy. Not as quick and easy as pulling some pre-packaged frozen dinner rolls from the freezer, but quick and easy as far as homemade bread goes. And once you try them, you will never be tempted to purchase dinner rolls ever again.

A couple of quick notes: First, if you are serving these dinner rolls to a crowd, I advise you to make lots. I’m telling you. They will go surprisingly fast. Also, your family will eat some before your guests arrive. It won’t matter if you tell them not to. It won’t matter if you hide the dinner rolls or make terrifying threats. They will risk your wrath and find a way to sneak a few. Just accept it.

Second, the directions for these dinner rolls call for mixing and kneading the dough using a standing mixer. I make bread 2 or 3 times a week and always use my 6 quart Kitchen Aid standing mixer. If you have a smaller mixer, you might want to cut the recipe in half and make it in two successive batches. These dinner rolls can also certainly be made by hand. Just mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form and then knead by hand on a floured surface, adding only as much flour as is necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your hands and the counter.

Third, you can adjust the timing of this recipe by simply putting the dough in the refrigerator at any stage. The dough will still rise in the refrigerator, just much slower. So, you could, for example, mix the dough in the evening, and then put it in the refrigerator to rise slowly overnight. Take the dough from the refrigerator when you first wake in the morning to let it come to room temperature while you shower, dress, make breakfast and whatever else you do in the morning. Before you leave for work, shape the dinner rolls and put them in the refrigerator to rise slowly all day. When you arrive home, let the dinner rolls sit out on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour to bring to room temperature, bake and voila! Amazingly delicious homemade dinner rolls on a weeknight. Casually remove your superman or superwoman cape and bask in the glory your family, neighbors or friends will bestow on you.

• {Note} Homemade Dinner Rolls are a Building Block Recipe. Building Blocks are tried-and-true recipes that I find myself coming back to time and time again, sometimes to make them exactly as is, and sometimes as a starting point for something new. -> More Building Block Recipes. 

Homemade Dinner Rolls

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• Author: Rebecca Blackwell
• Prep Time: 30 minutes + 2-3 hours of rise time
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes + 2-3 hours of rise time
• Yield: 24 rolls 1x

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Description

The best homemade dinner roll recipe. These dinner rolls are one of our family’s favorite foods and a staple at Thanksgiving, birthday dinners and pretty much every other celebration. I hope you enjoy these dinner rolls as much as we do!

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Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk, at room temperature, between 75 and 85 degrees
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, slightly beaten
• 6 tbsp butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 6 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
• 2 tsp salt
• An additional 4 tbsp melted butter for brushing onto the rolls before baking

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Instructions

*NOTE: For this dinner roll recipe, I used a 6 quart Kitchen Aid standing mixer. If you have a smaller mixer, you might want to cut the recipe in half and make it in two successive batches (see notes for more information). You could also knead the dough by hand on a floured surface, incorporating only the amount of flour necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your hands and the counter.

1. Pour the milk into the bowl of a standing mixer, and pour in the sugar and yeast. Stir to combine and then let sit for about 5 minutes to let the yeast begin to come alive.Whisk in the egg, egg yolk and melted butter.
2. Fit your mixer with the dough hook, add 5 cups of the all-purpose flour and mix on low speed (speed number 2) until the dough begins to come together. Slowly add enough of the remaining cup of flour so that the dough comes together into a soft, slightly sticky ball. Depending on the humidity in the air, this might take the entire remaining cup or only a bit of it. What you’re looking for is a soft, smooth ball of dough that clings to the dough hook, and does not stick to the sides of the bowl, but does stick slightly to the bottom of the bowl. If you stop the mixer and touch the dough, it should feel slightly sticky, but not so wet as to be confused with cookie dough.
3. Once the dough has come together, sprinkle in the salt. Continue to kneed in the mixer for about 8-10 minutes. The dough should look very soft and smooth.
4. Spray a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray and dump the dough into the bowl. Spray a piece of plastic wrap with non-stick spray and use it to cover the bowl. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
5. After the dough has risen, dump it out of the bowl onto a clean countertop. Using a dough knife or large butcher knife, cut the dough in half. Then cut each half into 12 equal pieces. Spray two 9×13 glass baking dishes with non-stick spray.
6. Shape each piece of dough into a ball by gently stretching the outside of each piece into an oblong, pinching the sides together at the bottom. Bring the opposite sides together and pinch together at the bottom. Repeat with each piece of dough, placing 12 rolls in each pan. Cover both pans with a piece of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Let rise for about 1 hour, until the rolls have doubled in size.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap, brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining 4 tbsp of melted butter and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until they are a rich golden brown. To test for doneness, remove one pan from the oven and insert a knife in-between a couple of the rolls in the center of the pan. Pull the sides of the rolls apart slightly. If they still look doughy, put them back in the oven for another 5 minutes and then check again.
8. Remove the pans from the oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack. These are best served fresh and warm, but can be stored in an air tight container for up to 2 days.

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Notes

• If you want to cut the recipe in half, so that you have 12 rolls instead of 24, use one whole egg and leave out the additional egg yolk.
• If you still want to make 24 rolls, but need to mix the dough in two separate batches, crack the egg and egg yolk into a measuring cup and whisk with a fork. Then use half for one batch and half for the other.

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