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Everyone loves a steaming hot dinner roll fresh from the oven… from kids with no taste buds to grandparents with no teeth! My Mom was kind enough to send along her Classic Dinner Roll Recipe complete with special notes and tips for doing it “just like she does.”
I also called my Mom and chatted at length about the method and took more notes. (left)
The smell and taste of these Classic Dinner Rolls brings me right back to childhood family dinner gatherings, well, minus the arguing. Perfectly crusty on top with a steamy, chewy interior. Best served piping hot, they also make great sandwiches with leftovers. Perfect for the holidays.
Ingredients for Classic Dinner Rolls:
3 cups all purpose unbleached flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 package dry yeast (Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast)
1/4 cup dry milk
3/4 cup tap water
2 tbsp butter
1 egg
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
NOTE: You can use regular, liquid milk… but the dry milk is part of my Mom’s secret! This recipe makes 16-18 rolls and can be doubled, tripled or more.
LET’S GET ROLLIN’!
In an electric mixture combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, dry yeast and powdered milk. If your mixer comes with a dough hook, use it! If your mixer doesn’t, don’t worry! Use your mixer, just be prepared for a little extra kneading. Dissolve butter in warm water (not hot!). Water should be about 120(F). If you have a kitchen thermometer, use it! If you don’t, the water should feel warm and comfortable to the touch. Add egg. With mixer running, slowly add warm water with dissolved butter to dry mixture.
Begin adding flour. You may not need to add ALL the flour – so add gradually. My Mom says, “For best results, the dough should be sticky.” You may need to oil your hands before removing the dough ball from hook. Lightly flour counter top or cutting board. Knead about 2-3 minutes if you used a dough hook; knead 6-8 minutes if not.
Form into a ball. Place dough ball top down in a bowl you’ve drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and flip ball over. Cover bowl, first with plastic, then with a towel. I didn’t ask why, I just did as my mother said. Allow to rise until doubled in size. This will take about 1 1/2 hours. Form hand into fist. Punch dough down.
Knead, reshape into ball, cover and allow to rise again until doubled in size. This will occur more quickly, about 45 minutes. Then punch down one final time, knead and reshape into a ball. Oil a pie plate or round cake pan. Form rolls a little smaller than golf balls. Cover with plastic wrap and towel. Allow the rolls to rise another 30-45 minutes and bake in a preheated 375 (F) oven for 15-20 minutes. Mmmm. Dinner rolls.
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Link to the Stop, Drop and Dinner Roll! video.
Link to the Stop, Drop and Dinner Roll! blog post.
We eat them with jam, here in Slovenia. Apricot jam. Stufed inside of each. Jummy. I made them yesterday.
Hi oolong!
How incredibly sweet of you to write and tell me you enjoyed the rolls! Thank you so much.
The Apricot jam sounds absolutely delicious.
It is wonderful to meet you…
Cheers,
Betty
’round these parts, that’s what you call a “pull apart challah”. (If you’re too lazy to bake – as I am, you can buy one in a Jewish grocery store)
Thank-you for the recipe, i got a kitchenaid stand mixer for Xmas, and did’nt have a clue as to what i was doing. My rolls came out perfect, thanks to you! Easy too.
Hey Bonnie!
Happy New Year! Sounds like you had an amazing Christmas!!
I am so glad your rolls came out “perfect!” Your comment was the “perfect” start to my New Year!!!
Cheers,
Betty
Thankyou! My father-in-law was looking for his grandmother’s recipe and this is a wonderful match. You have brought happiness to a family that thought they wouldn’t have granny’s rolls anymore.
We did use butter for the bowl and skipped the olive oil and it turned out perfect. Thankyou again for all the hard work.
Bless you, Kerensa
Hi Kerensa!
It’s my pleasure! Thank you for trying out my recipe and writing to let me know how they turned out… it is truly music to my ears ;)
And btw, my Mom uses margarine for both the rolls and the bowl. She kinda snarled a bit when I told her I was going to use butter and olive oil!
Happy New Year to you and your family!
Cheers,
Betty
Just adore what you are doing. As a big fan of Food Network and Nigella Lawson …… You are going to be a star baby!
