World’s Best Dinner Rolls
I call this recipe “I’m going to get fat thanks to you!” I have been looking for a great roll recipe and this is truly the “worlds best roll”. I wanted to make the orange rolls but I didn’t have any orange juice or orange zest so I made cinnamon rolls instead. I can’t stop eating both. LOVE IT!
haha… you’re funny …..but o it’s soooo true, this is exactly my Grandma’s recipe!!! which is amazing!!! but the pointers in here were freakin awesome I think I’ve been killing the yeast by adding it to the hot mixture rather then letting it cool first, and then letting the yeast raise 10 mins rather then 4 as she calls for it. Thanks Lady it helps alot!
Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!! These are THE best rolls ever. I made them tonight and I seriously just gained 10 pounds from eating them. i didn’t make the orange rolls, just regular rolls, and they are fantastic. I’m trying the orange rolls in a couple of weeks. So good!
Salted or unsalted butter? I’m always unsure and usually go with unsalted if it doesn’t say.
Either way; I just use salted unless I happen to have unsalted for some reason.
I always assumed unsalted was best for baking, especially when you are adding more salt. Interesting.
same here ….. if you’re adding salt to a recipe I always use unsalted. If you’re not adding salt, I use salted butter (it’s why I always have a ton of butter in my fridge LOL)
Good question! you almost always want to use unsalted butter in baking. It lets you control the amount of salt in your recipe (so maybe add a pinch if you use unsalted for this recipe. Conversely, if a recipe calls for unsalted butter and all you have is salted, cut out 1/2 of the “other salt” in the recipe).
Cooking is chemistry, and salt can change a lot of the properties of your ingredients (like the boiling and freezing temperature of water, for example). It also affects the yeast (too much salt can kill them). It also reduces oxidation of the crust which means it may not brown as well or as evenly, and it reduces caramelization of the sugar and the Millard reaction of the fats/proteins in the eggs and flour (i.e., all of your flavor!). It affects how the gluten is formed. It also affects the flavor of butter when it is melted (due to a chemical reaction of the salt and heat). Any time you are melting butter in a pan, you want unsalted butter. If you’re spreading butter on potatoes or toast (or melting it on top of the rolls like above), salted butter is fine.
I just made these last Thursday, because I didn’t plan enough ahead to get my Grandma’s roll recipe in time for dinner. I was able to compare the two recipes tonight, and they’re almost the same…except that my Grandma’s has 3x the butter and 2x the sugar and a little more yeast. No wonder I remember them tasting so good.
I have recently acquired a microplane! And now I don’t close the pages whenever I see “orange zest”, “lemon zest” and whatever zest!
What a great idea to use dental floss to cut the rolls!
Thanks for all the great tips!
I didn't exactly make THESE rolls because I have my own delish cardamom roll recipe that I wanted to use as a base for the orange idea!
It yields the same amount of dough- half of which I used for dinner rolls and the other half I used the orange stuff….my only issue was that it was a little too much butter mixture..so ended up kind of too buttery (I know is there even such a thing?) and also I took them out of the oven too soon because dinner rolls were done and I didn't realize these would take longer.
Soooooo I messed them up a bit. Still ate three in about 2 minutes though…you know, just to be sure they weren't all that bad
Is there a recipe for a cheesy garilc roll. I made it the other night and can't find the recipe anywhere. (A friend wants it) Could someone help!
Here you go Jaime- sorry we're a bit behind and it hasn't made it to our recipe index yet!
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/08/cheesy-garlic-bread-swirls.html
Oh yummy! I may have to call in from work so I can stay home and make these. I can almost smell them now . . . !!
I will give these a try! My hubs likes sammiches every day and I think these might make a good sammich base.
oh and I have made the creamy chicken taquitos like 5 times now. I made up a massive batch of taco chicken Sunday night and grilled 5 chicken breasts for us to eat off of this week. I also am now making a weekly batch of lime cilantro dressing to go with everything from salads, sammiches, to of course the chicken taquitos.
You guys have such good recipes. I swears.
I have a very similar recipe… the only difference is that I use shortening instead of butter. I'll have to test this one out and compare.
Oh, these look divine. We call rolls that we love in our house \"Yummy rolls\". It's a long-standing stupid joke. We'll have to try this recipe and see if they qualify! They look like they will!
Ohhh you just had to go and out me, now didn't you?! I will have to try these again with the new and improved directions (and great pics by the way) and see if I can master them. Practice makes perfect, right? I see a lot of roll making in my future, lol.
Oh my goodness, those look heavenly! I will make those ASAP!!
me + this bread = empty bowl indeed! they look sooo good!
Those do look ridiculously delicious!!
The rolls do look scrumptious! Have you tried them with some whole wheat flour?
Has anyone tried these with flaxseed (or similar egg replacer)??
Kate- do you think the elevation makes a difference in this recipe? I couldn't find the recipe i usually use so I made these a few weeks ago and it didn't work out very well! Sara said she had had difficulty with it too so we were thinking maybe our higher elevation was causing problems?
me too. When I take the dough out (this is my second attempt) to rise it looks like your risen rolls (firm and smooth) not like your picture and I only used 7 cups of flour. I am using food storage flour, maybe it is old? Would this make a difference? The first batch I didn’t bake into rolls because I decided I put too much flour in so I made scones, turned out good. I just got done baking the second attempt and they are not fluffy looking again like your picture.
HELP, what am I doing wrong?!!
I gave a question… do you ever use 'instant yeast' and how does it change a recipe?
katecreer@gmail.com
Thanks!
Becca, I started making these in Utah, so I think while it can make a difference, the problem was the original yeast-to-water ratio (too much yeast, not enough water, no sugar to feed the yeast). I think that led to rolls that didn't rise well and sometimes made them heavy. I doubled the water and added some sugar to the mixture and that has REALLY made things easier on my end.
Barbara, I've meant to try it with whole wheat flour, but have never gotten around to it. I'd definitely start with 1/2 and 1/2 and experiment with it because while it's not AS moody as it used to be, you may run into more trouble than normal getting a light roll.
Trimble, I don't know enough about flaxseed as an egg substitute to say if it will work, but I WILL say that due to the eggs, these rolls are really rich, kind of brioche-y, so the eggs are partially there for their baking purpose and partially there for flavor. I think you/someone in your family has egg allergies, right? Anyway, if you play around with it, let us know how they turn out!
just found this comment after I asked for help in the above comment!
so 2/3 cup water x 2 w/ same amount yeast? How much more sugar? Sugar in the yeast like the recipe says or in dough?
Thanks and sorry to be baking lame!
Kate (other Kate, not me–I'm not talking to myself…yet! )–
Instant yeast works great. I like bread machine yeast, which is a form of instant yeast, because it gives consistent, fast results even when you're not using a bread machine. The only yeast you DON'T want to use is a no-rise yeast (like the yeast we're doing the giveaway for this week). It's AWESOME for pizza crust, but the texture of these rolls depends on the two rises and I don't think the no-rise yeast would work very well. Hope that helps!
Wow how beautiful are those?? Bookmarking to try, hopefully they won't give me a hard time. These would have gone beautifully with the brisket I just posted!
I made this recipe 4 times in the past couple weeks for canadian thanksgivng. The first time it didn't work out but my boyfriend had no problem eating them all, then I used bread machine yeast and VOILA. Perfect. I got so many compliments on them they were so delicious.
The orange rolls are also amazing. After making them with this recipe i had to try the no-rise version.
For anyone who lives in a high elevation/ very dry place, try using only about 6-7 cups of flour. Thats all I put in (kneading by hand) and they came out spectacular.
