These are the best Yeast Rolls and they turn out perfect every time. With just the right amount of sweetness, these homemade rolls taste heavenly slathered with butter. They are a great addition for a Sunday supper or holiday meal. And they are a must on the Thanksgiving table.
These rolls are so buttery and light and they bake up golden on top. They are light, but sturdy enough to make mini sandwiches with.
There is nothing better than homemade rolls. I can eat my weight in them. Store bought rolls don’t even come close to competing. These yeast rolls take a little time investment, but it is so worth it. They really are the best yeast rolls.
★★★★★
What readers are saying
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!! We had a houseful for family reunion with several teenage boys. The rolls were such a hit but for one thing…I didn’t make enough!!! Next time I will know make more per person.
This recipe is made from your basic dinner roll ingredients: yeast, flour, butter, eggs, and milk plus some sugar. The eggs and butter add a wonderful richness to the rolls.
Why Aren’t My Rolls Light and Fluffy?
No one wants dense rolls. They should be light and fluffy like a pillow. Here are some of the reasons your rolls may not have turned out like you wanted them to.
- The yeast was killed or is too old. Make sure the milk mixture is no hotter than 115 degrees F. Also check the expiration date. If it is past the expiration date, do NOT use it. Also make sure it has been stored correctly- in a cool, dark place.
- Dough didn’t rise enough. You want the dough to approximately double during the rising times. Use the rising time as an estimate. It might take longer.
- Adding too much flour. Only add enough flour so that the mixture is not too sticky to work with. Too much flour will make a dry dough which will result in dense, dry rolls.
Can I freeze these yeast rolls?
Yes. You can freeze them right after shaping them into balls. You will need to remove them from the freezer at least 2 hours before serving. They need to thaw and rise before baking.
Tips for making the Best Yeast Rolls
- If you don’t have a warm place for them to rise, no problem. It will just take longer for them to rise, but they will still rise.
- Good warm places include the top of the dryer when it is on or in front of a sunny window. You can also heat the oven to 200 degrees and then turn it off. Place the dough in the oven with the door cracked open.
This recipe makes a full 9×13-inch pan full of rolls. Perfect for a holiday meal. This is a classic yeast roll recipe you will turn to again and again.
Recommended Equipment
- Electric Stand Mixer- I love my Kitchenaid Mixer, It is a little bit of an investment but they are built to last. I recently got a new one ina beautiful light blue color. My last one was a wedding gift and it lasted well over 25 years!
- 9×13-inch Baking Dish- I have several of these and use them all the time.
More Dinner Roll Recipes
- Cheesy Garlic Skillet Rolls
- Poppy Seed Sausage Rolls
- Sweet Potato Cloverleaf Rolls
- Potato Rolls
- Buttery Herb Yeast Rolls
- Buttery Pan Rolls
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup water (105 to 115 degrees)
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, may need a little more
Instructions
- Place milk in a small saucepan and bring it just to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and stir in sugar, butter, and salt. Let cool to lukewarm. (You don’t want it hotter than 115 degrees.)
- Mix together warm water and yeast. I do this right in the glass measuring cup that I measure the water in. Let sit a few minutes.
- Pour yeast mixture into the mixing bowl for your electric mixer. Add milk mixture, eggs, and 2 cups of flour. Beat with paddle attachment until mixed.
- Beat in remaining 2 1/2 cups flour gradually. There is a chance you will need a little less than 4 1/2 cups of flour.
- Next knead the dough. You can use the dough hook and the electric mixer. Beat with speed set to 2 for about 7 minutes.Or you can knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 8 to 10 minutes. I like to use the dough hook for about 5 minutes and then knead by hand for a few minutes.
- Place dough in a buttered bowl. Turn the dough ball so it gets greased with butter on all sides. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
- Punch dough down. Divide dough into balls of about 2 to 3 tablespoons each. Place in a greased 9×13-inch pan. I do 5 rows with 4 in each roll. Cover and let rise 1 hour.
- About 10 minutes before rolls are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Brush tops of rolls with butter and serve.
Video
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Source: Fleischmann’s
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
I just made these not realizing the reviews below. I mixed up according to the instructions and hand stir 3 cups of flour and put it in the kitchen aid with a hook. Added the last cup of flour until it was no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl. Watched the clock for five minutes of mixing. Let it rise for an hour and realized my kitchen wasn’t warm enough even though I was roasting a turkey. So I wrapped the bowl up in a heating pad and towel and the dough doubled up in an hour. By then the turkey was done so I made the balls of dough and covered it up. After an hour I checked it and it was way over poofed. So I made the balls again and let it rise for twenty minutes. Check the rolls and decided to just put it in the oven at a preheated 350 degrees per the reviews. They puffed up really well almost can’t see the individual rolls. Baked them and ate with butter. Very addictive. Still not like my grandma’s rolls. I have no idea if hers had eggs or not. But these are a good first try.
Absolutely horrible. I am so disappointed in the texture. I could use them as paper weights.
375 degrees was too hot. I checked at $11 minutes in and the tops were too brown with the rest being undercooked. I am going to try it again with the heat lower. I should have read the comments first.
I made these tonight for our New Years Day dinner. I did read the comments so I adjusted a little.
1. I didn’t let the milk boil. I let it get really warm and then I removed it from the burner
2. I cooked it at 325° for 15min checked them then did another 3 min.
They were a huge success!
Not sure what others are complaining about. These rolls turned out excellent for me. I just followed the instructions to the letter. I used about 4.25 cups of flour. Mine are soft, fluffy on the inside, crispy top. Pretty much perfect for my family. Everybody loved them.
Was writing my review and the stupid website refreshed. Aside from the redundancy of instructions, these were dense and turned out mediocre. Too many steps and disappointing. Will either modify recipe or go back to one I used previously.
This recipe should add 2 more hours to total time. It has to rise twice for an hour each time. Fail.
I wanted to update as I only complained about the time. (Which I still wish it gave the whole time)
The dough was able to rise (it rose a lot!) for several hours while we ate Christmas dinner and played games. I punched it down, formed the rolls, let them sit for an hour, then baked 20 minutes. My granddaughter ate one right out of the oven and declared it great! It was late so I left them in the pan and covered with a towel on the counter overnight. They came out nice. Not too dense, not tough. I am
going to make hawaiian sliders with them for lunch today. Not sure if it was the extra rise time, but these rolls turned out okay. I used 4 cups flour.
Made this per instructions. Terribly dense. New yeast, not new to baking. They were like rocks. Made me think way too much flour required for the recipe. Too many people change their recipes or omit something pertinent…I don’t get it. I’ll stick to my own recipe.
Waste of time, put a full cup less flour in it and it still came out as a hard lump of dough. Stay away, don’t bother with this trash.
Same!!!!!!! Horrible recipe!!! Like she changed it so people can’t make them. Sorry yours turned out bad too but I’m glad to know it wasn’t me. Merry Christmas.