This quick, easy, and foolproof homemade dinner roll recipe delivers deliciously soft and tender rolls every single time! They are absolutely perfect with a bowl of soup or holiday meal.

Our Favorite Easy Dinner Roll Recipe

If there is one thing I have learned from my time in the kitchen, it’s that no matter how much work I put into a meal, no matter how delicious or beautiful it is, nothing gets my family more excited to eat than a fresh batch of homemade dinner rolls. To be fair, I don’t make them all that often. They take a bit of time and effort.. things that are normally in short supply on busy weeknights. However, when I do make them, my efforts are well rewarded.

This recipe right here not only delivers some of the lightest, tastiest dinner rolls you’ve ever eaten.. but it does so in less time and with less ingredients than most recipes. It’s a simple, straightforward and pretty forgiving recipe. Knead, shape, rise and bake. There are only 5 ingredients in the dough (plus water) and all of them are basic pantry ingredients. Basically what I’m telling you is that it has never been easier to get a basket of warm, golden brown homemade dinner rolls on the table. I’ve tried fussier rolls before, but I’m here to say that those recipes are completely unnecessary. Are they tasty? Sure. But these rolls are just as tasty- without all the extra time, ingredients, and fuss. If you are looking for a deliciously light and fluffy dinner roll that is perfect with soup, Thanksgiving dinner, or any time you simply want to wow your family and friends.. you’ve come to the right place.

Ingredients You’ll Need for this Dinner Roll Recipe:

• All-Purpose Flour– This is what I always use, and it works great for this recipe. You can also use half bread flour for a chewier roll.
• Warm Water– 105-115 degrees F is the ideal temperature for proofing active dry yeast.
• Active Dry Yeast– If using instant yeast, there is no need to proof the yeast. However, you will want your water to be a littler warmer. 120-130 degrees F is ideal for instant yeast (also called rapid rise yeast).
• Sugar– The sugar feeds the yeast and helps the activation process. You can also use honey.
• Oil– Any neutral flavored oil will work, I usually use avocado oil.
• Salt– Salt is absolutely necessary for tasty bread. I usually use fine sea salt or kosher salt.

How to Make Easy Dinner Rolls:

1. Activate the yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let this sit for 5-10 minutes or until it gets nice and bubbly.
2. Mix up the dough. Add the oil, salt, and 3 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Begin mixing, and gradually add more flour if necessary until you have a soft dough that just pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Continue kneading for 4-5 minutes. The dough should be soft and smooth, and slightly tacky to the touch. If it is too sticky, add 1/4 cup of flour and mix again.
3. Shape your rolls. Dump the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface. Divide into 12 even pieces and shape into rolls.
4. Rise. Place the rolls into a lightly greased 9×13″ baking dish. Cover lightly with a clean towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30-45 minutes or until puffy and almost doubled in size.
5. Bake. Place the rolls in a preheated 400 degree oven for 14-17 minutes or until they are lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and brush immediately with melted butter, if desired. Serve warm.

Tips & Suggestions

How long do homemade dinner rolls last?

Store leftover rolls, completely cooled, in an airtight storage bag for 3-5 days. For longer storage, leftover rolls can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Why are my rolls so dense?

If your rolls turn out dense, there are a few things that could’ve gone wrong.

1. You added too much flour. Make sure you start with the least amount of dough listed in the recipe. If the dough is still super sticky, add just enough flour to make a workable dough. It should still feel a bit tacky to the touch and just start to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
2. You didn’t let the dough rise long enough. Make sure to allow yourself enough time to let the dough rise until almost double before baking. This can take anywhere from 30-45 minutes, or longer if the room is too cold. Placing the rolls in a warm place will allow them to rise more quickly and effectively.
3. The yeast is dead. Either your yeast is no good, or the water was too hot and killed it. Make sure you are using fresh yeast when making bread, and that the temperature of the water is between 105-115 degrees F.
4. You didn’t knead the dough enough. The dough should be very smooth and elastic after you are finished mixing it. This should take at least 3-5 minutes.

Variations

• For garlic rolls, add a tablespoon of minced garlic to the bread dough towards the end of the knead time. After the rolls are baked, brush with melted butter and sprinkle liberally with garlic bread seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese.
• Make delicious cloverleaf rolls! After dividing the dough into 12 even pieces, cut each of these into 3. Roll each piece into a ball, then place in a greased muffin pan, putting 3 balls in each cup.
• Sprinkle your baked rolls with flaky salt after brushing with unsalted butter for an impressive finishing touch.

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