I live at a high elevation and I made these today without any problems. I used instant yeast (not bread machine yeast) and followed the rest of the ingredients. I actually 1/2'd the recipe and it turned out just as light and fluffy and beautiful as the pictures. Tastes amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
I made these today! I usually don't have that much luck in the roll department. I can whip up a loaf of bread like there is no tomorrow. But rolls are another story. They usually just come out so-so. These, though, were FaBuLoUs!
Incidentally that's about all my boy and girl ate for dinner. But there is milk and eggs and flour. That's three food groups!
HOW MUCH FLOUR AND WATER FOR THE YEAST
Yum!! I can't wait to try these!
I am drooling over your pics right now Kate. These look delicious!
I've been looking for a good dinner roll recipe..thank you, thank you
These really are the best. I made these for Thanksgiving last year and everyone inhaled them!! I've also done the orange rolls before and let's just say we were all licking the pan after.
I'm bookmarking this. Gonna' keep this one forever!
Oh my!! These look GREAT!!! I may have to try this Baking with yeast intimidates the \"you know what\" out of me. I need to face that fear one day though. These look wonderfully awesome!
These rolls are heavenly! I make them all the time, it's how I convince my sister to drive an hour for dinner every Sunday night!
I have been looking at this recipe and trying to figure out how long I need to knead the dough? I don't have a stand mixer to do the work for me…Thanks!
Cynthia, I can't say for sure how long you're supposed to knead it, just when it's a nice, soft dough, not super wet, and is starting to not stick to the sides of the bowl (or the kneading surface). I think while yeast is scary, THIS is the hard part of making bread–trying to guess how much flour to add, you know? The worst part is that it's different for everyone based on elevation and even how humid it is that day. Anyway, I hope that was somehow evenly REMOTELY helpful, lol!
Kate-these rolls looks delicious! Oooohhhh-I can't wait to try these!! I think my kids will devour and love these! Thanks.
Kate – made the rolls tonight for dinner and they turned out wonderful…so good! Your tips did help – Thanks! And by the way I have not made a bad recipe yet from your website, keep them coming.
Just made these tonight. My husband has been disappointed with every roll I've made in our five years of marriage. Tonight I did not disappoint! These were P-E-R-F-E-C-T. We actually just used them to make roll sandwiches. Yum!
I tried these a couple of nights ago and they turned out wonderfully. A couple of things I found was that 1. the rolls are really big. Next time I will split them further and make more quantity wise.
Also, I kind of feel like they are a bit dense in the flour department, in taste. Does anyone know why or how to remedy this? Am I using too much flour when rolling it out? Any suggestions would be great!
Dana, if they come out dense, there are a couple of things you can do:
–Be sure to go easy on the flour–it's easy to overdo it and it's really hard to know how much to add in this recipe because you want it softer than usual when you're done kneading.
–Let the yeast \"bloom\" a little longer–maybe 15 minutes or so
–Let the rolls rise a little longer, particularly in the 2nd rise
–Try using 1% or 2% milk. The whole milk adds a richness and flavor that I really love, but when I've used lower-fat milk in the past, the rolls come out a little lighter (although I also find them a little more dry with not as much flavor).
Hope that helps!
Thanks Kate, always nice to be remembered I tried the flax seed substitute and the rolls were fantastic so apparently it works. In case anyone wants the substitute instructions, you just use 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoon water to replace each egg. Thanks for sharing an amazing recipe, yet again.
Well I made rolls for the first time using this recipe and I was pretty proud of myself! I think they were pretty darn delicious. However, my husband said they weren't as good as his mother's but I wonder if it has more to do with tradition than anything else?
Do you mix in a kitchenaid with the dough hook? Sorry if that is a dumb question I have never made any bread or rolls and really want to try!
Chris–Yep, just use your dough hook!
I did it!!! The rolls turned out perfectly. I have not had the best of luck with yeast recipes lately but I made these for dinner last night and they were perfect. Your directions were very easy to follow. I might volunteer to make the rolls for Thanksgiving dinner (along with your sweet potato casserole dish- that was a HUGE hit last year and I've been counting down the months to make that again).
I made these yesterday with part whole wheat flour. 4 cups whole wheat, 3 cups white, to be exact. They came out beautifully, though they were a little on the dry side the second day. I think whole wheat flour soaks up more moisture than white, and I added a little too much. Next time I'll try making the dough slightly wetter and see if that helps. They tasted so good and my kids devoured them.
Thanks for the easy directions on these rolls- I made them this past weekend and everyone raved about them! I will definitely be making these again for Thanksgiving!
Quick question…I want to make these for Thanksgiving, can I make them the night before and put them in the oven and bake them the next day? Or would it ruin them to have the dough sit in the fridge overnight?
Susie–I've never tried rising these in the fridge overnight, and if it were me, I definitely wouldn't risk it on Thanksgiving! If it were me, I'd either get up super early on T-day make them OR make them the night before and store them in the fridge overnight; you could even slightly underbake them and then pop the in the oven for a few more minutes the next day.
Hope that helps!
Yeah, Kate, these ARE the world's best dinner rolls! Now if I can just keep my family and their gubby mitts off them until tomorrow, Thanksgiving will be perfect! Great recipe!
My husband's aunt was hosting our families Thanksgiving dinner this year — serving 50 people. I was asked to bring the rolls.
My wonderful husband bought me my very first KitchenAid 5 quart mixer, which I absolutely treasure (my birthday was 3-days ago, but it arrived a little early. Since, I normally use a breadmachine to mix my dough, I knew I was in for a challenge.
I searched online for a good dinner roll recipe, checked my KitchenAid recipe book and my bread book. I tried five other dinner roll recipes — they were total crap, I was reduced to tears and on the verge of giving up, when my husband found your recipe!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. This recipe was a God sent. Everyone complimented me on the rolls and the meal was a total success. I will treasure this recipe always.
~Annette
http://ReliableAnswers.com/Kitchen/
Too funny, our longtime family (rolled up roll) recipe is almost identical except our has 1 cup milk. I ran out of White Flour, so I used 3 cups white and 3 1/2 of Whole Wheat. They turned out great!!!
Wow… let these rise twice as long living in lovely Denver and they are incredible. I'm a huge fan!
I made these last night to compliment our Christmas dinner and we almost ate more rolls then dinner. In fact, we ate so many of these yummy buns that no one had room for dessert! Suffice it so say we LOVED them.
The best part? I made the other half of the dough into cinnamon rolls which I am about to pop into the oven for a Boxing day treat.
I made them as directed with the exception of using 1 c. half-n-half and 1 c. skim milk (because we didn't have whole).
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
This roll recipe looks amazing, thank you for sharing. I can't wait to try it. Just one question, I have been making amazingly yummy whole wheat bread for a LONG time and the only yeast I ever use is the SAF yeast, the kind you just sprinkle over the dough mixture and it doesn't require activation before hand. Do you know if this would work in your roll recipe? I am just curious since I am one of those that is afraid of yeast and hope I don't fail the recipe after all the work that has been done to make a perfect bread loaf or roll. thank you so much. so, glad I found your great site.
These are waiting to go into the oven. I made them the first time for Thanksgiving and my husband and parents lovingly refer to them as \"the Thanksgiving rolls\". They're basically famous!
Until this year I never made anything with yeast but LOVE all things bread. But your breadsticks looked so tempting and my new food processor had a dough hook so I braved up and tried them and they were delicious. So with my new found courage I decided to give these a shot and whatdaya know? Yum again. These remind me of the delicous rolls my mom used to make for Thanksgiving (and I missed terribly this year being on the other side of the country). My mom makes her rolls(well forms the dough) early and then freezes them, pulls them out to rise Thanksgiving day and bakes them. Do you think that might work for this recipe?
