Soft, fluffy, tender – everything you want in a dinner roll is right here. Made in just an hour from start to finish. The fastest, tastiest, and easiest dinner roll you’ll ever have!
I happen to have an unnatural obsession with bread. And by that, I mean that I always have some frozen dough stashed in my freezer just in case my cravings wake me up at wee hours. Oh yes, it does happen to me sometimes. You can’t be a certified bread-o-holic if that hasn’t happened to you yet. 😂
How to Make Soft and Fluffy Dinner Rolls in an Hour?
Like many of you, looking at these soft and fluffy rolls always triggers hunger pangs. The good news is, you can easily achieve a soft and fluffy dinner roll without impatiently rolling out or kneading the dough like a classic dinner roll.
This version of dinner rolls only needs a single quick rise – around 20 minutes, maybe more, depending on the interior temperature of your kitchen – before it gets ready to be baked.
To achieve this, you’ll need to use rapid rise yeast (also called instant dry yeast, quick yeast or instant yeast) to make fluffy and soft rolls in just an hour. Here are few things you need to remember though when dealing with rapid rise yeast:
- Rapid rise yeast or instant yeast has a finer texture compared to active dry yeast’s larger granules.
- Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in warm water for it to be activated. If the yeast is still alive, it will become foamy or bubbly within few minutes before you can mix it into the dry ingredients. Rapid rise yeast on the other hand can be mixed right away into the dry ingredients. No proofing needed!
- Rapid rise yeast dissolves and activates quickly in the ambient moisture of the dough.
- Active dry yeast is highly perishable, so you always need to check the expiration date. For rapid rise yeast, it can be refrigerated up to one year
- You can use these two interchangeably, although, you have to remember that active dry yeast slows down the rise
How Long Can Dinner Rolls Be Frozen?
For a busy mom like most of us here, planning ahead is a great help when you have tons on your checklist. Fortunately, these One-Hour Dinner Rolls can be prepared ahead so you can save more time when preparing a meal for your family.
- You can freeze your dinner rolls after they’re completely baked. Let them cool first before wrapping them tightly with aluminum foil. Place the wrapped baked dinner rolls in freezer bags or storage containers and freeze them for up to a month.
- You can also freeze unbaked dinner rolls after shaping them. Just place them at least half and inch apart in a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them puff a bit (but not ready to bake). Then flash freeze them for a few hours until solid and transfer them in freezer bags or storage containers and freeze for up to a month.
- If you’re planning to make these rolls a day or two in advance, you can transfer the shaped rolls in their baking dish/sheet, cover and refrigerate. Or refrigerate the dough just after it has risen and before shaping them into rolls.
How Do You Warm Up Frozen Dinner Rolls?
To reheat frozen baked dinner rolls, thaw them the night before serving at room temperature with a loose foil covering. Then reheat for 10 minutes in a 300F oven.
For unbaked rolls, remove them a day before you plan on baking and arrange them in a baking pan, cover and let them thaw overnight in the fridge. On the day of baking, allow them first to puff up at room temperature about an hour. Bake them as directed.
Check out the detailed info HERE from TheKitchn.com on how to make dinner rolls ahead of time.
Serve this heavenly-smelling One Hour Dinner Rolls during special occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Basically, you can serve them anytime you want! I love them paired with a warm bowl of soup or stew for dinner. Heck, I even love these dinner rolls for breakfast slathered with a big slab of butter or jelly. They actually taste amazing the next day!
Watch How To Make It
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Easy Dinner Rolls
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Ingredients
- ¾ cup (187.5 ml) water
- ¾ cup (183 ml) milk
- 4 tablespoons (56.7 g) butter , softened
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon (8.5 g) salt
- 3 ¾- 4 cups (468.75 – 500 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 – 3 teaspoons (7 -10 grams) rapid rise yeast (See notes 4)
Topping
- Melted butter
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13 baking pan with baking spray or oil. Set aside.
- Combine warm water, milk, with the butter pieces, sugar, salt and microwave for about a minute. Stir until everything is melted. Add to a standing mixer.
- Add about 3 ½ cups of flour, together with the yeast and mix for at medium speed, using a paddle hook. Add in enough additional flour (if needed) to make soft dough. You want the dough to be slightly stick.
- Switch with hook dough and mix for about 6-8 minutes.
- If mixing by hand, turn dough into floured board and mix , for about 6-8 minutes
- Next divide dough into 15 pieces and roll to form balls. For even balls you might want to use a scale to measure evenly.
- Place dough into 9 x 13 greased pan.
- Cover with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place (see notes ) for about 20 minutes or until doubled.
- Bake rolls in at 350 Degrees F. oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove rolls from oven and immediately brush with melted butter.
- Let it cool slightly before serving.
Tips & Notes:
- You can add your favorite flavor in these rolls. Sweeten it with honey or sprinkle with some herbs.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, you may mix the ingredients with a sturdy wooden spoon until you achieved the needed dough texture.
- If your house is in a colder area, the rising time may increase beyond the said 20 minute. With that, you need to place it in a warmer environment (between 80-90°F) for it to rise quickly. A good hack for this is to place your dough inside the microwave oven (turned off) alongside with a cup of steaming hot water. Keep the door closed so the heat won’t escape. Or for bigger batches of dinner rolls, you can heat your oven to 150°F, then turn it off and quickly place your dough inside the oven with doors closed,
- 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) rapid rise yeast works. However, for faster rising use 3 teaspoons yeast, especially in a cold setting. Store leftover yeast in an airtight container or glass jar and place it in the freezer. You can use the yeast straight out from the freezer.
