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.
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
Watch the short video below to see how to make this recipe.
The Best Yeast Rolls
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
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Recipe Source: Fleischmann’s
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
19 ounces.
If you know a cup of all purpose flour weighs 4.25 ounces why should she do the math?
If you don’t want to bake them right away, can you freeze or store the uncooked dough in the fridge? Do you have to let them rise again before baking?
Milk scalds adequately at 180-185 degrees, just boiling may be too hot actually.
BTW, how do you measure flour, I wish you would use weights instead of cups, it is too imprecise?
The BEST rolls I have ever made! Thanks for the awesome recipe!! Blessings.🤗🥰👏👏👏😉🙏
Easy and delicious! My new go to recipe.
Turn out amazing!! Soft and deeelish!!
Made this recipe for rolls and they were delicious
I have made these rolls twice now and they are fabulous! I wonder if this recipe could be used for sandwich bread. All of the recipes I have tried have been either too dense, too tough, or too crumbly. Do you have any suggestions?
Possibilities
Too dense, too much flour? there are many different ways to measure flour, weight is best but other methods can range from 120g per cups spooning sifted flour to 155 grams per cup scooping.
Too tough, possible too much gluten, overkneading. Use lighter flour, like AP or even cake both with less protein than bread.
Crumbly, probably overbaked. For restaurant rolls like this, internal temp should be in the 180-190 range probably
I come from a family that prides itself on its homemade rolls. I am talking about 5 or more generations back. I have eaten a lot of rolls but these are the best, BEST, best I have ever eaten. They were not hard to make, I followed the recipe. They rose quickly and baked quickly. I encourage anyone to make these rolls. Your family and guests will thank you.!!!!!
Love this recipe 😋 Thanks 😊
Love this recipe
Making these for a 2nd time. Knocked ’em outta the park at Thanksgiving, now they’re going to be wrapped around some smoked pulled pork. They are delicious and easy to make.
Great easy recipe, loved them and so did my dinner party. Thank you.
I’m making this right now, but I went ahead and gave it 5 stars because I know how it’s going to come out. My wife came in and accused me of getting flour all over the place, I told her I only got flour where I kneaded it! Yeah, I know that was bad. lol
I did make these and after 10 minutes they were brown on top so I covered with aluminum foil to finish cooking because they were not done on the bottom. They are not as light and fluffy as I would have liked but they good.
Very good and great with jam
Followed directions but rolls did not rise during 2 hour. Not sure what went wrong.
Most likely you got your liquid too hot and killed your yeast. I’m guessing you’re not used to working with yeast? It’s alive and easily killed. The temperatures aren’t suggestions–you need to measure with a candy thermometers. One degree too hot can kill yeast and then nothing is eating the sugar and creating the gas you need for rise.
Check to see if your yeasts is alive or not. Another thing is placing your dough in a warm area like and oven that’s been turned on for about 5 minutes then turned off.
I use a commercial seed starter. It looks like a hot pad. You sit the bowl of dough on the pad.
It heats up to the exact temperature needed to rise dough. You can get this on Amazon for about 20.00$. It’s very useful and will help with all your dough projects
I have tried several homemade rolls recipes, and pretty much gave up with thinking baking rolls is just not my thing. I have followed many recipes to a T, and they just never turned out for me. Well, I thought I’d give it one more try, and let me to tell you, this recipe was hands down a huge win win for me! Husband and family raved over them! This will forever be my “go to” rolls recipe!!
Are there any adjustments for high altitude?
Easy recipe to follow and rolls comes out great. Husband and friends love them also.
Love your recipes