Name: Brioche Rolls
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 150 min
Ingredients: 1 package yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons); ¼ cup sugar (divided); ¼ cup warm water; ½ cup milk; ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted); 1 tablespoon salt; 2 eggs; 2 ½-3 cups bread flour; 1 tablespoon Melted salted butter for topping

These soft, fluffy Brioche Rolls come together in about 20 minutes of prep time, and their rich, buttery flavor and texture makes them worth every second. Baked to golden perfection and brushed with melted butter, these rolls have the perfect balance of a sturdy, egg-rich dough with a light, tender bite. They’re the perfect compliment to your Southern comfort dishes.

A wicker basket lined with a gray cloth holds several freshly baked cloverleaf rolls. The rolls are golden brown and fluffy. In the background, there is a small black bowl containing creamy butter and a knife resting on a dark plate. — *Soft, buttery brioche rolls with a golden top, light, rich, and worth every minute.*

Easy Brioche Buns Recipe

When I think of comfort food, these brioche rolls always come to mind. They’re not just your ordinary dinner rolls; they have this rich, almost decadent texture thanks to the addition of eggs. Unlike other rolls that might be too airy or dense, these hit the sweet spot—fluffy yet sturdy enough to hold their shape.

Making brioche rolls into cloverleafs does take a little more time, but you don’t have to make it into a cute shape. You can just form it into a regular shaped ball, they will taste the same. The cloverleaf shape makes it easy to break off a bite and it just looks fancy.

The eggs and butter give these rolls a velvety texture, which makes the dough richer than most other rolls. This gives them a unique balance—they’re soft and pillowy but still have enough structure to hold up under a generous helping of gravy or soup, or for me, butter!

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In the South, you’ll typically find some type of yeast roll served at any special dinner, and a holiday dinner is not complete without them. However, I’m a huge fan and love serving these rolls alongside Zesty Chicken Soup or Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes to soak up all those delicious flavors. They’re equally delicious with some peach jam or honey. Just make a double batch and freeze them and you’ll be ready when you need something to spruce up a weeknight dinner.

Featured reader review

“Made these to serve along with a prime rib roast yesterday. Followed the recipe exactly and they were quite good. I will definitely make them again. Now off to make your zesty chicken soup to serve with the leftover rolls!”
Debbie

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A split dinner roll with butter on a round plate next to a butter knife. A bowl of butter and a basket of dinner rolls covered with a gray cloth are in the background. The setting is on a blue, textured surface.

Why These Will Be Your Go-To Dinner Rolls

Easy to Make: These brioche rolls are simple to prepare, with straightforward steps that lead to delicious results every time.
Comforting: With their warm, fluffy texture and buttery flavor, these rolls offer a comforting bite that feels like a hug from Grandma.
Rich and Buttery: Made with eggs and butter, these rolls are delightfully rich and indulgent, adding a touch of luxury to any meal.

What You’ll Need for this Brioche Roll Recipe

A selection of baking ingredients is arranged on a blue surface, perfect for making brioche rolls: a bag of organic bread flour, a bag of granulated sugar, a bottle of whole milk, a jar of active dry yeast, two eggs, and a stick of unsalted butter.

Yeast mixture: Yeast, white sugar, warm water. You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast.
Milk mixture: Whole milk works best, unsalted butter, salt.
Dough components: Eggs and bread flour. I like using bread flour because it has a higher protein content than all-purpose, giving the rolls a little chewiness while still keeping them fluffy. You can easily substitute all-purpose.
Topping: Melted salted butter for brushing.

Let’s Make Brioche Dinner Rolls

Step One: Prepare the Yeast

Mix the yeast, a little sugar, and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let it rest for a few minutes to dissolve. It should be foamy, if not, start again.

Clear glass mixing bowl with light brown yeast and water mixture at the bottom, set on a gray countertop. The yeast mixture appears foamy, indicating that it is active and ready for use in baking. A clear plastic spatula rests on the side of the bowl. — Add yeast, sugar, and water to a bowl.

A clear glass mixing bowl on a gray countertop, containing a small amount of foamy, beige yeast mixture at the bottom. — Let it rest for 5 minutes.

Step Two: Heat the Milk Mixture

Warm the milk, sugar, salt, and melted butter in the microwave. Let the mixture cool slightly before combining with the yeast mixture.

A glass mixing bowl containing a light yellow liquid is placed on a grey surface. A metal whisk is partially submerged in the liquid, indicating that mixing is in progress. The scene suggests preparation of a recipe, likely involving liquid ingredients. — Warm milk, sugar, salt, and melted butter.

A glass mixing bowl sits on a gray countertop, containing a mixture of two cracked eggs with their yolks intact, partially blended into a light yellow liquid. — Add egg yolks.

Step Three: Make the Dough

Whisk in eggs and gradually add flour. Knead until the dough becomes smooth.