These are amazing!!! I didn't have any whole milk so I used buttermilk. The flavor of these rolls are great, but I must have used too much flour as they are a bit too heavy but still really good. The kids wont stop eating them!
I made these for our Easter dinner and they were fantastic!! I featured them and the link to the recipe on my blog http://sassy-classyme.blogspot.com/2010/04/happy-easter.html
Hey, new to the blog, but your recipes seem awesome. I really want to try this one, but I just moved to Taiwan last year and they aren't big on ovens here. Most people don't have one at all. What I have is the largest toaster oven I could find. It works perfectly for most things, the only problem is the size. I cannot do two pans at once. I've never really cooked with yeast before, so I'm not sure, but my question is: Can you cook one pan while the other sits, then cook the second pan? will the wait time be a problem? Or, can the recipe be halved? not sure how that would work either. Thanks for the help! I'm looking forward to trying a lot of your recipes.
these look so amazing and will totally feed my carbohydrate addiction! lol! i have a question though…would using self rising flour mess up the recipe since it calls for all purpose? wasn't sure myself so thought i would ask! thanks so much!
Crystal–I probably wouldn't. These rolls *can* be a little tempermental. Also, self-rising flour has baking soda in it and that might add a weird texture or flavor to the rolls.
Hope that helps! Happy baking!
Tonight I just made your original recipe of these rolls and they turned out amazing and I totally impressed my mother in law. So my question is, which do you prefer? This recipe, or the original one?
In case anyone else had the same question I did about halving the recipe, I just tried it and it turned out AMAZING! I couldn't believe that _I_ made something so awesome! thanks for the great recipes!
Thanks! I was wondering about this.
Made these for dinner tonight and they were awesome! Thanks so much for a great roll recipe. All my guests thank you as well.
These rolls look fabulous!! Hopefully soy milk will work instead of whole milk. I haven't found a good substitute for cream yet – do you have any tricks you can share with a food loving lactose girl =) Thanks in advance!!
Tracy-My husband is allergic to milk and milk proteins so try these substitutes. First use Moca Mix non dairy creamer (do not use any other brand because they all have milk in them) and then add an extra egg. Or Try Rich’s Whip, this is in the freezer section by the deserts. Both of them you will need to warm slightly but don’t cook them on the stove like you so the milk. I use these substitutes in almost every recipe I make and I bake a lot!
TIP: use ur glass meas cup to heat half the milk in microwave (not stove). heat to just OVER the temp your finger can tolerate, then add cut-up butter. Then sugar, salt. When butter is melted, add rest of milk cold – this will cool it faster.
These were delicious! And I even forgot the salt and the extra Tbs sugar! What can I say, prego brain! I used half the dough for rolls and made the other half into cinnamon rolls. It was an easier recipe than my regular cinnamon roll recipe, so thanks!
I glanced through the comments but didn't see anyone ask about using whole wheat with this recipe. Do you think that would work or would it ruin your perfect recipe?
Sarah, I honestly can't say, although I wish I could! I have whole wheat bread recipes and white recipes but I don't feel like I'm experienced enough with whole wheat baking to adapt recipes for white flour, you know? I imagine you couldn't do 100% whole wheat, but you may be able to replace half of the white flour with whole wheat flour.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help!
You weren't kidding when you named these rolls! They are fabulous. I just made them for the third time; each batch has been lighter and tastier as I get a better feel for how much flour to use. Yum. Thanks so much for this recipe!
I made these for dinner last night and they were SO amazing!
Just had to share where I blogged about it here: http://marievilla.blogspot.com/2010/09/another-finished-project.html
I made the dinner rolls two days ago, and right now I am making the orange roll version…not fun getting up at the \"crack of dawn,\" but I have a feeling it is going to be super delicious!!!! Thanks!!
I just made these rolls for my family and all 23 have disappeared (I popped one in my mouth before setting them out..hehehe). These are TRUELY THE BEST IN THE WORLD!! Yummmmy in our tummies…the only problem is, I'm expected to make these all the time now!! LoL~ Thank you!! Can't wait to try all your other recipes!!
Hi! I have already \"tried\" to make these once. I know I added too much flour so they came out more like biscuits instead of light rolls. If it is just me and my fiance… what are your recommendations for making a smaller batch? Do you have a different recipe or do you recommend freezing the dough? Thanks!
April–You could do a few things. I wouldn't actually recommend cutting the recipe in half because it's tricky to divide 3 eggs. So you could…
–Make 24 rolls and freeze the uneaten ones.
–Bake 12 rolls. Shape the other 12 rolls, place in a prepared pan, wrap tightly, and freeze the whole pan up to 3 months. When you're ready to bake them, let them stand on the counter for several hours to thaw and rise.
–Bake 12 rolls and make the remaining 12 rolls into cinnamon rolls.
Hope that helps!
Is it possible to use Lactaid milk with this recipe? I'm lactose intolerant so that's the only type of milk I keep on hand.
Thanks, Hollie
Hollie–Yep, as long as the milk is at least 2%, you'll be fine!
I have a much simpler way of making these rolls.
To begin with, I store my yeast in the freezer and do not worry about proofing it. I use SAF instant yeast, which, while buffered by dry ingredients, can handle the heat of quite hot liquids. I begin by mixing 8 C of flour, the salt, all 5 T of sugar and the yeast with the flat blade of my KitchenAid mixer. During this time the milk, water and butter are heating. When they are quite hot, and the butter is melted, I add them to the flour mixture. I stir the mixture briefly, then stir in the beaten eggs. At this point I switch to the dough hook and proceed as directed, adding additional flour as necessary in order to get a nice dough that is cohesive and clears the sides of the mixing bowl. I like washing fewer pans, so I bake all of them on one half-sheet pan (a jelly roll pan).
These are so delicious, and are truly fast and easy to make with this method.
I have a much simpler way of making these rolls.
To begin with, I store my yeast in the freezer and do not worry about proofing it. I use SAF instant yeast, which, while buffered by dry ingredients, can handle the heat of quite hot liquids. I begin by mixing 8 C of flour, the salt, all 5 T of sugar and the yeast with the flat blade of my KitchenAid mixer. During this time the milk, water and butter are heating. When they are quite hot, and the butter is melted, I add them to the flour mixture. I stir the mixture briefly, then stir in the beaten eggs. At this point I switch to the dough hook and proceed as directed, adding additional flour as necessary in order to get a nice dough that is cohesive and clears the sides of the mixing bowl. I like washing fewer pans, so I bake all of them on one half-sheet pan (a jelly roll pan).
These are so delicious, and are truly fast and easy to make with this method.
i am sad to say that i failed at making these today. :/ it's no surprise because i am terrified of making fresh bread. the thought of having to use yeast freaks me out! anyway, my dough turned out to be one big sticky mess. did i not add enough flour? just want to know where i went wrong because i would like to attempt these again!
I just made these today for Thanksgiving. This was my first attempt at making rolls from scratch. They turned out perfect, and both my kids said they were the best rolls they have ever had. Thank you for making me feel wonderful today!!
Wow. This is indeed the very best dinner rolls,
I ever came across! I have made plenty. This beats
Grandma 40 plus year recipe. I made this for thanksgiving
And my hubby was blown away. He request them again for Christmas dinner, easter, july 4th, etc. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Kate, I was just about decided to only make half of the recipe when I saw your comment about halving 3 eggs being difficult. Okay, if you twist my arm and I make half for rolls and half for cinnamon rolls, can you give me a quick idea of how to turn the other half into cinnamon rolls for the next morning? I plan to make these tomorrow afternoon for my thanksgiving part II. Thanks!
