Homemade Yeast Rolls
Our homemade yeast rolls are just like the ones Grandma used to make. Warm, tender dinner rolls topped with melted butter. Serve them as-is or with honey!
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Nothing beats a soft, flaky dinner roll. In fact, many restaurants figured this out years ago and starting serving them as soon as you sit down.
But, if you don’t feel like going out for dinner or you want to make something special this holiday season, then you’ve come to the right place.
For today’s recipe, we’re sharing our homemade yeast rolls recipe. Kim made them the old fashioned way so, there’s no time to waste. Let’s get started!
How to make yeast rolls?
First, using a stand mixer or hand mixer (you’ll need a dough hook either way) combine 3 cups of flour with the milk, yeast, sugar, salt, melted butter, and the egg.
After that, use your dough hook to mix the ingredients for about 2 minutes. Next, keep adding the flour a half (1/2) a cup at a time.
The dough should start to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl.
Afterward, increase the speed to medium for an another 5 minutes. If needed, add extra flour (a tablespoon at a time) to create a smooth, elastic dough.
At this point, your yeast roll dough should like the dough in the picture above. Now, it’s time to transfer the mixture to a greased mixing bowl.
I recommend spraying the bowl and a sheet of plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray. That way, nothing sticks as the dough rises.
The first rise should take thirty to forty-five (30-45) minutes and it should double in size when covered and placed in a warm spot in your kitchen.
Then, once the dough has doubled, go ahead and punch it down to deflate it.
Now, separate it into twenty-four (24) equal sized balls. Place the raw yeast rolls into a baking dish or a large sheet.
They will need to rise once more before baking. That’s right, you need more greased plastic wrap.
Cover the dough balls and place them back into a warm spot. Let them rise for about forty-five (45) minutes or until they’ve double in size.
Go ahead and preheat your oven to 375°F. Pop the homemade yeast rolls into the oven to bake for 12-15 minutes.
Last, remove them from the oven and brush them melted butter. That’s it your homemade yeast rolls recipe is done.
Kim and I hope you enjoy the bread and we wish you all the best 🙂
Dinner Roll Tips:
- Why didn’t my bread or rolls rise? Well, for starters, check the expiration date on your yeast. It might be expired. Then, make sure you didn’t kill the yeast by overheating the milk.
- If that doesn’t solve the issue then ask yourself whether or not the, “warm,” spot in your kitchen was warm enough. The truth is, humans have been using yeast successfully for long, long time. No offense, if your dough didn’t rise, it was probably something you did (or didn’t do).
- What can I serve with my rolls? That depends on what you like. In our house, we serve them with butter and honey. Some people prefer brown or cream gravy. Basically, serve them with whatever you think is tasty.
- Can a bread dough rise too long? Of course, that’s why bread making requires attention. Keep an eye on the dough and check it every half an hour. Once it doubles in size, it’s done rising.
More Baking Recipes:
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How to Video
Ingredients
- 4 ½ to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups milk, warmed to 110°F to 115°F
- 2 tablespoons rapid rise yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, but not hot
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the 3 cups of flour, milk, yeast, sugar, salt, melted butter, and egg.1 ½ cups milk2 tablespoons rapid rise yeast¼ cup granulated sugar1 teaspoon salt4 tablespoons unsalted butter1 large egg
- Use a dough hook to mix the ingredients on low speed for 2 minutes until it begins to come together. Add additional flour ¼ to ½ cup at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Increase the speed to medium, and continue to mix for an additional 5-6 minutes. If the dough is sticky to the touch or sticks to the bowl, continue to add flour a couple of tablespoons at a time until the the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Form the dough into a smooth ball, and transfer it to a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and allow it double in size (about 30 minutes to an 1 hour depending on the room temperature).
- After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to deflate it. Separate the dough into about 24 equal different pieces. If you have access to a kitchen scale, it’s best to weigh out the dough to ensure the pieces are the same size.
- Roll the pieces into balls, and place them into a greased 9 x 13 – inch baking dish or an equivalent sized baking sheet. Cover with a clean towel or piece of greased plastic wrap, and allow to double in size (about 30 minutes to 1 hour). Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Top with melted butter, and serve warm. Yeast rolls are best served in large plastic zip bags, and stay fresh for about 3 days.
I make these every year for Thanksgiving and they are always a hit! I’m wondering if you could freeze the dough before baking and then thaw the dough and bake? Thank you!
Hi Rebekah!
We’re so glad to hear that these are a Thanksgiving favorite! 😁 I haven’t tried to freeze this particular recipe, but I’m thinking it would work. You’d need to make the dough, shape the rolls, and place them on a baking sheet to freeze for about an hour or so. Transfer them to a freezer-safe container or plastic bag.
When you’re ready to bake the rolls, place them on the sheet pan or in the baking pan and let them rise at room temperature until the they double in size and get puffy. Then bake like normal. If you have time, consider doing a trial run before Thanksgiving as a test.
Hope this helps and that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 😊
They look delicious. I am about to start making these. Could I use bread flour instead of regular? I have some on hand is why I ask. Will let you know the results.
Good morning Joyce, yes, you can use bread flour. In fact, I did so recently. For that version, I substituted approximately 2 cups of bread flour in place of the all purpose flour. Now, I still used about 2-3 cups of all purpose flour (to get the total amount of flour). So it was more a blended flour mixture. However, the rolls turned out great. They were softer and chewier than the regular recipe. Please let us know how yours turned out. Thank you for commenting and have a lovely day 🙂
Hello! Can you knead this by hand if you don’t have a stand mixer? I want to make these over the holidays, but where I am going there isn’t a stand mixer. Thanks so much!
Hi Jennifer!
Absolutely! The dough can be kneaded by hand. It usually takes about 8-10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, elastic, and just barely tacky but not stick to your hands or fingers. Have a wonderful weekend! 🙂
Hi there,
I was wondering if I can use fresh yeast (refrigerated)? And if so do you know what the equivalent would be?
Hi Meri!
We haven’t tried fresh yeast with this recipe, but I think it should work fine. Normally, it doesn’t take nearly as much fresh yeast as it does dry, so try 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons to start. I’m thinking that should be sufficient. We’d love to know how it works out. Have a wonderful week! 🙂
Hey there
Can I use regular active yeast instead of rapid rise. ( geez I hope this isn’t a dumb question 🤦🏽♀️)
Cheers, Heather🎄
Good Afternoon Heather, that’s not a dumb question. Sure, you can use regular active yeast in place of the rapid rise. However, it may take longer for the rolls to complete their rise(s). I hope this information helps and we wish you a lovely day. 🙂
Can you convert this recipe into 12 rolls instead of 24 by cutting the recipe in half or do you have to adjust it differently? Thanks for your response.
Good Morning Tanya, that’s a good question. You can try cutting it in half or simply making larger rolls (12 large rolls instead of 24). We’ve never halved the recipe, so I would go slow and make sure the dough isn’t too dry or too sticky. Pay close attention to the process photos as references. Other than that, I don’t foresee any issues. Let us know how it turns out. Have a lovely day 🙂