Dinner Rolls
If your butter is cold you can cut it into 4 - 5 smaller pieces and add it to the milk. Then microwave them together for about a minute. That will warm the milk and soften the butter just enough. ALWAYS AERATE YOUR FLOUR BEFORE MEASURING - Jenny Jones
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Makes: 16 (3-inch) rolls
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all purpose flour or bread flour
- 2 teaspoons (1 packet/ 7 gms) instant yeast
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk (I use 1% or 2% low fat milk) heated to 120-130° F
- 2 Tablespoons softened butter or a trans fat-free margarine
- 1 egg at room temperature
- additional 1/2 to 3/4 cup flour
Instructions:
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, yeast, sugar & salt.
- Stir in warmed milk & butter (or margarine), then egg.
- Beat on high for 2 minutes.
- Stir in enough flour to make a firm dough (about 1/2-3/4 cup).
- Remove to a floured surface and knead 100 turns until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Cover and let dough rest 10 minutes.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the dough into 16 pieces. Shape into balls & place on baking sheet.
- Cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm place 30 minutes to an hour, until doubled in size. While rising, preheat oven to 375° F.
- Bake 10- 12 minutes until golden brown.
Note: For soft whole wheat rolls simply replace half the flour with whole wheat flour.
Just made these dinner buns….turned out great. I found that I had to add approx. 1 extra cup of flour after adding the 1/2 cup extra that the recipe calls for, otherwise I would have had a counterful of soup. I put all ingredients in my Kitchenaide stand mixer and used the paddle (next time I’ll use the hook). Also I don’t have instant yeast on hand, so used fast acting and did NOT proof it, just added as if it was instant. Kneaded only 50 turns.
It sounds like you might have sifted the flour before measuring. Otherwise, I’m sorry this was problematic but glad they turned out well.
Nope…don’t own a sifter. Spoon the flour into an 8 oz measuring cup, level off the measring cup with a straight edge and then it goes into the mixing bowl, so that’s not the problem. RH was quite high. I use farm fresh egg, large. Not sure of proper way of handling the problem….more flour? or less liquid? I have this problem quite often and so far I’ve been adding more flour, but….
Can you bake them in a 9X13 pan?
How would you make this recipe vegan. Can I use flax eggs or just use Bob Redmills egg replacer. Has any one made this bread vegan before. Just let me know.
I’ve made this and the bread loaf recipe (the one that’s supposed to have egg) without egg before and they turned out great. I know that chia seeds/water can be substituted for egg in bread. I have done that before also when I was out of eggs and it worked well. According to Minimalist Baker, How to Make a Chia Egg, “1 Tbsp chia seeds + 2.5 Tbsp water = a chia egg”, and there are other substitutes as well. Hope that helps!
These are always perfect. (I live at 6000 feet and just add 1 TB flour per cup). They freeze beautifully.
I notice an instruction to, “beat on high for 2 minutes” but there’s no indication of a stand or hand mixer. Do I need an electric mixer to develop the gluten, or is hand mixing ok?
I use an electric hand mixer, but have also had success with just my hands. It’s all in the texture.
I made the hamburger buns last week and was so impressed with how easy and tasty that I tried the dinner rolls this week. Ranks with the best dinner rolls I ever had.
I made these rolls for my large family – DELICIOUS!!!! We use them for breakfast and for making small lunch sandwiches. The kids especially enjoy them with jam in the middle, butter on the top, then sprinkled with powder sugar.
. I made these rolls for the first time for a church dinner for about 80 people. I made 5 batches. After mixing the dough just like the recipe Using instant yeast. I then formed them into balls and stretched the outsides of the ball into the center. Then put on a tray and covered with wax paper and put in frig over night. Took out on the morning and let rise about 1 and 1/4 hours then backed. I can tell you they were great
I made these rolls for the first time for a church dinner for about 80 people. I made 5 batches. After mixing the dough just like the recipe Using instant yeast. I then formed them into balls and stretched the outsides of the ball into the center. Then put on a tray and covered with wax paper and put in frig over night. Took out on the morning and let rise about 1 and 1/4 hours then backed. I can tell you they were great.
The sugar is to feed the yeast. I wouldn’t reduce it or your bread might not rise.
Hello,
I have a Kitchen Aide mixer. How long should I knead these, “easy dinner rolls” with the dough hook attachment?
Thanking you in advance.
I’ve use a Kitchenaid to mix dough for years. You of course use a pretty low speed 2 or 3 – otherwise you stress the mixer too much. This is a small recipe. 5 – 7 minutes on the dough hook would be fine.
Hi,
Can I use “less” sugar, and would the recipe turn out ok? I always double the recipe. Jenny? Anyone try with less sugar?
Thanks.
