These Homemade Dinner Rolls are pretty simple to make even for those of you that don’t have a lot of experience making bread. A handful of basic ingredients you already have in your pantry and a few hours of your time and you have delicious homemade dinner rolls.
I know we all get impatient and looking for instant gratification but letting the dough proof until it doubles in size is critical for achieving good bread.
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I am fortunate enough to have a proofing feature on my oven but if you don’t have that feature, you have a couple of options.
If your kitchen is warm enough, you can put the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel or cling wrap. For the longest time, I always used a damp cloth.
Now I spray a piece of cling wrap with non-stick spray and cover the bowl with it. The non-stick spray helps the dough not stick to the cling wrap when it rises.
Another method is to cover a bowl with a damp cloth and let it sit in an oven preheated to 100°F. Some ovens can’t go that low so just set it as low as you can.
One last tip for making these delicious dinner rolls. Use a silicone mat with your baking sheet instead of non-stick spray or parchment paper.
Recipe Tips
- Ideally the water should be between 105°F-110°F before adding the yeast. Water above 120°F will kill the yeast.
When it comes to forming your dough into the desired shape, my preference is to roll it into a ball a 2-ounce piece of dough. I use my handy kitchen scale to do this.
What is Rising & Proofing
Rising is the process where carbon dioxide makes the dough rise and develop flavor. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl (olive oil or non-stick spray) and cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap. The dough should be left in a warm location until it has doubled in size.
Proofing basically means the last rise of the dough in its final shape (e.g. bun, loaf, etc.) before baking. Many factors come into play for how long it will take to prove the dough. You can tell when the dough is ready for baking when the dough springs back after you gently press the dough with your finger.
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Homemade Dinner Rolls recipe (see recipe card for quantities): Active Yeast, Warm Water, Milk, Eggs, Unsalted Butter, Salt, White Sugar and All Purpose Flour.
How to Make Homemade Dinner Rolls
- Sprinkle yeast into the bowl of your stand mixer. Add warm water and stir until dissolved.
- Add eggs, milk, butter, salt and sugar and stir until well blended.
- Gradually add 5 cups of flour 1 cup at a time, beating until smooth after each cup is added. After the fifth cup, the dough should be stiff.
- Use half of the sixth cup to create floured surface turn the dough out on the floured board and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, using the remaining flour as needed.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth or cling wrap. Let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hrs.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and squeeze out all air bubbles. Divide the dough into four parts, wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Shape chilled dough into the desired shape using approximately 2 oz per roll. Place on a greased baking sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Homemade Dinner Rolls
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Ingredients
- 2 ¼ Tsp Active Dry Yeast
- ¼ Cup Warm Water, 105°F-110°F
- 2 Cups Milk
- 2 Eggs
- ½ Cup Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 ½ Tsp Salt
- ½ Cup White Sugar
- 6 Cups All Purpose Flour
Instructions
- Sprinkle yeast into the bowl of your stand mixer. Add warm water and stir until dissolved.
- Add eggs, milk, butter, salt and sugar and stir until well blended.
- Gradually add 5 cups of flour 1 cup at a time, beating until smooth after each cup is added. After the fifth cup, the dough should be stiff.
- Use half of the sixth cup to create floured surface Turn dough out on the floured board and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, using remaining flour as needed.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth or cling wrap. Let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hrs.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and squeeze out all air bubbles. Divide the dough into four parts, wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Shape chilled dough into the desired shape using approximately 2 oz per roll. Place on a greased baking sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
There isn’t a rise time for the shaped rolls. Do they go directly into the oven after shaping?
I made your Mom’s raisin pie yesterday. So easy and delicious. Thank you.
A second rise once the dough is shaped is fine but necessary for this recipe. If you have the time go for it but really not needed IMHO. Glad you liked the raisin pie recipe. One of our most popular recipes.