Fluffy Dinner Rolls

Light buttery fluffy dinner rolls are the BEST yeast rolls around.  Great for Sunday dinners and a must for Holiday meals. A special technique will help you make perfect light yeast rolls every time.

This could be my last yeast roll post because these Fluffy Dinner Rolls are the PERFECT yeast roll recipe.  It doesn’t need tweaked or altered.  This recipe and technique were perfected by America’s Test Kitchen and I have nothing to add to it.  

I am a yeast roll lover and am always searching for a way to improve my dinner rolls so that they taste great but also have a perfectly soft texture. While I thought I had found some pretty good ones, when I tried this method, I was just amazed at how much better they were than any I’ve ever had, either at home or abroad.

I could have easily eaten the entire dozen.  I did show some restraint and froze what we didn’t eat, but I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to resist them even in the freezer.  Mike agreed that these were phenomenal!

What makes these homemade yeast rolls the BEST

They’re not any more trouble then traditional yeast rolls.  However, there are two things that make them different. 

First, you make a paste with water and flour and thicken it in the microwave then add it to the yeast and flour mixture.  

Second, once the dough has risen and you are ready to make them into rolls, instead of forming into balls, you roll out the dough and cut it with a knife into 8 inch by 2 inch strips. Each strip is then rolled up into a cylinder and placed in a round cake pan.

Rolling them like this instead of in a ball yields a tender and extremely light and airy dinner roll. It only takes a minute or two more than forming them into balls, but the difference is just amazing.

You get rich buttery rolls from the fat in the dough but they’re not heavy. This is in two forms, whole milk and butter. Don’t try to substitute. 

What you’ll need

• Bread flour – its high protein makes for a light and fluffy roll.
• Yeast – either quick acting or regular
• Whole milk and butter – this is not the time to be concerned about fat
• Sugar and an egg

How do you make fluffy yeast rolls

• Make a flour paste and add to milk, flour and egg and knead in a stand mixer.  Let sit for 15 minutes before adding sugar and softened butter.
• Let it rise for an hour.
• Cut the dough into 24 strips, roll them up and place in a cake pan.
• Let rise for an hour and bake. When done, brush with butter.

After trying these, you’ll be confident enough to offer to bring rolls for your next potluck or family dinner

FAQ’s and tips

I’m so excited that I now have a tried a true recipe for yeast rolls that won’t let me down and I can move on to making the perfect salmon dish.  I am struggling with seafood right now.

They are predicting bad weather on Monday around here, which gives you a great opportunity to give these a try.

More easy YEAST roll recipes

• For a sour cream dough, try Sour Cream Yeast Rolls made into a knot
• Add some onions for a sturdier Pull Apart Roll
• Want a sweeter role, add pineapple juice for Hawaiian Rolls
• Use left over mashed potatoes for Mashed Potato Rolls

What should you serve with fluffy dinner rolls

Don’t save these just for Thanksgiving or Christmas, while divine served with turkey and all the sides, they are too good to only eat on special occasions. Try with some of these dinner recipes:

• Cherry pork tenderloin
• Chicken with shallots
• Marsala steak
• Short rib chili
• Coq au vin

If you make Fluffy Dinner Rolls, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! I would love to see your creation.

I might receive income from links that you click on.  Please know that I only provide links to things that I use on a regular basis and think you might find helpful.

Cook’s Illustrated Jan/Feb 2016

Fluffy Dinner Rolls

The BEST fluffy dinner rolls you will find.  Great for Sunday dinners and a must for Holiday meals. A special technique makes perfect yeast rolls every time.

4.34 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: bread

Cuisine: American

Keyword: yeast

Prep Time: 3 hours

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 143kcal

Ingredients

• FLOUR PASTE
• ½ cup water
• 3 tablespoons bread flour
• DOUGH
• ½ cup cold milk
• 1 egg
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter softened
• ½ tablespoon butter melted

Instructions

• PASTE:
• Whisk water and flour together in a microwave safe bowl until there are no lumps. Microwave, whisking every 20 seconds until mixture thickens to a stiff, smooth, pudding like consistency. (if it gets too thick, add a little water and whisk until it is smooth)
• DOUGH:
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the paste with milk until smooth, then whisk in the egg. Add flour and yeast and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until all the flour is incorporated, about 2 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes.
• Add the sugar and salt and mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes, then add softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time until incorporated and continue to mix for an additional 5 minutes, scraping down sides as needed.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, it will be sticky. Knead briefly to form a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with tall sides. Transfer dough to lightly floured surface and press gently to remove the air. Pat and stretch to form an 8 inch by 9 inch rectangle. With the short side facing you, cut dough into 4 equal strips and cut each strip into 3 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time and press it into an 8 inch by 2 inch strip. Starting at one end roll each strip into a tight cylinder. Place seam side down in prepared pan, pointing inward. Place 10 around the pan and 2 in the center.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375º. Bake until deep golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 3 minutes and then remove and brush with melted butter and let cool slightly before serving.

Notes

Tips

1. Rising tips: To help the dough rise, heat up some water in the microwave and then add the bowl of dough to the warm microwave and shut the door, or you can heat the oven to 200º. Place the dough in the warm oven shut the door and turn off the oven. 
2. Flour: Use bread flour for the fluffiest texture. All purpose will still make delicious dinner rolls.
3. Fat: Use whole milk and butter.
4. Make ahead tips: You can refrigerate the dough after formed into rolls. Remove from the refrigerator and let warm to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 243mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 167IU | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg