As the title promises, light and fluffy dinner rolls are a one bowl, one hour recipe that is simple enough for any home cook. Brush melted butter over the rolls before and after baking for a golden color and buttery flavor.
These classic dinner rolls have been a staple around our table since I first published them back in 2012 (!). With the holidays ahead and more of us possibly staying closer to home this year, I thought I’d give this very old blog post a bit of a dust off and refresh. These are all new photos, but this is the same well-loved recipe.
Check out the comments to hear from many fans of these rolls. And even if you’ve never made homemade dinner rolls, give this one a try. They are easy, and turn out great every time!
Ingredients
Fast-Acting or “Instant” Yeast – This dough rises quickly and requires yeast labeled as Fast Acting, Instant, Quick-Rise, Bread Machine, or RapidRise. Do NOT use “Active Dry Yeast” for this recipe; it needs to be dissolved in water before using.
Unsalted Butter – Butter shows up in this recipe in two places. Mix some softened butter into the dough and brush melted butter over the tops before and after cooking.
Warm Water – Use water that is warm to the touch. Check the label on your brand of yeast for the recommended water temperature to get the best results.
Sugar, Flour, Kosher Salt – Standard pantry ingredients for bread-baking.
How to Make Dinner Rolls Ahead
To make the dinner rolls ahead, bake them as written and allow them to cool completely. Cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 24 hours.
To Reheat: To reheat the rolls place a piece of foil on a sheet pan. Add the rolls and brush them with some melted butter. Enclose the rolls tightly with foil, sealing the edges. Warm the rolls in foil in a 350°F / 177°C oven for about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
To Freeze Dinner Rolls
To Freeze: Prepare the rolls as instructed, through the end of Step #7. (Place them in a 9×13 pan and allow them to rise for 20 minutes, but do not preheat the oven.) Cover the rolls tightly with foil and freeze immediately. Freeze for 4 to 6 months.
To Reheat: Take the rolls out of the freezer 1 hour before baking. (They will still be very cold, even after this 1 hour of defrost time.) Proceed with the recipe as written, preheating the oven and brushing the rolls with butter. Transfer to the oven and bake as directed (they may take an extra 5 to 7 minutes).
In only an hour, you can have these light, buttery quintessential dinner rolls on the table. They are worthy of a holiday, but easy enough to make any night of the week.
Keyword easy bread recipe, feed a crowd, Holiday recipe, party and entertaining
Author Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
Equipment
Ingredients
1 1/2cupsWarm Water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
TbspInstant or “Fast-Acting” Yeast
TbspGranulated Sugar
Tbsp / 28 gUnsalted Butter, softened to room temperature
cups / 500 gAll-Purpose Flour, lightly spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
tspKosher Salt
For topping:
Tbsp /40 g Unsalted Butter, melted
tspSea Salt or Kosher Salt
Instructions
Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes.
To the yeast mixture, add 2 Tbsp softened butter, flour, and salt (making sure that the salt is added on top of the flour and doesn’t come in contact with the yeast until you begin mixing). Mix on low-speed until the ingredients begin to come together.
Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. (You will know it is ready when the dough starts to make a slapping sound as it hits the sides of the bowl.)
Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover it with a dish towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 20 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into an even ball. Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into quarters. Slice each quarter of dough into 6 even slices (you should have 24 even pieces of dough). With lightly floured hands, roll each piece of dough into a ball.
Place rolled dough in even rows in prepared pan.
Heat oven to 400 F (200 C). Cover the rolls with a dish towel and put them near the warm oven to rise for 20 minutes.
Lightly brush the rolls with half of the melted butter (reserve the other half).
Bake until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes.
Immediately after removing the rolls from the oven, brush them with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with salt.
Flip the pan over to remove the rolls.
Notes
To Freeze: Prepare the rolls right up through the step for transferring them to the oven. (Place them in the 9×13 pan and allow them to rise for 20 minutes, but do not preheat the oven.) Cover the rolls tightly with foil and freeze immediately. Freeze for 4 to 6 months.To bake, take the rolls out of the freezer 1 hour before baking. They will still be partially frozen, but brush them with butter. Transfer to the oven and bake as directed (they may take an extra 5 to 7 minutes).
Nutrition
Serving: g | Calories: kcal | Carbohydrates: g | Protein: g | Fat: g | Saturated Fat: g | Cholesterol: mg | Sodium: mg | Potassium: mg | Fiber: g | Sugar: g | Vitamin A: IU | Calcium: mg | Iron: mg
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