Seriously, I think what you do could be streached into a 30 min show…aka like what Alton Brown does… querky, campy and well done. Have you considered contacting him, his production company, the food network. I can’t imagine they have not heard of you yet.
Keep it up Betty… There damn sure is not much average about you!
Spicy
Hi Spicy!
Thank you so much for your kind and motivating words!
I too love Nigella and Alton… and quite honestly, I’ve learned a lot from watching Food Network! I would love my own show and have a couple different visions of what it could be in 30 minute format ;)
I’m working on various avenues to FN – and I know some of my viewers have sent “notes” to various personalities, too. Hey, where there’s a will there’s a way, right?!?
I sure love what I’m doing and hearing that YOU like it too… is what it’s all about ;)
Thanks for making my day, Spicy!
Cheers,
Betty
Wow! 10 flaming wows! I just popped those suckers out of the oven, melted some butter over the top and chowed down like crazy! I wrapped some hotdogs in bacon and wrapped them in the dough. Freakin’ brilliant recipe! Food Network would be great to see you on! Your recipes are simple enough to understand and pretty quick to execute. Much love. Keep up the awesome work. Can’t wait to try the others.
Hi MommaRdz!
10 flaming thank yous!! Your pig-in-a-blanket idea is awesome – I bet those were tasty!
Much love to you… I promise to keep doin’ what I’m doin’… thank you so much for your freakin’ brilliant comment! My Momma will be happy to hear you liked the recipe ;)
Cheers,
B
These turned out completely perfect. I did not have powdered milk to used fresh whole milk and they still turned out gorgeous. I loved the pictures used! I do not have a Kitchen Aid, so kneaded by hand, still came out wonderful.
Hi NancyAnne!
I was visiting my Mom in Florida when you wrote… I forwarded your comment along to her so she can share in the joy of your success with her Dinner Roll recipe!
I’m so happy you loved the rolls – next I have to get my Mom’s Sticky Bun recipe and my sister’s Focaccia :)
Send me a picture of your dinner rolls next time you make ’em so I can put them on the homepage.
Cheers,
Betty
Hi Betty!!!!
Let me just start by saying…You Rock!!! I am a huge fan.
Just made a batch of the rolls and they are just awesome. I did two batches, one in a pie plate and the other in one of my 8″ cast iron skillets. They turned out absolutely perfect, and were hella good. I will be making these for my guests on Thanksgiving this thursday.
Keep doing what you are doing, I love your style. I am a guy who loves to cook and your recipe’s are so tasty. These rolls were such a hit I just had to drop you a line. I have pictures if you would like to see my finished rolls. Just let me know where I can send them. Thanks again Betty.
Happy Holidays!!!
Hi Jody!
I’d love to see your pictures! [email protected] is my email :)
I am so glad you loved the rolls and I like the cast iron skillet – I know people swear by it for cornbread… did it have any effect on the rolls?
I am truly honored that you will be serving these rolls at your Thanksgiving table!
Cheers,
Betty
These rolls are fantastic! My family loved them. I brushed some melted butter on top both before and after baking, because I believe that you can never have too much butter. Thanks!
I’m with you, Deborah! You can never have too much butter… I’m so glad your family loved the rolls! Thanks for writing :)
Cheers,
Betty
I have a pizza dough recipe that is remarkably similar in amounts but uses olive oil. I took a batch out of the refridgerator that had cooled overnight. warmed to room temp. deflated and smoothed flat. i spread about 1 T soft butter and gently need to a ball. The dough was still cold and I let it rise 45 minutes and finished the recipe from average betty. The dough had a generous pinch of herbs de provence. The rolls are fantastic. Great dinner rolls. Today is my third round. This run is without the overnight rest.
Thanks for the recipe it made a greeat coversion for the pizza dough recipe
Hi Oscar!
Oh how I love to hear about your food hacking! Pizza dough? Dinner Rolls? Adding herbs… great conversation… I love it all! Thank you so much for writing :) I’d love to hear more adventures of your dough!
Cheers,
Betty
Thank you for this great recipe and easy step by step instructions. This was my first time making home made rolls for thanksgiving dinner. They were a big hit!
