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.
Deirdre Otoo says
This recipe looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it. Just wondering though, can I use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Tene says
These are literally the best rolls I have ever had!!! I made these as a trial run. I will be making these for every holiday! I made the curry chicken and it was divine. So far I’m 2 for 2. I can’t wait to try another recipe!!
Tene says
Also, I want to add that I used active dry yeast (waited the 10 minute for the yeast to become active) and used margarine! Again, absolutely wonderful!
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for taking time to share this us. Have a Great day!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Tene,
Thanks SO MUCH!!! Happy to hear they are working out well.
Stacey says
I am making this recipe today but I just thought -This seems like alot of sugar? Does it need to have the sugar? Can you taste it?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you can. Cut it down ,if desired.
Nnedi says
Very easy recipe and also tasty. Thanks Imma
ImmaculateBites says
Happy to hear this Nnedi
Jacqui says
This has become my go-to recipe for dinner rolls. They come out perfectly each time. Thanks Imma!!
ImmaculateBites says
So happy to hear this. Thanks so much Jacqui
Arlene says
Thank you so much Imma, never am I going to buy this from the store again. It was such a simple, straightforward recipe and it came out fluffy and perfect!! Thank youuuuu
ImmaculateBites says
YAY! Glad you are a convert.
Vinitha says
Instead of rapid rise yeast can I use instant dry yeast and how much?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, you can use the same amount of instant rise yeast! Do let me know how it works out for you.
Oj says
Can I use margarine on place of butter. Or is it better to substitute with oil
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Oj. Margarine will work just fine!
Maya says
Can you make this recipe with self rising flour?
ImmaculateBites says
You can. However, the texture or taste would not be the same .
Kimberly says
Mine didn’t rise very much, didn’t brown very much and were somewhat dense and doughy texture. Any advise?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Kimberly! I am so sorry you had trouble with your dinner rolls. First off, the preferred type of yeast for this recipe is rapid rise yeast. YOu do not need to proof it, just add directly to your flour. Make sure your dough is in a warm place so that it can rise properly. If it hasn’t at least doubled in size, you may need to give it a little more time to rise.
For that beautiful brown color, make sure the oven is at the right temperature and bake for about 20 mins or until golden brown.
I hope you get a chance to try this recipe again. Looking forward to your results.
Josiane says
Hi Imma,I made these today and they turned out perfectly. Added some dried raisins and substituted half the flour with wholewheat flour,just delicious ! I love your recipes . Thank you
ImmaculateBites says
That sounds Delicious!!! Love the idea of the raisins and the whole-wheat flour. I am so glad you were able to give it your own twist and that it turned out great. Thanks for sharing!
L Nash says
Which butter do you use? Recipes are never specific.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Lauren! I always use unsalted butter. This helps me control the amount of salt that goes into my recipes. Hope this helps 🙂
Caro says
Did you use salted or unsalted butter?
ImmaculateBites says
I used unsalted butter.
Caro says
Thanks. I did it this am for breakfast with soup. It came out great! And it’s all gone already. The family loved it. Thanks for sharing
Anam says
Hi, I made these today and they turned out awesome. Thanks for the lovely recipe ❤️
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! So glad you loved it!
Vanessa says
Can this be made in a microwave?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Vanessa. Sorry, I have never made these in a microwave.