Soft Homemade Dinner Rolls

5 from 8 votes

These soft, tender yeast rolls are truly the BEST dinner rolls ever. I'd even go as far to call them perfect. 10 out of 10. This easy, no-fuss salted dinner roll recipe is gonna be the best you've ever tried.

Prep Time1 2

Cook Time18

Rising Time1 40

Total Time3

Course: bread, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Dinner Roll Recipe, Dinner Rolls, Yeast Rolls

Servings: rolls

Calories: 179kcal

Author: Karrie

Ingredients

½ cup warm water (104 -108°F)
1 tbsp sugar
1 package active dry yeast (approx. 2 ¼ tsp)
5 tbsp salted butter
1 12- oz can evaporated milk + about ½ cup water (enough to make 2 cups with the milk)
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
6-7 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp salt
2-3 tbsp additional melted salted butter
coarse sea salt (optional)

Instructions

Proof the Yeast:

Add warm water, sugar and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Mix on low for 10 seconds just to combine. Then allow the mixture to sit for 5-8 minutes until you see the yeast turning foamy. If your yeast does NOT turn foamy, it’s likely dead and you’ll want to redo this step with fresher yeast or cooler water.

While that's Proofing:

In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, melt the butter.
Next open your can of evaporated milk. Add enough water to the milk to make 2 cups. **See note below. Add to the saucepan and give it a quick stir.
Bring the milk-butter mixture just to lukewarm to get the chill off of it (104°F - 108°F). If you have an instant read thermometer, this is a great time to use it. Too hot and you could kill the yeast. Remove from heat and set aside to cool if necessary.
Lightly beat your eggs.

Making the Dough:

Turn your mixer on low and let it stay on low while you add in your ingredients.
Add in your beaten eggs, the sugar, milk mixture, 3 cups of the flour and lastly the salt. Increase mixer to medium speed, and let mix for 1 minute.
Add in 2 more cups of flour. Increase to medium speed, and let mix again for 1 minute.
Slowly add in remaining 1-2 cups of flour - ½ cup at a time until mixture comes away from the edges of the bowl and a dough ball forms that is lightly sticky.
Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap coated with cooking spray and place in a warm area to rise. Let rise 50-60 minutes or until doubled in size.
Pinch off pieces of the dough and form 24 rolls. Try to keep them uniform if possible by dividing the dough into half, then fourths and each fourth section then into 6 rolls.
Place the rolls into (2) lightly greased or parchment lined 9x13 inch baking pans. Cover with damp cloth or lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise an additional 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.
While those are rising preheat your oven to 375°F.
Bake the rolls for 14-17 minutes or until rolls are golden brown on top. Expert tip: If you have an instant read thermometer bake until center of a roll reaches 195°F.
Remove rolls from the oven, and brush the hot rolls with butter and add a pinch of sea salt on each one. Serve immediately or store cooled rolls in gallon sized bags for up to 2 days.

Notes

** Adding water to milk to make 2 cups: How I do this is to measure one cup of milk using a 1-cup measuring cup. Pour it into the saucepan with the melted butter. Then pour remaining milk into the 1-cup measuring cup (it only fills about half) to which I add in water until the measuring cup is filled, then add that to the saucepan as well.

Canned evaporated milk makes for a beautifully rich roll, however you can substitute whole milk if necessary.

If you don't have 9x13 baking pans you can also use a quarter baking sheet, but for the best nice, tall rolls as pictured the 9x13 sized work best.

Tip: for a warm place to get your rolls rising - turn on the oven for 20-30 seconds at 350 then shut it off. It's usually enough to get the oven coils a little warm, and helps give it a warm place to rise.

Convection baking temperature: 350°F for the same time amount.

To freeze: Prepare recipe through step 7. Place the rolls on a piece of lightly greased parchment paper on a baking pan. Cover tightly and flash freeze for 2 hours or until rolls are hard. Transfer frozen rolls to a freezer-safe gallon sized bag and seal bag, removing air and place back into the freezer until day you want to make them. These will be good frozen for 3 months.

On the day you serve them, arrange the dough balls in a greased baking pan, cover tightly, then let them thaw and rise for about 4-5 hours. Bake as directed. You can also freeze the baked dinner rolls. Allow them to cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then reheat as desired.

Nutrition