Mary
Mary, Just roll the remaining half of the dough into a rectangle about 6 inches high and 18 inches wide. Spread the dough generously with very soft butter and then generously sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll the rectangle up tightly into a log and then use dental floss to cut the long into 12 slices. Place the slices, spiral side-up, into a greased 9×13\" pan and then cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise for 30 minutes and then bake in 375 degree oven for 18-20 minutes or until they rolls are golden-brown. Remove from oven.
Make a glaze with 1 c. powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. almond extract, and enough milk to reach your desired consistency. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls.
You have officially made me hungry.
Do you think I could refrigerate it before doing all those things and then finish it in the morning, or would that be bad?
Kate, Do you really mean the dough doesn't need to be kneaded with the dough hook for any length of time? Just stir in the flour and that's it — no \"kneading\"?
Dear Lord, I've done and gone to bread heaven! I opted to cut the recipe in third so I wouldn't have to deal with the 1½ egg thing. I was gonna do cinnamon rolls, but after all the goodies I've had in the last two days, the last thing my hips need is something else sweet!
Here it is for one-third of the recipe:
2/3 c. whole milk
2T and 2t + 1 t sugar, divided
2 T butter
2/3 t Kosher salt
1 1/2 t preferably bread machine yeast
3 ½ T warm (105-115-degree) water
2 2/3-3 c. all-purpose flour
1 beaten egg
thank u for this!
I know everyone has said it…but these really are the world's best rolls. This was my first attempt ever at making anything bread (I was chosen to make the rolls for Thanksgiving…I know, right?) and it was so easy (thank goodness for the pics) and soooo delicious! Kate & Sara – thank you so much for your site. It is such a joy to go through all your recipes.
Made these with my niece and nephew on Thanksgiving, and they were so good! I have never been able to make yeast rolls in the past, but these turned out great. The hubs wants to know when I'm making them again. Thank you!
Someone may have said this already–if you melt the butter first, then add the sugar and milk, you can heat it just enough to dissolve the sugar. Then you don't have to cool it so much.
I'm a newer baker and have a question. The recipe calls for 8-9cups of flour and yet the instructions say to use 3 cups and then to use additional flour as needed. This makes it difficult for a novice to know how much flour to add. Can you please clarify? I'm hoping these come out OK as the comments made them sound wonderful.
Filmmomma-
Add the remaining flour one cup at a time. If you are using a stand mixer, using the dough hook will help you get it evenly mixed. I actually just made these again last night and only used 8 cups of flour total. Just make sure the flour is mixed in really good. You don't want to overmix the dough either. The recipe is pretty forgiving. If you overmix they may be a little more dense than you were wanting, but flavor wise, you'll still be in bread heaven. I used half of the dough for rolls for dinner last night and half for cinnamon rolls for this morning. WOW! They really are AWESOME!
Mary, thanks for beating me to it! Filmmomma, I'd love to give a more accurate number, but there are so many variables that you really just have to go by how the recipe is working for you. I don't even use the same amount of flour every time, just depending on the humidity. You can totally do it!
Is there anyway that you can asap post a pic of what the dough is supposed to look like before you cover it up and let it do its first rise?
I was unsure when I should stop adding flour and exactly how mixed it is supposed to look. Please add to the beautiful picture collection! Love you ladies!
Okay, I've made these three times now and while I've got the flavor and mixing down, I can't seem to get my dough divided evenly or get them to be pretty like yours. Any suggestions?
Excellent rolls! They were easy to make and came out exactly as pictured. Not to mention tasted divine!
Perfection!!! I made these for a Christmas Eve party and they were a hit! I followed the directions to the \"T\" (using whole milk which I never use) They were so yummy! They were also big rolls, so if you didn't have to go back for another, but why stop at one with these babies!
I have made these about 4 times so far and they have been awesome every time BUT the last time I made them I added about 3/4 – 1 cup of potato flour when you add the flour to the milk and it made them so light and fluffy! They disappeared in no time and are being requested for the next family dinner – Thank you! I love your sight and have recommended it many, many times since I found it!
As someone who is normally scared to make bread this was a huge success for me!! LOVED.IT. The recipe is literally fool-proof, I can completly testify to that. I am known to botch nearly every recipe given my, but I made these with RAVE reviews from even my pickiest eater. This carboholic thanks you for supporting my habit
Mary–Not *really*, haha. The most accurate thing you can do is weigh the dough and then divide that amount by 24 and weigh each dough portion. You can also roll it out so it's a rectangle, as uniform as possible, and cut it into 24 pieces. But unless you use a scale, there's going to be a little variation every time.
I have been following your blog for a few months now and this is the first recipe I have tried, and these rolls are AWESOME!!!! A little background, I come from a long line of family bakers, cakes, cookies, bread, and rolls…grandmas, aunt, and my mother. Everybody bakes and a family dinner simpy cannot be served without homemade rolls and oh how rolls have haunted me over the years. Despite numerous tutoring sessions at family dinners my rolls are the ones that turned out like rocks drop them on your toe and it might break. But, not wanting to give up I gave it another shot and after years of baking finally a success, thanks to your wonderful recipe! My mother even asked for the recipe….first time ever! I can't wait to buy your cookbook.
Is there a way to make the recipe for a bread machine on the dough cycle?? How can I convert it or would I just use the recipe outright? Thanks!
This is very similar to a recipe that's been in my family for a while – we call them \"The Best Rolls in the World\". And I cheat ALL the time by throwing all ingredients into breadmaker and then pulling out the dough to shape and rise one last time.
They work every time, so I bet this recipe would work using a bread machine, too.
Hey Cooking gals
I made this recipe…waiting for the dough to rise that picture looks soooo good, I can’t wait to sink my teeth into them Having them with supper tonight
I am wondering if these rolls can be frozen and then reheated.
Yep, definitely! Just wrap ’em up tight first!
These rolls came out PERFECT the first time I made them!
Mmm I made these today and they tasted so yummy!!! They were a little thick which I found weird because I only added 7 cups flour.. any advice for next time??? P.S. LOVE your site! Hoping for the cookbook for my birthday
I made this recipe on Sunday for the first time. My husband liked them so much that he said, “This is the dinner roll I knew from the pre-existence. Please stop experimenting with other recipes.” Success at last!
I’ve loved using my bread maker for over 15 years now, and used it to make your rolls. I cut the recipe in half (and yes, I did beat and divide the egg, using the remainder for the second batch). You probably won’t approve, but I skipped the first couple steps (combining and heating the milk, sugar, butter and salt) and loaded it all into the bread maker using butter at room temperature. I used the lesser amount of flour and the results were heavenly. I used the second batch for my grandma’s cinnamon rolls, and they’ve never been better.
Thanks so much for your delightful blog and I ADORE the cookbook. Congratulations on your success!
I made these yesterday. I think that in the recipe, instead of it saying, “Yum”, after the milk mixture, it should say something like, “You should now drink the milk mixture, then remake it”. LOL
Tasty stuff, ladies!
Is there a way you can take a picture of your dough while it’s mixing or right after you are done mixing it in the kitchen aid? I know you say a soft dough and it pulls away from the bowl ect. ect. but I’m more of a visual need to see what it’s supposed to look like! I feel like my dough is way TOO sticky even with the full 9 cups of flour. I don’t want to add any more so they won’t get messed up, and they have turned out fine. But with that said I think I would feel a little more confident with a picture of what it’s supposed to look like! If you can, thanks! (by the way, I love your website, and your cook book!)