- These dinner rolls are almost foolproof. You may replace butter with oil or swap half of the flour with whole-wheat. Please use your best judgement when making substitution or adjustment for this recipe.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
How To Make Easy Dinner Rolls
Grease a 9×13 baking pan with baking spray or oil. Set aside. Combine warm water, milk, with the butter pieces, sugar, salt and microwave for about a minute. Stir until everything is melted.
Add to a standing mixer.
Add about 3 ½ cups of flour, together with the yeast and mix for at medium speed, using a paddle hook. Then pour in enough additional flour (if needed) to make soft dough. You want the dough to be slightly stick. Switch with hook dough and mix for about 6-8 minutes.
If mixing by hand, turn dough into floured board and mix .
Next divide dough into 15 pieces and roll to form balls. For even balls you might want to use a scale to measure evenly.
Place dough into 9 x 13 greased pan. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place (see notes ) for about 20 minutes or until doubled. Bake rolls in pre-heated oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove rolls from oven and immediately brush with melted butter. Let it cool slightly before serving.
Rehana says
How do I add some Nutella into the bun before baking? My daughter loves Nutella filled buns
ImmaculateBites says
Hello Rehana. I haven’t tried making these rolls with Nutella in them. I just slather enough on the already baked rolls when I have a Nutella craving :). You could try out these Danish Pancakes that have a Nutella stuffing. Hope this helps!
Ramatu Mukhtar says
Hi, please can I use a dry active yeast if I don’t have the quick rise yeast? Thank you
ImmaculateBites says
Hello, Yes you can. It might take a little longer to rise .
Yaz says
Soooooo yummy! Thank you. I had to encourage the rising by placing a bowl of boiled water under it in an oven that’s off. It worked and I’m really impressed!
Amy says
Hi, how long can these keep for? Thanks
imma africanbites says
Hi. These would last up to 2-3 days at room temperature. Or you may freeze them. Please refer to our FAQs above for freezing dinner rolls. Thank you.
Pooja says
Dinner rolls came out well but the top was not this brown
Amanda says
This is a super simple recipe and yet they are amazing!!! Little effort and great outcome!
ImmaculateBites says
Great! Thanks for taking time out to share your thoughts.
Roshida says
Great results. Soft and tasty.
Rob Jeffery, Victoria, BC, Canada says
Hi Imma,
Can I use dark rye flour for 33% of the total flour, with bread flour for 66% of the mix? Would I need to add additional leavening, to achieve the same soft, fluffy rolls? I don’t want to wait for a reply, because after reading your recipe, my mouth is watering and my stomach is growling for a taste. Wish me good luck. I’m gonna try it and will report back here after.
Rob
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Rob,
Can’t wait to hear how it all works out for you.
Wishing you all the best .
Rob Jeffery, Victoria, BC, Canada says
I’m sorry for taking so long to report back. I did dark rye flour for 33% of the total flour. They turned out just fine, but quite dense. I’d say to maybe cut back the dark rye flour to about 20% or 1/5 of the total flour called for. You’ll still some great rye flavour with normal fluffy rolls. The more dark rye flour used, the less they will rise, so smaller, heavier rolls.
It’s 2:50 am and I’m gonna mix a batch just like your recipe. I can taste them already. Yeehaw…cheers!
ps: baking is fun!
IRIS AGUILERA says
Can you use bread flour?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you sure can.
Linda says
Best dinner Rolls I have had since a child!
Thank you!
imma africanbites says
Awww. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Yvette says
Hello!
Is it possible to make the dough the night before and bake the day of? Would you let the dough rise overnight and shape and bake or shape them first and let them sit overnight?
Thanks!
imma africanbites says
Hi. Yes, you can make these a day ahead. You can transfer the shaped rolls in their baking dish/sheet, cover and refrigerate. Or refrigerate the dough just after it has risen and before shaping them into rolls. Please refer to our FAQs above for making these rolls in advance. Thank you for stopping by.
Kulthum says
Hello
Can I use this dough for hot dog rolls?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes. you absolutely can.
kulthum kamorudeen says
Thank you.
Tamika says
Thanks so much for sharing! This has been my go to rolls recipe. I feel so proud when I share them.
imma africanbites says
You’re welcome. So happy to hear how this recipe has boosted your confidence, Tamika. Thank you for trying them out!
Adeyinka says
I made the rolls today, added a pinch of cinnamon and dessicated coconut, glazed with honey and sesame; it was . Noone would believe it’s my first time. You are the best
Imma says
That sounds sooo delicious. I really have to try that 🙂
Samantha E says
I love how fast and easy these rolls were to make. I made mine with active dry yeast, and they rose beautifully. Mine ended up making 24 rolls, but I think mine could’ve been made a little bit bigger . But they were still so fluffy and delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Samantha,
So happy to hear it worked out well for you. Thanks for the feedback.
Kimberley says
Hi Samantha, how much active dry yeast did you use? and water for the yeast? Thanks!
ImmaculateBites says
Use 3 teaspoons and water ratio is still the same .
Kimberley says
Thank you! We’ve made your buss up roti and the curry that goes with – YUM!!! We often make the curry with chickpeas instead of chicken and it’s so good thank you 🙂
Msdanita77 says
I just made these and they were delicious. I was quite surprised that there was no egg in the recipe. This was the first time I’ve ever made a yeast roll without it.