These Delicious Quick Dinner Rolls are soft, tender, and incredibly simple to make. They’re perfect for holiday dinners, family meals, parties, or any time you want warm, homemade rolls without hours of rising time.
If you love classic yeast rolls but need something faster and forgiving, these Delicious Quick Dinner Rolls are a superb choice. They produce soft, slightly springy rolls that hold up well to butter, jam, or sandwich fillings. Compared to some richer or more time-intensive recipes, this version is designed to be straightforward, consistent, and ideal when you need a crowd-pleasing bread in under an hour of hands-on time.
The texture is tender with a light crumb—soft enough for a cozy bite but sturdy enough for slicing or serving with a hearty meal. I recently used these rolls for turkey sandwiches and they were exceptional: soft, flavorful, and perfectly sized for hand-held sandwiches. They also work well for holiday spreads, dinner gatherings, or as a simple everyday bread to brighten a weeknight meal.
These rolls are forgiving for beginner bakers: the dough is slightly tacky, which helps create a tender finished roll. Use the flour range as a guideline—you most likely won’t use the absolute maximum amount. Less flour keeps the rolls soft and airy; too much flour makes them dense and dry. If the dough sticks to your hands when forming balls, lightly spray your hands with cooking spray instead of adding more flour.
TIPS FOR MAKING THESE ROLLS:
- Measure flour carefully. Start with the lower amount and add more only if the dough is too wet to form. The dough should be slightly sticky/tacky—this yields a softer roll.
- Shape the rolls gently. Overworking the dough will make them tight and dense. If the dough sticks while shaping, lightly spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray rather than adding flour.
- Freezing option: Let the shaped rolls rise about 10 minutes on the pans, then wrap tightly in freezer-safe bags or multiple layers of plastic wrap. Freeze up to 4 weeks. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake at 350°F, adding 5–10 minutes to the bake time to account for chilled dough.
- Uniform size: If you prefer consistent rolls, weigh each piece as you divide the dough. This isn’t required for great results, but it helps if you want matching portions.
- Warm liquids: Use warm milk (100°F to 110°F) and lukewarm water so the yeast activates reliably. If yeast doesn’t foam after a few minutes, the liquid may be too hot or the yeast inactive—start again with fresh yeast and correct temperature.
Delicious Quick Dinner Rolls (big or small batch)
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 24 rolls
Description
These quick dinner rolls are an excellent balance of speed and classic home-baked flavor. The recipe is scalable for large gatherings or small batches, and it uses simple pantry ingredients. Whether you want soft dinner rolls for a holiday table or small sandwich buns for leftovers, this recipe delivers consistent, crowd-pleasing results.
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm milk (100°F to 110°F)
- 3 tablespoons softened butter, cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
- 6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Grease or line one half-sheet baking pan, two quarter-sheet pans, two 13″ x 9″ pans, or four 8″ or 9″ round pans.
- In a microwave-safe measuring cup, combine milk and butter and heat about 70 seconds until butter melts. Combine the warm milk/butter mixture, water, sugar, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir and let sit 5 minutes until the yeast begins to foam.
- Add 5 cups of flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough forms a rough, shaggy mass.
- Switch to the dough hook and add additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time, blending until a smooth ball forms. Mix 4–5 minutes more until the dough is soft, smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. Avoid adding too much flour.
- Lightly spray a bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough inside, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise 20 minutes at room temperature.
- Gently deflate and divide the dough in half. Cut each half into 12 equal portions (24 total). Shape each portion into a round ball and place on prepared pans. You can also pull off pieces by hand if preferred.
- Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and let rise another 20 minutes at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F during the final rise.
- Bake 20–23 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter after baking if desired. Serve warm or cooled; store leftovers in an airtight container for up to two days or freeze as instructed above.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: American
Recipe Source: King Arthur Flour