Can this recipe be adapted to use in a bread machine on the dough cycle? Is it just as simple as cutting the recipe in half?
Made them last night using the bread machine! They were yummy!
Seriously good rolls – my niece made them and now I’m going to have a go. YUMM
You might have not put enough flour in them
These are definitely the BEST homemade dinner rolls ever. Have to admit I was a little nervous after dough had risen, it was very sticky, but I worked some more flour in during the rolling, shaped them, put them back in to rise and took a big deep breathe. It was Easter and if they would have flopped we would have been without rolls. To my surprise and everyones oohs and aahs they were perfect, light with a crispy crust, delicious.
P.S. I also made the rainbow cupcakes for the kid’s Easter egg hunt party which were a big hit.
I’ve been eye-ing these babies for several weeks and finally tried making them today. At first, I was really disappointed because the dough wasn’t rising So I heated the oven just a little bit and popped the whole bowl (towel and all) in there. About 45 minutes later, it was starting to roll over the top. I’m only making 18 rolls and a loaf of bread… and double rising the bread (just ’cause that’s how my Mom always did it). Anyways, I followed your directions exactly and ate one right away. I wasn’t planning on going for a run today, but I think I might have to! LMAO!! Oh, and I’ll also be making some fresh, hot chili to go along with ’em!
I’d like to add that I’ve never successfully made a batch of bread or rolls (even cinnamon rolls) before in my life!! This recipe and instructions are spot on and easy to follow.
WOWIE!!!!! I made these first time (half the recipe) to go with my husband’s home made chicken and veggie stew and we sat around for a couple hours afterwards because we both ate like 4 or 5 of these. We couldn’t stop drooling over how good these were. My husband was saying the whole time, you have the recipe, right? You didn’t lose it or anything did you, cuz we REALLY need to hang onto this recipe. LOLOL Thanks so much for posting! Today I’m making hamburger rolls out of them which I think are going to be PERFECT!!!!!
Hey ladies!!
Can this be made with a 50/50 blend of whole wheat flour and white flour??
So sorry I’m just getting back to you! I’ve never tried it, but I know others have done it and it’s worked for them. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Maybe I’m just computer illiterate, but I wish all of your recipes were in a printable format. When I go to “file” and reprint them, the script is so light and small I can barely read it and it’s eye straining and frustrating and I’m not even cooking yet! Would it create that much more work for you? I love your recipes but would use more if they were in printable format.
Thanks,
You’re the Best!
Kathy Konold
made these rolls last night with the Chicken Tortilla soup. Both recipes are delicious!!
Sorry if this is a dumb question….I am just wondering why you can’t 1% milk?
Thanks.
You *can*, they’re just not nearly as delicious.
Please send me a printable version
Please post a printable version. I love the hints but can not print with out the pictures and ads.
I bake bread at least once a week and always on weekends when my grandchildren come. These sound very good. I plan to make them this weekend for a family 80th birthday celebration.
Thanks
I just made these yesterday and used half whole wheat flour. They turned out fabulous!
THANK YOU!! And yes, I meant to shout it! I have never in 10 years of marriage, been able to successfully make yeast rolls. Edible, yes. But, successful, no. Until yesterday that is. I followed your recipe to a T. They were beautiful and fluffy and yummy. I could go on. I was so excited! The dough was soft and smooth. I made rolls and cinnamon rolls and my family devoured them. This will be the only roll recipe I use from now on! No more failures for me!
I’ll admit, I was skeptical about these. “Rolls are rolls,” I thought to myself. But I gave them a try and WOW! I was so wrong! These are so delicious! I just pulled them out of the oven and I’ve already had two. (My first excuse was that the recipe TOLD me to eat one, but now I just can’t stop!) Thanks so much!
I attempted a half-batch this morning and they didn’t rise. When I cooled the milk mixture, it cooled to cool and not lukewarm. My yeast bubbled, so I don’t think I killed it, but could the cool milk mixture have prevented the dough to rise? The dough was also very sticky, but it had pulled away from the bowl (not 100% but at least from the sides). Should I have added more flour? I plan on trying them again, but did I do something blatantly wrong?
Hmmm…that’s tricky. I can’t say for sure, but it’s possible that the cooler milk mixture might have made an environment not as conducive for growth. It sounds like you might have needed a little more flour too. This is seriously the trickiest part, especially when trying to give instructions online rather than in person because the amount of flour can vary day to day in ONE location, and it will be a little different for everyone depending on their location. So it should still be sticky, but not very sticky; it shouldn’t still look wet. My rule of thumb is that it should stick a little to your finger.
Hope that helps! Wish I could help you in person, haha!
Thanks for your comment! I baked the rolls anyway, and they seemed to rise while baking and they were actually pretty good (they didn’t last more than a day)–a successful failure, I’d say. I will definitely try these again. Thanks for your suggestions and the amazing blog! My husband thanks you both, too. :c)
Can the dough be prepared in a bread machine using the dough cycle? If so, do I need to make any changes to the recipe? Thanks!
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME HOW MUCH FLOUR YOU USED AND HOW MUCH WATER TO PUT IN THE YEAST?
HELP!!!
Do you use your pizza cutter on your silpat Baking mat? Or does that ruin it???
These rolls are delicious!!! I used half for rolls and the other half on your cinnamon rolls. They both were magnificent. This was the first time I had cinnamon rolls turn out!! Thank you
I have been told I make excellent bread and rolls ( doing so for 30 yrs …but want to try these especially after seeing the rave reviews…read one where someone commented on a sweet potato casserole that is on here but searched and couldn’t find ..is it possible that she was confused with anoter site?
I was kind of skeptical with all the stuff with the milk and the eggs and everything, but I wanted a good fluffy dinner roll. Usually when I make them they turn out a little too dense for my liking. I also wasn’t sure about that dough before the first rise because it was pretty sticky, but I stuck with it and followed the directions to the letter. These were SOOOOOO delicious. Perfect and fluffy and soft. I can’t wait to try these as orange or cinnamon rolls.
Im making these right now!! the dough smells scrumptious, I can’t wait! Although, im afraid it isnt rising very much.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I have been searching for the perfect roll recipe – mildly sweet, melts in your mouth. My family was all smiles as we devoured the “world’s best” rolls with Sunday Beef Stew.
How about a picture of this “bubbly yeast”? Pleeeeease.
Neva’ you mind… My yeast hath bubbleth over my coffee mug
This was the worst bread I have ever tasted…then I realized I put 2 TABLESPOONS of salt in the dough! Der! The second time around, and only two TEASPOONS of salt later, these are the best rolls ever!
can you make these rolls into a loaf of bread or what is your best homemade traditional white bread recipe?
I’ve never tried it, so I can’t say. I’m inclined to think it might not work because I’m not sure the center will get done by the time the outside is done, but you could always give it a shot!
I made these rolls today for the first time. I wanted to try them out before the holidays. This was my first time baking anything that required yeast. I am so pleased with how easy they were to make! They turned out delicious!! I will definitely make them for the holidays.
I made these for dinner tonight, SO delicious and SO easy. These are my new rolls! Thanks
Thank you for making me look like a ROCK STAR!!! I made these for my cousin who just had a baby and they were AWESOME! I followed the recipe exactly and they were easy & soooo bad for my diet…haha!