Alexis (NJ)
Hi,
A quick question:
I have already made the delicious soft roll recipe, doing the 100 hand kneading turns as Jenny suggested. (See previous text) Has anyone ever used the dough hook in place of hand kneading, and how did your rolls turn out? Just curious.
Thank you.
Alexis
PS…… Making a double batch as we speak. I’ll continue with the hand kneading until I have some responses.
I use a Kitchen Aid mixer with dough hook until the dough looks good, and then I knead it for maybe 25 turns. Always works for me.
Hello everyone.
I just made Jenny’s soft dinner roll recipe. Wow! Delicious! It was my first time with this recipe, as I normally make her crusty rolls. I wanted something soft, as my son just had a root canal, and the one side of his mouth is sore.
I followed another reader’s suggestion and did the “drawstring” roll up, and put them close together to rise and not spread. Worked great.
I made “18 “ rolls, but some were not the same size. Only “4” are left. Wish I had doubled the recipe. Next time.
Thank you Jenny.
Alexis G
Excellent rolls! Easy and delicious.
Fast ,great buns…I did get 16…some smaller than others..but that was me cutting the dough uneven..They were taking them off the tray as they were cooling.
Best rolls ever thanks you. Merry Christmas!
can I just roll and put into a 8×8 pan?
Can this recipe be made ahead of time and frozen before or after baking ?
I never made anything with yeast until I found your paczki recipe, Jenny. Now, I make ALL the breads and recipes on your site. Thank you for making it so easy and bringing me so much joy. I can honestly say I love baking bread because of you. I always have a healthy loaf of wheat bread available thanks to you and these dinner rolls are simply delicious! Thanks for bringing a lot of wholesome into our home.
Dear Jenny,
My whole life I have believed that I couldn’t cook. Then I found your website! Every, single thing that I have made from your recipes has been delicious! My husband loves the food, and I love you for being so kind to share your talent with the rest of us. What a great thing to share with the world! Thank you so much for your site! Hope many blessings return to you!
Jane
My Dad sent me the YouTube link to your videos and I’ve been hooked since. My 10 kids love the dinner rolls they are a regular staple here now. Thanks for the recipes!!
Just made your whole wheat buns, and they are wonderful to say the least. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
I would like to transform this recipe and make adding pineapple juice like Hawaiian rolls. How would proportions change?
Thank you
What delicious, easy and quick dinner rolls. Another winner dear Jenny. Thank you. ❤
My rolls did not stay in a round shape while rising or cooking. Do you have a video of making them in a ball?
Could I use hot water from the tap and powdered milk? Or would it ruin the flavour?
Thanks Jenny!
I’ve been a BIG fan since March 13, 2020!
It worked beautifully, using hot tap water and powdered skim milk. No need to fuss with temperatures .
These really are easy and delicious, soft dinner rolls.
Thanks for the tip. I have a hot water dispenser and just use it to get the temperature right. That’s cool the powdered milk works too. I’ll have to pick some up
Hello, may I ask you a question? How much powdered milk do you use and how much water? I’m 16 yrs old and want to bake these rolls for my Mom. I want to surprise her for her birthday. She has lots of powdered milk on hand. Thank you in advance.
Marie
I’m not Jenny, but i’m a baker and i appreciate that you’re a young baker looking to make something special for your mum. You would need to add about 4 table spoons of powdered milk to one cup of warm(not hot) water and stir well to dissolve. Use the milk as directed in the recipe. Hope this helps!
Can I make the roles place them in the fridge over night next day let them rise and bake?
Yes. I just made these a few days ago. I placed shaped rolls in fridge well sealed and in the morning let them rise in low temp oven. 120 degrees. Then baked according to Jenny’s instructions. I have done this method with Jenny’s cinnamon roll recipe as well.
Hi Jenny,
I have never made dinner rolls before. I’ve always wanted to give it a try. I decided tonight to try your recipe and it was fantastic. They tasted like dinner rolls except so fresh. Thank you so much! I now know how to make them so I want be so intimidated to make them.
Thanks,
Randy
Can coconut milk be used instead?
Thanks Jenny, your recipes are wonderful!
I have made these rolls twice now, following directions to the letter, and they came out perfect both times!
Rolls did not hold their shape when rising. They spread out too much. What did I do wrong.
It’s possible your oven was not hot enough at the start.
The rolls had lost their shape before they were put in the oven. After rising for 30-35 minutes they had spread from a perfect little round roll to the shape of an English muffin. Any other idea ???
Try placing the rolls closer together…that way they have a bit of support while rising. Just a thought.
I roll the dough into balls, then draw the sides around and down to the bottom like a drawstring bag…twist and pinch together, place this side down. Works every time!
Has anyone ever made this without egg or a substitute..successfully? My daughter is vegan and I want to make rolls without egg
There is no egg in this recipe…. unless mine isn’t showing complete. There is butter and milk, but no egg
There is one egg in this recipe – it’s the 7th ingredient in the list just above the “additional flour.”
