Best Dinner Roll Recipe

I absolutely love a good dinner roll. I spent the first 6 years of my marriage perfecting and creating the Best Dinner Roll Recipe. The perfect dinner roll is soft and fluffy like a great big puffy pillow. Little pieces of dreamy fluffy bread heaven. They're a little buttery and not too sweet! Though this recipe can be easily adjusted to be more sweet. I like to use my bread machine to make this dough, but you can use a stand mixer or even just your hands for kneading.

All of the best things in life take time. These are not a 30 minute roll. Believe me when I tell you the texture and flavor or well worth the extra effort. They take about 2 hours (maybe a little longer the first time) from start to finish, with about 30 minutes of that being active time.

How To Make The Best Dinner Roll Recipe:

I always always always proof my yeast when making bread dough. Not only does this prevent me from having to throw away ingredients when my bread doesn't rise properly, but I find that I get a better rise overall. To proof your yeast, simply mix together the warm water, yeast and a teaspoon of sugar in a liquid measuring cup (making sure you have plenty of room for the yeast to grow) and let it stand for 5 minutes. The water should be 110-115* F. After 5 minutes, it should start to foam.

While the yeast proofs, put the milk, butter, sugar and salt into a microwave safe bowl. Put in the microwave for one minute, then stir. If the butter still hasn't melted after stirring, return to the microwave for another 30 seconds. It's important not to get this mixture too hot, or it will cook the egg. Once the butter is just melted, whisk in the egg. Pour liquid into the bowl of a bread maker or stand mixer. Start with 3 1/2 cups of flour and put on top of liquid. Bread flour is better, but all-purpose works great! Pour the proofed yeast on top of the flour and start kneading/ press start on the dough setting on the bread maker.

Knead for 5 minutes or so, then check for texture. It should be quite sticky at this point, only just pulling away from the edges of the bowl. See pictures below:

Knead another 10 minutes. As it finishes kneading, the dough should be stretchy and soft. See pictures below:

Cover the dough (or leave in bread maker) and let rise for one hour. Until about doubled in size.

Forming the Rolls

Punch down the dough. It will be stretchy and smooth and elastic-y. It will also be sticky to work with. Spray your hands with a non stick spray when the dough starts to feel sticky.

I like to use a kitchen scale and make my rolls about 55 grams each. I don't worry about them being a gram or 2 off. It's fine not to weigh your dough as long as you're careful to keep them close in size so that they cook evenly.

Form the dough into little mini rectangular rolls, tucking any stray ends into the underside to create a smooth exterior. See pictures below:

Place the rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1/2" apart.

Preheat oven to 375* F. After forming all the rolls, brush the tops lightly with water to keep them from drying out. Allow to rise for 20 minutes. Then bake for 18-23 minutes, until golden brown. Upon removal from the oven, get a cold stick of salted butter and rub over the tops to butter them. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips & Tricks

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze leftovers

Reheat in the microwave for 8 seconds

For a yummy meal, try with one of our flavorful soups!

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