Awesome. I am new to making rolls. I tried another recipe 3 times that had rave reviews and they flattened each time. I try this and I get awesome rolls. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Very much worth all the time and dirty dishes invested in this recipe. I did have a strange experience with the yeast mixutre, it got so big it bubbled out of the 1 cup dish I had it in so be sure to grow the yeast in a big enough dish. I just put another dish under it so I didn’t lose any of it and added it all at once. These rolls were truly amazing!!!!
I made these for the first time this afternoon. Success! Thank you for the easy to follow instructions. Next up, these rolls and your cinnamon filling/glaze.
Do you know if there are any adjustments for high altitude — like 4400 ft?
Yep, it’s hard to say with yeast breads because it can vary from day to day, but you may need to add a little more flour. However, I originally developed that recipe when I was living at a very high altitude, so it should be okay.
I’m excited to make these rolls today. I wanted to add a pointer about the cooling process: when you combine the milk, butter, sugar and salt only add half the milk…once the butter has melted and the sugar and salt have dissolved add the rest of the milk to help cool it down faster. I do this with most of my bread recipes because the cooling down process does take awhile and I have killed my yeast before from impatience. Thx for the recipe!
Something went wrong…I followed the directions to the letter and the rolls kept rising…when I baked them…I found that the bottoms were not browned and it was doughy in the inside. Please explain..if you can…I live in S. Florida.
I honestly don’t know what wrong. It sounds like your oven might be a tiny bit off–it might be baking a little cool. At the very least, you might want to bake them just a little longer. If the tops are getting too brown, you could cover the pan with some aluminum foil to prevent them from getting too dark. Also, if the rolls keep rising, just pop ’em in the oven as soon as they’ve doubled.
Can I use honey in place of sugar? I dont work with yeast much and I am not sure if it will feed the yeast the same way. Will me make the rolls turn out differently?
Hi, Jenna! You know, I’ve never tried it and I can’t say for sure. I’ve made challah with honey before and I know it can impact the texture. I think they would probably be delicious, but maybe a little more heavy and I think it would probably impact the flavor (in a good way, as long as you like honey). Anyway, if you try it out, let us know how it goes!
Kate, you are a GENIOUS! I have never tried to make a yeast bread and for the longest I wanted to. I didn’t even think twice about making these (made with the Sunday Beef stew) and they are delicious and easy!!! I love it. You have opened new doors for me! My dough rose just like it was supposed to and the rolls are light and fluffy! You just made me have a happy husband :).
So I used 6 cups white flour and 2 cups wheat flour and the mixture before I let it rise was already too dense, not sticky at all. Is there anything to do to fix the dough at this point? Next time I’ll cut back to 7 cups total flour. Wondering if using wheat flour, makes that much of a difference.
Unfortunately, no. As far as wheat goes, it’s just a completely different beast–it mixes differently, rises differently, etc. However, as long as you’re not trying to go 100% whole wheat, 2 cups of wheat flour shouldn’t make a big difference. However, I wouldn’t necessarily lock yourself into 7 cups of flour; one of the trickiest elements of bread baking is that the amount of flour you’ll need can vary just from day to day, so I’d start low and then just keep adding until you reach the right consistency.
Oh my, I made these for dinner tonight after church… HEAVEN! My husband just started laughing when he was eating one– seriously, that’s how good they are.
Quick question– I want to use them for more rolls, not cinnamon rolls. Can I freeze them in little balls like Rhodes? I put the dough in a ziploc container in the fridge and it started rising again… I’m worried it’ll ruin before I can use more! Help!
thanks so very much for the bread receipe , they are good, all family thank you to because my bread was so untaste. thanks, thanks,thanks. jettie
WOW! I have never ever had success with a normal old dinner roll recipe, and because our family loves EVERYTHING from your website, I decided to try these for a family dinner, and they are Amazing!! It’s so exciting to have a non-paperweight roll! Thanks so much! My husband now knows that if I make something form ourbestbites, he is going to love it! Thank you!!
Made these yesterday! Delicious!!! Almost like my grandmother’s recipe. I thought they were very easy to make.
I had to leave a quick comment, we had an early Thanksgiving and I made these and everyone LOVED them! They are big and light and AWESOME! Thanks so much for sharing- my SIL has your cookbook and is always raving about how good every single recipe is! It’s on my wishlist now!
Have you ever made these ahead of time and froze them before the last rise?
Is there a printable version? If so I would love it! Thanks!
Should there be an adjustment for high altitude? My yeast seemed fine before I added it but the dough isn’t rising much! I don’t think I put too much flour because it was still really sticky but it’s been almost an hour and it is barely any bigger–definitely not overflowing the bowl like in your picture. I’m sure the rolls will turn out okay but this is frustrating!
Just made these for a trial run before Thanksgiving. Wonderful!!! I ate about 4 of them right off the bat! I was wondering if anyone has had success using an egg substitute like cornstarch… My hubby is allergic to eggs so I usually just do Rhodes Rolls but these kick them in the butt and want to use these for Thanksgiving. If anyone has any ideas will you email me? Thank you!!!
laynedrollinger@hotmail.com
And I just love your cookbook!! Everything I’ve tried has been awesome!!!!
Thank you.
Katie
I will be using your recipe. I have made dinner rolls many times with similar ingredients, but you shared SUCH GREAT TIPS, and I learned a thing or two! I HAD TO LAUGH when you said, “When done, remove from oven. Rub a stick of cold butter over the tops of the rolls. You must now eat one. Now. While it’s hot.” Don’t we all? I always have to get some while it’s hot. My daughters are the same, and between the three of us, there is no way people will not know cheating has occurred! So here is my proposal to charge the cheating dilemma should one hot buttered roll not be enough. MAKE A DOUBLE BATCH! Hmmmmmm…..thanks for the recipe and tips.
Hi there! I made these as a trial for Thanksgiving last night for Sunday dinner! Oh wow, did they make the cut and are definitely gracing our Thanksgiving table! I have made every roll imaginable from Parker House to Lion House, to family heirloom recipes, and while they’ve all turned out as they were supposed to, none have had the fluff, tenderness, AND flavor that these babies have! I’ve read through all your comments about freezing them…I’m wondering about making them Wednesday instead of Thursday. Would I go through the first rise, form them, then refrigerate them covered and formed? Or would they keep rising? If I do that, would I take the formed rolls out of the fridge on Thanksgiving day and let them sit for a couple of hours for the second rise? Hope this makes sense!!! You’re my new hero!
Do you make these in your KitchenAid mixer? I have the standard 4.5 quart KitchenAid and I made some wheat bread the other day, which only called for 5 cups of flour, and I felt like my mixer was struggling a bit. This recipe calls for 8 cups so I’m wondering if I should half it . . . have you ever had any trouble?
These are so so good. Easy, too, but I love making bread. I have made them 3 times in two weeks. I put small balls in my mini muffin tin for my sons finger food feast. They were the cutest little baby rolls. I personally don’t like rolls so light that they taste like you are eating air…these aren’t too airy, they have substance to them and are nice and soft…..so yummy!
I just made these tonight as a test run to see if they will be the rolls I use for Thanksgiving dinner and I’m IN LOVE! SO EXCITED. Definitely the winner. Quick question, how do they freeze, and how do you go about reheating them? With other rolls I use, I reheat in the microwave on level 7 for a couple of minutes. Would that work with these? After eating these tonight, I think I’m going to make time to make them that morning, because they are just too good out of the pan the same day. I have the rest frozen in case I don’t have time. Thanks for such a fantastic recipe!
Has anyone doubled this recipe? I need to make tons of rolls for Thanksgiving and just want to make sure I can double it. If not, I’ll be waking up mighty early to start these yummy treats.
I made these for our Thanksgiving dinner and they are beautiful and we are all ready to take a bite out of them.
I made these for the first time today for Thanksgiving and they turned out amazing! Thank you for the recipe!
Only cook one pan in the oven at a time! I learned this the hard way!
I made these rolls for thanksgiving, and EVERYONE loved them! I was nervous because it was my first time, and i dont have a thermomoter. but needless to say they were very great rolls! i used one batch right away, and froze the other. baking that batch tomorrow. thank you ladies for an awesome recipe!
To Kamae: i used my kitchen aid 5.5 mixer. worked well.
hope that helps
I was so excited to try this recipe. I am in no way, shape or form a baker by nature (not fond of waiting and measuring) I tried these today for our family dinner and made one huge mistake. I didn’t bake them in a big enough pan. I used 8×11 and they were clearly too close together. The outside was perfect and brown, but the inside was gummy. Ended up buying rolls for dinner, but my daughters and I enjoyed the heck out of the tops and bottoms. Will definitely make these again, only next time in a 9×13 dish.
Made these rolls for Thanksgiving dinner. They were heavenly! Thank you so much for sharing!
Fantastic! I made these to go with my homemade (left over Turkey) Turkey Noodle Soup from yesterday’s Thanksgiving meal. I sprinkled the top with Kosher Salt after putting lots of butter on top… so good! I ate each and every bite like it was my last! Thanks so much! ~Amy
Kate & Sara,
Wanted to let you know that I made these for Thanksgiving and they were a HUGE hit, especially with the kids. You are right: these are THE best yeast roles. Poor Grandma, “my” recipe is better than hers! Thanks, again!
I made these for Thanksgiving and they were a hit. I just wanted to say thanks for all your great recipes. I actually discovered your book first before I realized you had a blog (I’m a little out of touch, I know) I have made almost 1/2 of the recipes in the book and love every one of them. I’m excited to look through your blog and find lots more. I just found that no-rise cinnamon roll recipe that I think I’ll try today instead of doing laundry thanks!
These were incredibly easy in the bread machine. I halved the recipe. Added water, sugar, bread machine yeast in machine pan and let sit 10 min. Melted butter in microwave and added all ingredients to pan. Put on dough setting. When finished, made this 1/2 batch into 16 rolls (just halving and re-halving dough with pizza cutter). Put rolls in pan and let rise 30 min, then cooked according to directions. Thanks for the great recipe. Turned out wonderful.
Hi there, my dough isn’t rising and my yeast mixture activated absolutely fine, milk mixture Luke warm, and 8 cups of flour. Can you over mix the dough in a stand mixer? I’ve got the bowl in a cool place but just not sure?? Thanks. :/
I meant to say warm place ***
Do you have a printable version of this recipe? Or maybe I just can’t find it on page? Thanks!
emergency question: how much yeast do i need exactly? please help! lol kinda in the process now. never made bread before…wish me luck! gracias!
yeah, i got it–rolls!
I love these rolls and have made them many times. I was thinking for Christmas that I would make them into mini bread loaves and give them with your honey butter. Do you think they would turn out as little bread loaves? Just thought I’d see if you had ever tried that and if you had any tips…thanks!
I have some leftover bread flour from another recipe. I’m thinking that will work just as well as the all-purpose???
I wouldn’t–bread flour has more protein, so it’s perfect for heavy duty sandwich breads, but I think it might be a little too tough for these rolls. Hope that helps!
My wife just slaved away last night and this morning making cinnamon rolls, orange rolls and dinner rolls, all based on this recipe. I must admit this recipe is appropriately name!!!
Just made these, and they are absolutely amazing! I was really concerned that I didn’t have any whole milk (and was too lazy to go to the store and get some) so I tried anyway. They turned out so great, I can’t even imagine how good they are with the whole milk!
Is there a place to print it? I can’t find it! They look so yummy – would love to make them – maybe even tomorrow!!!
My sweetheart and I made these rolls for a dinner party. They were quick and easy, and the dough rose well even in the challengingly wet climate of rainforest Alaska. We forgot to add the eggs but decided to cook them anyway, and they were FANTASTIC! Every person there complimented the rolls.
These rolls freeze extremely well! Just bake and cool completely, I then put mine in a gallon ziploc bag and froze. Took them out of the freezer and defrosted at room temperature then put in foil to re-warm in the oven. Worked great!
This is the best dinner rolls that I have ever made!!! I am so happy to finally have a recipe on hand that I can use to make them homemade I’m having so much fun on this site – thank you bunches for your easy-to-understand directions and for the pictures of the recipe from beginning to end.
I featured this roll recipe on my blog it was so good! I will make this again and again and again, because I will never be able to stop eating them.
thanks for the amazing recipe!!! tried them out today and came out perrrrrfect!
I have been trying to make homemade dinner rolls for years – I’ve had a little bit of success in meeting my very high standard but not what I was looking for. Now, I’ve made these rolls three times and tonight’s was the best by FAR! They were SO high and light and incredibly yummy. My bread machine yeast did not proof, so I used fast rise Hodgson Mill dry yeast. I also used White Lily flour, which I think makes a difference in baking and I was not disappointed. I am going to keep making this recipe with these same ingredients and see if I can always get them to come out this way. They were to die for!
I made two half-batches of this dough yesterday. Once to preview it, as it has been years since I last made bread except as pizza dough and the second time to take to a dinner party. I started to try to do the egg split by using the Tablespoon/Teaspoon equivalents after beating the eggs. However, it is almost impossible to get egg to stay inside of a spoon. In the end I just used 1/3 of a cup.
The first half-batch I made half (1/4 of the recipe as written) as cinnamon rolls by rolling it into a ten inch circle and then covering with a mixture of 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, cutting into 8 wedges and rolling-up. They baked up beautifully in a 9 inch square pan. Very light and tasty. The other half of the dough I made into dinner rolls and baked in a small Corningware dish. Both batches went in at the same time and baked 15 min. The dinner rolls were overbaked a bit and didn’t have the same lightness as the cinnamon rolls, though I promptly ate two of them and two of the cinnamon rolls just for argument’s sake. I am wondering if one reason folks sometimes have trouble with these is due to baking them too long.
The batch that I made just before leaving home for the dinner party was light and 6 out of ten folks at the party made a special point of saying how much they liked them. I am so glad I did a Google search for Best Dinner Rolls and was lead to your site.
I made these for dinner last night and they were AMAZING! we didnt eat any out of the second pan because there were only four of us and we had lots of other food. So when I was pulling the rolls out of the pan to put them up I noticed the second pan was doughy still especially in the middle. I wonder why this happened since the first pan turne out so great. I cooked them on the same rack in the oven. It was kind of high because we had the other part of dinner cooking at the same time. Should it have been more in the middle of the oven? I will definitely make these again! It was pretty easy even without a stand mixer. And my husband said these were “like the good rolls they served at school that you paid another quarter for to get seconds!” Lol
I have made these a few times and they’ve always turned out great! I wonder if they just needed to be baked all by themselves instead of with the rest of dinner?
They just need to be baked in a hot oven
Can you say “rocked my world”? These are incredible! We made sandwiches out of them with some shredded BBQ chicken. Hubby said that these were the missing piece to our holiday dinners! Definitely going on this year’s Thanksgiving/Christmas menu!
These dinner rolls are the best…the recipe is simple and easy ..i will keep this recipe in my book….thank you
I saw a few times where this question was asked but never saw an answer. Can I make the dough in my breadmaker on the dough cycle? If so what do you suggest I do about the amount of flour added?