I made these rolls tonight using almond milk, Earth Balance Spread and a flax egg. They came out perfectly! I’m so excited to have soft fluffy rolls and no allergy symptoms. What a blessing to find these recipes. Thank you Jenny❤️
I made them last night using a flax egg and they are great. I’ve read other posts that have said they forgot the egg and they still turned out perfectly.
Excellent recipes!!! I have made several of your recipes from bread/rolls to cinnamon rolls. Always a hit. Love your directions so easy to follow. Thank you so much!!!!
Jenny, I just wanted to say how awesome your recipe for dinner rolls is. I’ve been baking most of my life, at first with my mother who was the best teacher anyone could ever have. But recently I have been exploring new recipes, and your page came highly recommended. Like many others I have been out of work due to COVID and have more time to bake, like many others. (LOL). This recipe is the best and easiest I have ever made and so yummy. I followed the recipe exactly as written and the dinner rolls came out perfect. Thanks Jenny.
These rolls came out delicious. What is the best way to store these yummy rolls to have the next day or two?
https://www.jennycancook.com/how-to-store-homemade-bread/
Jenny
Please post a video for the dinner roll recipe ASAP.
I love your recipes! Simple small batches!
Please post a video of the dinner rolls. I have made them several
times but today the dough was very sticky after I beat it for 2 minutes
and added an extra 3/4 cup of flour. I also had to add flour when I
was rolling them into balls??
Hi. I love your all recipes and very clear directions. I baked buns today. And didn’t knead the dough 100 times before first rise. I just used 2c of flour and a little more milk. And they turn awesome. This recipe is a keeper for me. Soft and fluffy. Yummy. I’m going to serve them tomorrow for thanksgiving dinner. I’m from Canada. Thank you so much for great recipes.
Dziekuje. Hugs
Hi Jenny,
Can I substitute milk with soy milk?
I have made this recipe substituting almond milk for the milk. They came out perfectly and no one knew I had changed the recipe.
Hi from the beautiful redwoods of northern California….
I am about to bake my first batch of rolls…i made 8 for hamburger buns.
I also used almond milk instead of regular milk.
Fingers crossed…they will fabulous!! Thank you , Jenny. I love your recipes.
Do you have measurements in metric for the ingredients?
This may help: https://www.jennycancook.com/category/metric-conversion-chart/
I’ve been making your no knead breads for a couple of years, always amazing!
THIS recipe I use for 10 hamburger buns, or 8 hot dog buns, now that I don’t want to run to the store just to buy ready mades. They are amazing soft buns for those two items, and I think I will never buy ready made again! Thank you!
Oh awesome! Was looking for a hamburger bun recipe. Going to try this today!
My go to recipe for buns and bread. Jenny’s recipes are the best! Every one I’ve made are delicious and hits with the family ?
Just made these and I used buttermilk. They came out great! I made burger size. Very easy recipe and QUICK!!. Thanks so much Jenny! God Bless!
I love these, I love all your recipes they’re always so quick and easy and I love your videos!
Question before baking could these be frozen an used for another time as it’s just me in the house hold and too many for one person to consume at once without gaining extra weight!
Yes, you can freeze any bread product and thaw it via weight in the microwave or via counter for 1 hour. When freezing, fully wrap in plastic wrap then foil to prevent freezer burn. Keeps good for 3 months
Would you cook then freeze or freeze before cooking?
I always bake first and then freeze.
Jenny, thank you very much. Love this recipe. I have now made these buns 3 times, yummy every time! My parents immigrated from Ukraine to Montreal in 1951 and my mom made the best bread, buns and every Ukrainian dish! I never thought I could make buns as good as hers, but after trying your recipe, they always turn out just as good.
Thanks again! ??
I just recently discovered your blog and I wanted to say “THANK YOU!”. I’ve only done your bread and rolls so far and they both turned out great. I even went astray a little bit because I didn’t read the rolls directions totally right and even so, they came out PERFECT! You’re the best!
Made these for the first time ever. They are great for our now tiny Easter family only dinner! GREAT! I just started baking during this whole CV-19 dilemma. The one good thing about this CV boredom and isolation for me has been finding Jenny’s website and recipes. Everything so far has been delicious and I am thankful she has shared her recipes, info and humor.
THANK YOU JENNY!!
Awesome rolls. Not much to do these days so I’ve gone through 4 batches in the past weeks Doubled up on the recipe, cut them into 10 pieces and made some huge, honking rolls the size of VW Beetles. Best hamburger buns ever!
Jenny, thank you for this great recipe!