I used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour in with the white, and it was scrumptious.
Good thing I made a double batch, they are gone!!!!
I got a KitchenAid mixer as an early Christmas gift, and this is the first thing I made with it. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve had a decent home made dinner roll. These are fantastic! My family decided our Christmas meal will be soups, sandwiches, dips, and desserts this year. I will be making these to use as buns for the sandwiches. I’ll roll them a little larger than golf ball size and brush the tops with eggwhite to make them glossy. My family is in for a wonderful treat!! Happy holidays to you and yours!
Oh my, Kelly! How did I miss your awesome comment! Sorry for the delayed thanks and I’m super glad you added some whole wheat flour!! Next time I make them I’m going to do that!
Hi Gail, Congratulations on your new Kitchen Aid! I’m sure you’ll love it just like the rest of us fanatics! I’ll pass on your sweet comment to my Mom – she loves hearing them – Your Christmas meal sounds fab! My Mom always used to make these for sandwich rolls and they were always devoured!
Happy Holidays, y’all!
Cheers,
Betty
these are soooooooooooooooo delicious! i just took them out of the oven and tried one…………..yummy! i’m taking them for a family dinner tonight and i just know they will be a hit! thank you for sharing this recipe, i know i will be using it often!
I have a question. The recipe instruction say it makes 16-18 rolls but the picture only show 12 rolls in the pan before baking. How many rolls should the recipe make? I made it once and they turned out really well. The second time, my rolls were still doughy after baking. Now I’m wondering if I made 18 rolls the first time and only 12 the second time which would have made them larger and take longer to bake properly.
Hi Mary D. Thanks for your question and for trying my recipe. I’m happy to hear you’ve had some success :) The photo shows 12 rolls because that’s how many I can fit into that particular pan. If you overcrowd the pan (which it sounds like you may have done) your rolls will not cook properly. Hope this helps!
Ok THEY WERE AWESOME!! Omg soooo good!!!! I am only in high school but I luv cooking (and is aiming for that as a career XD). Me and my friend were talking at lunch one day about how they never seem to have enough rolls at lunch and I suddenly was overcome with the desire to make rolls! So when I found this recipe I was so happy! Mostly because it had pictures and your comments were rly good. Me and My parents are currently devouring the first batch while the other finishes rising. :D
Though they came out a b-e-a-u-tiful brown they seemed a little chewy (not like when a candy is chewy but more like a soft type, if that makes ANY sense..). But when I tore one in half it was cooked all the way through, they were still RLY warm though so that might have been the reason….just wondering what you thought???
Thx soooo much for posting this! >< I plan on attempting your sugar cookies next. Wish me luck!
Hi Wahful! YAY! I’m so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed the dinner rolls and the recipe was easy to follow :) I think there is a certain “chew” to the rolls when they are fresh from the oven… Good luck on the sugar cookies! Let me know how they turn out!!
These sound so yummy! Can I let them rise in the fridge overnight and then bake in the morning? I want as little to do on Thanksgiving as possible :) Thanks!
Hi Heather,
That’s a great way to operate! I think it may work best if, after the second rise, you refrigerate the dough but form the rolls on Thanksgiving before baking. Allow them to rise agaain, then bake. If you want you can also par-bake (brown n serve) them. Form rolls, allow to rise and bake at 275(F) for 20-25 minutes or just until they *start* to change color. Allow to cool completely and wrap in plastic. Then, when you are ready to serve the rolls, bake in a 400(F) oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden and delicious. Best of luck and Happy Thanksgiving!!
These are THE BEST dinner rolls ever! I made them a few years ago for Christmas dinner and they were a huge hit. I’m setting my alarm extra early tomorrow morning to get these going so they’re nice and fresh for Thanksgiving dinner. Thank you for sharing such an awesome family recipe!
Hi army_mama! Music to my ears! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and letting me know how they turned out!! Hope you have an awesome holiday with family and friends <3
Betty, OMG, I am a chef, but not a baker by any means. This holiday season I promised myself I would get a yeast roll to work. I have tried 7 so far and this BY FAR is the best. I didn’t have dry milk, used regular milk and lowered the water by 1/4 cup to accomodate. I melted the butter,water and milk in microwave and the temp was about 130, but added the egg and combined to bring the temp down to 110. PERFECT!! Also, used 1 cup of the new white whole wheat flour along with 2 cups of all purpose. ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!
