Soft & Fluffy Dinner Rolls

These classic dinner rolls, made with simple ingredients like flour, yeast, honey, salt, and butter, are unbelievably fluffy and soft. They’re quick and easy to prepare, perfect for any meal, and call for an extra brush of butter on top for maximum deliciousness!

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• ▢ Three (1/4-ounce) packets active dry yeast
• ▢ 1 3/4 cups warm water, [105º to 115ºF (41º to 46ºC)]
• ▢ 1/2 cup honey
• ▢ 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing
• ▢ 2 large eggs, beaten
• ▢ 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
• ▢ 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

• 1. Activate the Yeast: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the three packets of active dry yeast and the 1 3/4 cups warm water. Let this mixture stand undisturbed for about 5 minutes. You’ll know the yeast is active and healthy when it becomes bubbly and develops a creamy, frothy appearance. If your yeast doesn’t show these signs, it may be old or the water temperature was incorrect; discard it and start again with new yeast and slightly warmer (but not hot) water.
• 2. Mix the Dough: Once the yeast is bubbly and active, turn your mixer to low speed. Gradually add the 1/2 cup honey, followed by the 1 stick (4 oz) melted butter, 2 beaten large eggs, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Slowly incorporate the 6 cups of all-purpose flour, adding it 1 cup at a time. Continue mixing for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the flour is fully incorporated and the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. If it seems too sticky to work with, add a little more flour (1 tablespoon at a time) until it reaches a manageable consistency. Note: the amount of extra flour can vary significantly depending on environmental factors like humidity, sometimes requiring up to an additional 3 cups.
• 3. Shape and Rise the Rolls: Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Divide the dough evenly into 24 pieces. For consistent roll sizes, you can weigh each piece, aiming for approximately 2 ounces (57 grams) per roll. Roll each piece into a smooth ball. Arrange 12 of these rolls about 2 inches apart in a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet or a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Repeat with the remaining 12 dough balls in a second skillet or baking dish. Cover both pans with a clean kitchen towel and place them in a warm spot. Let the rolls rise until they have doubled in size. This usually takes about 30 minutes in a warm kitchen, but can extend up to 60 minutes if your kitchen is cooler.
• 4. Preheat Oven: While the rolls are rising, preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C).
• 5. Bake to Golden Perfection: Just before baking, gently brush the tops of the risen rolls with a little extra melted butter. Place the pans in the preheated oven and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the tops are beautifully golden brown. It’s crucial to keep a close watch on these rolls, as the honey content makes them prone to browning quite easily. The type of baking dish or skillet you use also influences the cooking speed of the bottom of the rolls. For anything other than a cast-iron skillet, 20 minutes is typically ideal; baking longer might result in overly dark bottoms.
• 6. Finish and Serve: Carefully remove the skillets or pans from the oven. Immediately brush the hot dinner rolls with more melted butter for an extra touch of richness and shine. Sprinkle a pinch of kosher or flaky sea salt over the tops. Serve these divine rolls warm, fresh from the oven, for the best experience. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. To rewarm, wrap them loosely in foil and heat in a warm oven (around 300°F/150°C for 10-15 minutes) until soft and heated through.

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Chiyo Ueyama

Chiyo found these classic dinner rolls so enticing she couldn’t resist eating three fresh from the oven! She noted their slight sweetness and versatility, being delicious both plain and with butter or jam. The recipe’s ease impressed her. She observed that her dough required an additional tablespoon of flour to become workable and took 35 minutes to double in size due to a cooler kitchen. Baking in a metal pan, her rolls were done in 20 minutes, confirming the quick overall process. For her smaller batch of 12 rolls, she precisely measured yeast and water, and the rolls fit perfectly in her 13×9-inch pan. Chiyo suggests omitting the sprinkled salt next time and using salted butter for brushing instead, as the salt didn’t adhere well to the hot crust. She highly recommends rewarming cooled rolls wrapped in foil for 10 minutes at 300°F for optimal texture.