I did It! I made the Easy Dinner Rolls recipe and they turned out nice! So happy. I put them in laundry room over my dryer with the towel on them for about 45 min. Thank you Jenny on sharing your cooking skills. You are my wonderful helper:)
I’ve never been successful at rolls. Until now. Thank you for sharing this recipe! Jennifer
I made these today to take to a dinner party. They turned out perfectly. Soft and light and delicious. I live at 6,000 feet and didn’t change the recipe at all. A friend got me started making bread with Jenny’s no knead Dutch oven bread and I’ve since become obsessed with all types of bread baking. Several of my favorite recipes are Jenny’s. They never fail!
These were easy and yummy. They were exactly what I was looking for to go along with Thanksgiving dinner. They were also fast and my family enjoyed them too. Thank you Jenny. I have been so happy with every recipe I have tried of yours.
I love making your whole wheat and white breads! My son’s favorite lunch is pepperoni rolls (store bought frozen dough and sliced pepperoni- defrost, rise, squish, add pepperoni, fold over, seam side down and bake). Which roll recipe of yours would I want to use for a truly homemade batch?
I’m not familiar with this product but I would guess it would be pizza dough.
Jenny, great rolls!
Great recipe
Keep the videos coming they are great help out a lot to see how it is done correctly thanks again
can I use whole milk?
These are amazing, I just cut to 8 pieces to use for sandwiches or hamburgers!
Can this recipe be increased to serve 50 or more, I make the hot rolls for our church funeral dinners and would like to try this recipe for it?
Ok, so I’m using Jenny’s trick of warming the egg to room temperature in a cup of water and things are going along just fine. Form the rolls, let them rise, bake, and out of the oven. When I’m putting the rolls out for lunch, what do I spy? The egg, of course, still warming in the cup of water! The rolls were still delicious and the dog’s dejected because he didn’t get one.
Hmmm…. I fell victim to this flub as well. Like a bozo, I forgot the egg in the cup. I threw the batch away and started over. Maybe I kneaded the exercise. 🙂
I cook these fluffy roll and there are so delicious the best recipe ever thank you so much I like to watch your videos
An added delightful discovery: If you divide the dough into eight pieces instead of 16 and pat them down just a bit, these make fantastic hamburger buns.
My go to recipe when I want delicious, fast, rolls.
Hi Jenny,
This was a great recipe, a definite keeper. I don’t have a stand mixer and they came out just fine.
Thanks!
Are these similar to Parker House Rolls? I love your recipes and would love on for Parker House Rolls. Your videos are sooo easy to understand!
Thank you Jenny for the recipe. These buns came out so good and easy to make ?
I have made the braided cinammon raisin roll twice and thet were delicious.
Not playing as much golf at 76 as I used to so cooking seems to be in order. the Meatloaf was better than my old recipe so I’m stuck with that one. The Apple Pie was wonderful but my top crust was a little brittle, any idea why. I going to try the braided cinnamon bread, looks loverly.
You may have used too much flour with the pie crust. Next time, be sure to aerate the flour before measuring.
How would you re-heat them if I baked them the night before TG dinner. I have so much to cook the morning of TG. the Turkey the Dressing and the pies. Or could I keep the dough in the fridge over night if I could arrange some time to bake them right before we serve.
I would keep the dough in the fridge overnight, I don’t C where it would hurt. But, B4 I served I would bring them out a while, then to the oven.
So, So good! ….however if you are from Ontario and using Fleischmann’s yeast, note that the packets are 8 grams, not 7. So you will definitely want to measure (and not dump the whole packet into the flour.)
Jenny, I have just recently found out about your cooking expertise and read the “About” section on your site. You are an amazing lady! THANK YOU for all you have done to help so many people. You are such a generous soul! I’m proud to know you are Canadian. My grandkids visited Springbank Park a couple of months ago and they LOVED it!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! ? ??
Lastly, the Halloween cartoon you put on your blog today is hilarious!!! Thanks for the smile, ?
Patty,
You are absolutely correct about the yeast packages in Ontario, I came across this as well, now I try to use one package of yeast for two of Jenny’s recipes: one quarter teaspoon for the no knead bread and the rest for recipes that require two teaspoons of yeast.
Like yourself, I love Jenny’s website and her simple and fun recipes!
I live in Ontario too. I’ve made several of Jenny’s breads and have always used the entire 8gr package. Everything has always turned out very well….and delicious.
Hi Jenny,
Is it possible to over knead dough and, can I use my food processor with the kneading tool to get the dough going before turning it out onto my flexible pad to prep for the rise??
Hi donna,
I made this tolls a few time and it is actually super delicious. However, the dough is very sticky thats why i knead them 50x by hand, like jenny recommend. You won’t get the same consistency by using a dough hook, if you insist, you may end up adding more flour and it wont be as moist and fluffy anymore. Sorry if I bypass jenny for answering this question.