A clear glass bowl sits on a blue, textured surface, containing a ball of dough. The dough appears smooth and slightly moist, suggesting it has been kneaded and is ready for further preparation or rising. The background has a worn, rustic look.

Step Four: Let It Rise

Transfer the dough to a buttered bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size. You can press your finger into the dough and the hole should stay intact.

A ball of yeast dough rests in a clear glass bowl on a blue textured surface. The dough has a smooth surface with a small hole in the center, indicating it has been left to rise. Plastic wrap is partially visible at the top of the image.

Step Five: Shape and Bake

Divide the dough into four portions with a bench scraper and then form the dough into equal pieces that you’ll roll into balls. Place three balls into each muffin tin for a second rise. They should fill out the muffin tin. Bake until golden brown, then brush with melted butter.

Several pieces of raw dough on a dark surface, with some formed into balls of varying sizes. The dough appears soft and slightly sticky, set against a blue background. — Shape dough.

A muffin tin with twelve slots is filled with clusters of small dough balls, ready for baking. The tin shows signs of wear, and the background is a blue-gray surface. — Place dough in a muffin tin.

A dark metal muffin tray with twelve compartments is filled with pre-baked cloverleaf dinner roll dough divided into three segments per compartment. The tray rests on a light blue textured surface, ready to be baked. — Let dough rise.

Freshly baked golden-brown cloverleaf dinner rolls are nestled in a muffin tin. One roll is slightly elevated, creating a whimsical, uneven appearance among the otherwise uniform set of rolls. The rolls are glossy and golden, indicating they have been brushed with butter.

Why Aren’t My Rolls Fluffy?

Here are a few reasons why your rolls might not be fluffy:

Underproofed Dough: The dough needs two rises for the yeast to fully activate and allow the rolls to puff up. If the dough didn’t rise enough before baking, your rolls might end up dense. Make sure to let it double in size as instructed.
Yeast Issues: Make sure your yeast isn’t old or expired, or you may end up with dense rolls.
Overmixing or Undermixing: Mixing the dough too much or too little can impact the texture. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl when it’s ready.
Water Temperature: The water temperature needed for activating yeast should be between 110ºF-115ºF, or warm to the touch but not hot.

A Few Recipe Notes

Spray the muffin pan with cooking spray so the rolls don’t stick to the bottom.
Don’t skip the butter at the end, it should be salted butter or you can use unsalted and add a sprinkle of salt.
You can make these into a traditional roll shape if you do’t want to make cloverleafs.

How to Store Dinner Rolls

Store the rolls at room temperature for 2-3 days. After that, I recommend popping them in the fridge for 3-4 more days but keep in mind that doing so can dry out the rolls.
Luckily, these rolls are perfect for freezing. Once cooled, place in a freezer bag. Before eating, thaw them in the fridge overnight.
Before reheating, check out How to Reheat Dinner Rolls.

If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.

A basket filled with freshly baked golden brown rolls, lined with a light gray cloth. In the background, there is a small dish of butter with a knife on a dark plate. The setting is on a textured blue surface.

Brioche Rolls

Author: Barbara Curry

These soft, fluffy Brioche Rolls come together in about 20 minutes of prep time, and their rich, buttery flavor and texture makes them worth every second. Baked to golden perfection and brushed with melted butter, these rolls have the perfect balance of a sturdy, egg-rich dough with a light, tender bite. They're the perfect compliment to your Southern comfort dishes.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin

PREP: 20

COOK: 10

Rise Time: 2

TOTAL: 2 30

Servings: rolls

Ingredients

Instructions

Add the yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar, and warm water to the bowl of an electric mixer and let rest for 5 minutes to dissolve.
In a large measuring cup or bowl, heat the milk in the microwave for 1 minute until bubbly and hot. Add the rest of the sugar, salt and melted butter and whisk until it has dissolved. Let the milk mixture cool so that it is just warm to the touch. (you can place it in the refrigerator if you are in a hurry)
Add the milk mixture to the yeast mixture and whisk in the eggs. Stir in 2 ½ cups of flour and knead for 4 minutes until it is smooth and pulls away from the bowl. If the dough is sticky, add a little more flour until it can be easily handled.
Place the dough in a large buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled. When you poke your finger in the center, the hole should stay in place if it is ready.
Punch down the dough and divide it into 4 sections. Form each section into 9, one inch balls. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray and place 3 balls in each muffin cup. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place until they have doubled and fill out the muffin cup, 30 minutes to an hour.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400º for 10 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter.

Barbara’s Tips + Notes

Spray the muffin pan with cooking spray so the rolls don’t stick to the bottom.
Don’t skip the butter at the end, it should be salted butter or you can use unsalted and add a sprinkle of salt.
You can make these into a traditional roll shape if you do’t want to make cloverleafs.

Nutrition

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