Hi, I have been tasked with fresh dinner rolls for Family Christmas Dinner,yikes. There will be about 30 attending. I usually bake my own bread, hot dog and hamburger buns, but never found a good relatively hearth healthy dinner roll. I stumbled upon yours so will give it a try. Looks great. The final step after forming in balls I will put into freezer bags and throw in freezer until Christmas day, then drop in pans and let then do their final rise, and with a three rack oven I should be able to deliver them all to the hall we are eating at warm. Pressure, ha, I love pressure,lol.
Tim
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!! I had a bit of a dinner roll disaster yesterday (I think I killed the yeast). I was never really happy with that recipe anyhow so I went searching for something better. I found it in this dinner roll recipe. Fluffy, great crust, perfect flavor. My family was very happy with the rolls tonight at dinner. Even the picky 3 year old – she had two! :) Thanks again!
Madge, I have printed out your sweet comment and I’m mailing to my Mom tomorrow. She will be thrilled to know you and your family -especially the picky 3 year old – loved the rolls. Thank you!!
Be sure to also mention to your mom that my parents had some the other night and now I am expected to bring dozens of rolls to Easter Dinner! :)
Thanks again for sharing such a great recipe!
Betty,
First let me say thank you for single handedly saving my partnership with these rolls! :)
My partner and I live in Washington, DC and host about 20 people for holiday meals. Last year, I had the brilliant idea that I could make rolls. In reality, I had made rocks that suspiciously looked like rolls and an emergency trip to the grocery ensued.
This year I announced that I would again be making dinner rolls and needless to say it was met with a vote of no confidence. And after much discussion, my partner said if he had run treage again, we were done and gave a hearty chuckle.
I’m happy to report that I just made a double batch of the world’s most awesome rolls! Give your mom a hug…and if there’s a wedding in my future, you two are invited….just be sure to bring rolls.
What an awesome story, Maestrojay!! Thank you so much — I’m sending a big hug to my Mom for all of us. And you can be sure that if there is a wedding we’ll be there with the rolls! Congratulations!!
I notice that the recipe says it will make 16-18 rolls, but in the photo there are 12 rolls in one cake pan. Did you just make fewer larger rolls? This might be a “dumb” question, but I used another recipe with similar amounts of ingredients that called for 2 cake pans, the rolls were miserably small and weird. Thanks…
Hi Deb, Yes, I put 12 in one pan that fit as pictured. Then I have another 4-6 rolls that go into a smaller pan. You know, my Mom always used two kind of smaller pie plates for her rolls, with 8 or 9 rolls to a pan. Hope this helps! Let me know if you give them a try!
I just had to write and tell you how wonderful these buns are. My family loves them, best we’ve ever had. Made them today with best for bread flour and even softer then any bun I’ve ever had.
I think next time I’ll make bigger buns and make them like a sandwhich bun.
Thanks for this
My pleasure! All credit to my Mom ;)
I made these rolls for our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. I used 1/2 whole wheat pastry, they turned out great :-)
I used whole wheat pastry flour :-)
Thanks, Carol! I’m so happy to know the rolls were a hit… I’ll have to tell my Mom to try the whole wheat :) Happy Thanksgiving!!
hi,my roll came out good but its bune on top,i thnk i have small otg, so what tmp is good for baking roll
Hi malika,
I think you’re saying that the rolls burned on top and you have a small oven?
If this is the case, maybe turn the temperature down to 325(F) – 350(F) and consider covering the top with aluminum foil (loosely) once the tops of the rolls begin to turn brown.
I hope this helps! Thanks for trying my Mom’s dinner rolls :)
My first attempt was good but not great, but today I made another batch – perfect! The texture was amazing. I did cut the sugar in half, which suited my taste for dinner rolls. The other half the dough I turned into an amazing batch of cinnamon rolls – Yummmmm
Thanks for a great recipe!