Alexander Cowan

Alexander raved about the amazing outcome of these dinner rolls, finding them easy and almost foolproof. He described them as light, airy, squishy, slightly sweet, and utterly addictive. He did note that his dough was very sticky initially and required an extra cup of flour to pull away from the bowl, attributing this to high humidity in his kitchen. Despite the extra flour, the dough remained sticky, not forming a completely clean ball as some recipes do. His rolls took longer to rise, about 60 minutes instead of the suggested 20-30. He highlighted that the recipe yields 24 large rolls, potentially lasting several days for a small family if self-control prevails. Alexander experimented with reheating methods, preferring steaming for 5 minutes for moist, chewy rolls over oven reheating (350°F for 10 minutes) which made them crispier. However, he concluded that nothing beats them fresh out of the oven, slathered in butter and sprinkled with salt.

Irene Seales

Irene praised these rolls as perfectly fresh and slightly sweet, ideal for any buffet or holiday dinner. She found the recipe relatively quick with an easy dough and fast turnaround. Using the paddle attachment on her mixer produced a remarkably smooth dough that was simple to divide and roll with minimal additional flour. Her rolls rose in 35 to 40 minutes, slightly longer than suggested, which she attributed to her 68°F kitchen. She halved the recipe and baked them in a 9×13-inch glass dish, completing baking in 20 minutes. Irene loved the final touch of a second butter brushing and Maldon sea salt flakes. She also mused that these rolls would be perfectly sized for small ham sandwiches. While accustomed to breads with more character from fermented doughs, she acknowledged a definite place for these quick, satisfying rolls, though she might experiment with reducing the sweetness while considering its impact on the yeast’s rapid rise.

Lila Ferrari

Lila reported that these classic dinner rolls came together quickly and were swiftly devoured by her guests. Initially concerned about the quantity of yeast, she found it wasn’t an issue, as the rolls were neither bitter nor overly yeasty, and perfectly fluffy. She was surprised by their airy yet dense texture, truly feeling like a substantial homemade roll. Her only regret was not weighing the dough balls to ensure perfectly uniform sizes. Her rolls rose in a quick 20 minutes and baked for approximately 22 minutes. Served warm, none were left for leftovers! For future batches, Lila plans to incorporate herbs into the dough and with the brushed butter to explore new flavor dimensions.

Eydie Desser

Eydie found her perfect Thanksgiving dinner roll recipe in this classic! She noted needing around 7 cups (35 ounces) of flour to achieve a moist but firm enough dough for rolling, with each roll weighing about 6 ounces. She baked 12 rolls in a cast-iron skillet and 12 in a 9×13-inch glass baking dish. After a 35-minute rest, all rolls doubled in size. The rolls baked in the cast-iron skillet were superior, offering more even browning, less crispness, and an overall softer, more delicious texture compared to those in the glass dish, which had much darker bottoms and crispier tops. This experience made her consider getting a second cast-iron skillet. Eydie emphasized that these rolls are best enjoyed fresh from the oven. For reheating, she discovered that microwaving for 15-20 seconds yielded moist, pillowy results, far superior to oven reheating, which tended to make them crisp and dry.

Sarah Heend

Sarah achieved a beautiful batch of buttery, yeasty rolls in just over an hour, noting their softness, subtle sweetness, and rich butter flavor. The honey flavor was present but not overpowering, and the quick turnaround was a definite bonus. Initially, she worried about the large amount of yeast, but the rolls weren’t overly yeasty. She pondered if two packets of yeast would suffice for future attempts while maintaining the 30-minute rise. She felt the rolls had just enough salt, especially using salted butter. Sarah recommended a mild honey unless a strong honey flavor is desired. Her dough required a significant addition of 3 extra cups of flour to transition from a thick batter to a workable dough, which she partly attributed to substituting some white whole-wheat flour. She liked the added depth from the whole wheat and plans to use more next time. Cold eggs might have contributed to a slower rise for her. She used two 10.5-inch cast-iron skillets and a 9-inch cake pan to accommodate all 24 rolls, rotating them in the oven for even baking. The honey indeed contributed to quick browning, requiring careful monitoring during the last stage of baking. She didn’t notice a significant difference between rolls brushed with butter after baking and those not brushed, perhaps due to light brushing, and forgot the salt sprinkle, which wasn’t missed as she used salted butter. She found the rolls quite large, eating seven among three people, and suggested making 30 smaller rolls next time, also noting they would make excellent slider buns if flattened slightly.