I’ve never had much success with breadmakers, so I sold mine about 5 years ago and have never tried it with these rolls–sorry I can’t be of more help!
You may have trouble with these if you use salted butter. The salt will do you in every time. Use unsalted butter and add a bit extra with the flour = )
I made these rolls and they really are the BEST rolls ever!!!I also froze them after they baked and cooled and when i defrosted them and ate them they were still soft and perfectly delicious…thank you so much for this recipe
So easy, and so delicious!! I made 48 smaller rolls, baked them in 2 pie plates and 2 round cake pans. I’m going to make pecan sticky buns with the next batch!
Bravo for another great recipe!!
I have been making yeast rolls for years, but this, by far is the best recipe I have ever used. The rolls are feathery light and just delicious. Several postings have asked about freezing them before baking. I have done this with previous recipes, but have not tried it with this particular one. I do plan to do this with the next batch I make. However, I did bake the rolls until they were just starting to brown, removed them, and after cooling, froze the rolls. Then I just remove them a few at a time from the freezer, let them thaw out for about 10 minutes, and bake. This is a quick way to have freshly baked yeast rolls in just a few minutes. What a special treat to have after coming home from a hard day at work!
I am looking for a recipe that I can use in place of Rhodes when frying scones for breakfast or navajo tacos. Would this work? Do I fry before the second rise? Thanks!
Sally, do you have our cookbook? We have the perfect recipe in there for scones and navajo tacos!
Today’s post is actually a re-post of one of our very, very first recipes–like one of the recipes we had up on the blog before we even launched it! It is one of my most beloved recipes and an all-time favorite of my friends and family-members. I’ve always known that the dough was a little temperamental and that some people have had trouble with it, but it wasn’t until I talked to Sara a few weeks ago and she told me that she has never successfully made these when I realized I needed to do something about it. I’m totally not sharing this to knock Sara in any way–heck, I have never been able to successfully make her famous Creamy Chicken Taquitos, so go ahead, judge me now. I’m saying this because if you’ve tried these rolls in the past and haven’t had a lot of success, be happy to know that a) you’re in good company, and b) I’ve tweaked the recipe, the yeast procedure in particular, in a way that I believe makes the dough more user-friendly and less moody. If only someone could find a similar cure for PMS…
If you’re still nervous about working with yeast, check out this information on working with our fungal friend.
Ready? Awesome. You’ll need whole milk, all-purpose flour, yeast, sugar, salt, butter, and eggs. Nothing fancy.
Combine milk,
1/2 c. sugar,
butter (sorry, no enticing action shot for the butter. It seems kind of like there might be some real-life parallels here…),
and salt
in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter melts. It’s salty. It’s sweet. Yum.
Remove from heat. Allow to cool to lukewarm. I usually rub some ice cubes along the sides of the pan or pop the entire pan in a sink full of ice cubes to cool the mixture down because this step can take forever. This step is really important because if the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
While the milk mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast
and 1 Tbsp. sugar
in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes or until the yeast is very bubbly and the mixture has risen significantly.
Before:
10 minutes later:
If the yeast hasn’t bubbled, you’ll need to repeat this step–moving on with yeast that hasn’t been activated properly will only end in heartache for you and hate mail for us.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 c. flour and milk mixture.
Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes.
Crack your eggs…
and give them a good whisking (this little heart whisk is one of my favorite tools for jobs like this). Why should you beat your eggs first? Same reason you should combine your dry ingredients before adding them to moist ingredients when making cookies and cakes–it ensures everything is well-mixed and can be evenly-distributed through your dough or batter. If you add the whole eggs, your dough may not be as consistent.
Stir in as much remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough.
This dough should be very soft–it will be coming away from the sides of the bowl, but it will still stick to your finger when you touch it. Don’t worry, it will firm up during the rising process. Part of what makes these rolls so good is that they’re so soft and light; if you add too much flour, they will be heavy and dense.
Place the bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean towel; allow to rise 1 hour.
Punch down dough. Lightly flour your work surface
and turn dough out onto surface.
Divide in half.
Spray 2 9×13 glass pans with cooking spray. Roll first portion of dough into a rectangle and then cut it into 12 equal-sized pieces.
I like to use a pizza cutter because it has a blade on each side (a plastic bowl scraper is also fantastic), so it cuts right through dough without sticking to the blade. This dough should be very easy to work with, almost like playdough. Shape each piece into a ball and place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough in the second pan.
Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. When dough has about 15-20 minutes to go (depending on your oven), preheat oven to 375.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden-brown.
When done, remove from oven. Rub a stick of cold butter over the tops of the rolls. You must now eat one. Now. While it’s hot. Then pop the rest into a bowl and no one will ever know that you cheated.
P.S. Using this filling or these fillings, this dough makes fabulous cinnamon or orange rolls. Just bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
MAKING AHEAD: We have received tons of comments and emails asking about making these rolls ahead, or freezing the dough, etc. Note that we have never before tried any of these methods so we can’t give you an answer for sure. You can try freezing the dough after they have been shaped (but before the second rise) and you can certainly try cooking and cooling completely and then freezing. Just keep in mind we only make these fresh and eat them hot from the pan so that’s all the info we can give you.
2 c. whole milk (if you’re in a pinch, you can use 2%, but whole is best. Don’t use 1% or skim)
Combine milk, 1/2 c. sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter melts. Remove from heat. Allow to cool to lukewarm. I usually rub some ice cubes along the sides of the pan or pop the entire pan in a sink full of ice cubes to cool the mixture down because this step can take forever. This step is really important because if the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
While the milk mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes. If the yeast hasn’t bubbled, you’ll need to repeat this step–moving on with yeast that hasn’t been activated properly will only end in heartache for you and hate mail for us.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 c. flour and milk mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes.
Add beaten eggs. Why should you beat your eggs first? Same reason you should combine your dry ingredients before adding them to moist ingredients when making cookies and cakes–it ensures everything is well-mixed and can be evenly-distributed through your dough or batter. If you add the whole eggs, your dough may not be as consistent.
Stir in as much remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough. This dough should be very soft–it will be coming away from the sides of the bowl, but it will still stick to your finger when you touch it. Don’t worry, it will firm up during the rising process. Part of what makes these rolls so good is that they’re so soft and light; if you add too much flour, they will be heavy and dense. Place the bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean towel; allow to rise 1 hour.
Punch down dough. Lightly flour your work surface and turn dough out onto surface. Divide in half.
Spray 2 9×13 glass pans with cooking spray. Roll first portion of dough into a rectangle and then cut it into 12 equal-sized pieces. I like to use a pizza cutter because it has a blade on each side, so it cuts right through dough without sticking to the blade. This dough should be very easy to work with, almost like playdough. Shape each piece into a ball and place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough in the second pan.
Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. When dough has about 15-20 minutes to go (depending on your oven), preheat oven to 375.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden-brown.
When done, remove from oven. Rub a stick of cold butter over the tops of the rolls.
Then pop the rest into a bowl and no one will ever know that you cheated.
MAKING AHEAD: We have received tons of comments and emails asking about making these rolls ahead, or freezing the dough, etc. Note that we have never before tried any of these methods so we can’t give you an answer for sure. You can try freezing the dough after they have been shaped (but before the second rise) and you can certainly try cooking and cooling completely and then freezing. Just keep in mind we only make these fresh and eat them hot from the pan so that’s all the info we can give you
Original article and pictures take http://ourbestbites.com/2009/10/worlds-best-dinner-rolls/ site
