Buttery Soft Dinner Rolls

5 from 2 votes

Pillowy, buttery soft dinner rolls made from scratch with a simple milk and egg dough. Shape them the night before or freeze the dough for easy holiday baking.

Prep Time25

Cook Time17

Rise time1 45

Total Time2 27

Course: bread

Cuisine: American

Servings: rolls

Author: Chahinez Tabet Aoul

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk warm, (about 110°F)
2 ¼ tsp instant yeast (1 packet), or active dry yeast
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 large egg room temperature
¼ cup unsalted butter softened
3 & ¼ cups bread flour plus up to ¼ cup more if needed (all-purpose works in a pinch)
1 ½ tsp salt

For topping:

3 Tbsp unsalted butter melted (for brushing after baking)
Flaky salt optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Warm the milk to 110°F in the microwave or on the stove. Use a thermometer to check.
1 cup whole milk
If using active dry yeast, stir it into the warm milk with 1 tbsp of the sugar and let sit 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. If using instant yeast, skip to the next step.
2 ¼ tsp instant yeast, 2 tbsp granulated sugar
In a large bowl or stand mixer with a dough hook, combine the milk, yeast, remaining sugar, egg, and softened butter. Mix until the egg and sugar are combined with the liquid.
1 large egg, ¼ cup unsalted butter
Add the flour and salt. Mix until a soft dough forms. It should be slightly tacky but not sticky. Add more flour 1 tbsp at a time if needed, up to ¼ cup.
3 & ¼ cups bread flour, 1 ½ tsp salt
Knead by hand or on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth, elastic, and stretchy.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 to 1½ hours.
Punch down the dough and divide into 15 equal pieces (50 to 55g each). Shape into smooth balls and arrange in a greased 9×13-inch pan, 3 rows of 5.
Cover and let rise until puffy and nearly doubled, 30 to 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F toward the end of the rise.
Bake 17 to 18 minutes, until golden brown on top and cooked through (190 to 200°F in the center).
Brush the hot rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky salt, if using.
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, Flaky salt

Notes

Holiday make-ahead plan. Night before: make the dough, let it rise, shape, place in the pan, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Day of: let the rolls come to room temperature and rise until puffy. Cold dough takes longer than the usual 30 to 45 minutes, so plan extra time. Bake at 350°F for 17 to 18 minutes, brush with butter, and serve warm.
To freeze. Freeze the shaped dough balls, well wrapped. Thaw in the fridge overnight, bring to room temperature, let rise until puffy, then bake.
Half batch. Halve every ingredient (use half of a whisked egg) and shape 7 or 8 rolls at 50 to 55g each.
Dough weights. 15 rolls at about 52g each is roughly 780g of dough. Weighing each ball is the key to even baking.
Storage. Airtight container up to 3 days, or the fridge up to 5 days. Reheat wrapped in foil at 300°F for 10 minutes.

Nutrition