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Lion House Rolls are the best dinner rolls to pair with all of your holiday meals or any occasion for that matter. These rolls are buttery and super soft, the perfect vehicle to soak up delicious soups, sauces and gravies.
If you love to recreate some of your favorite copycat dinner rolls, try these Parker House Rolls or these Texas Roadhouse Rolls.
Lion House Rolls Recipe
Dinner rolls are sometimes an afterthought but to me good dinner rolls can really add to the meal, plus they’re perfect for leftover sliders. These Lion House Rolls are so good, you might even forget to eat the main meal.
What are Lion House Rolls?
Lion House Rolls are some of the most iconic dinner rolls made legendary by the Lion House Pantry Restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are soft, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Their distinct spirals make them some of the prettiest dinner rolls to adorn your dinner table.
Homemade Rolls Ingredients
The base of these rolls are milk and butter to yield delicious, soft, buttery rolls.
- Milk: used in the dough and also a little bit in the egg wash. Whole milk is preferred but you can use 2% milk.
- Butter: unsalted butter is used in the dough and salted butter can be used to brush the rolls after baking for more flavor.
- Granulated sugar: to feed the yeast and also for added sweetness in the dough. If you prefer your dinner rolls saltier, you can reduce the amount of sugar.
- Active dry yeast: to help the bread dough rise. You could also use the same amount of instant yeast.
- Water: used to activate yeast.
- Salt: for flavor.
- Flour: all purpose flour is fine in this recipe.
Preparing the Dough
- Cooking the Milk: Scald the milk and melt the butter in the hot milk. Allow this mixture to cool before mixing into the dough to ensure you don’t kill the yeast.
- Check the Yeast: Activate the yeast in warm water straight from the tap and a little bit of sugar.
- Combine: Once the yeast mixture is bubbly, and the milk mixture is at the right temperature, mix all the ingredients together to form a dough.
- Let Rise: Shape the dough into a ball, place it in an oiled bowl and allow it to rise until at least double in size.
Shaping the Rolls
Instead of dividing the dough into balls, these Lion House Rolls are known for their distinct spiral shape, which is not difficult at all to recreate.
- Shape Rolls: Roll the dough out to about ¼” thick and about 12”x15”. Brush the surface with melted butter.
- Cut: Use a pizza cutter to divide the sheet of dough into 12 small rectangles about the size of a dollar bill.
- Bake: Now simply roll each of the small rectangles up and place the rolls on a baking sheet, seam side down, and allow them to rise before baking.
- Egg Wash: Brush the top of the rolls with egg wash to ensure a golden brown color is achieved once baked.
Storing Dinner Rolls
These dinner rolls can be stored at room temperature for up to two days. It is best to keep them in a covered container or ziplock bag. Freeze these homemade rolls for up to 3 months. Reheat them in the oven directly from frozen at 350°F for 10 – 15 minutes.
More Unique Dinner Roll Recipes
- Easy Parmesan Knots
- Purple Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
- Asiago Cheese Rolls
- Easy Yorkshire Pudding
- Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
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Lion House Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 ounce unsalted butter cubed, divided
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 teaspoon active dry yeast or instant yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cup all-purpose flour
- Extra flour for rolling
Instructions
- Add milk to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and add 3 oz of cubed unsalted to the hot milk, stirring until the butter melts completely. Pour the hot milk mixture into a stand mixer bowl and set aside to cool to below 110°F.
- Add warm water and a teaspoon of sugar to a small bowl, sprinkle active dry yeast over the liquid surface and let it bloom for 10 - 15 minutes, the mixture should puff up.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, the remaining sugar and salt, stir to distribute evenly. Transfer the flour mixture to the stand mixer bowl with the warm milk, pour the bloomed yeast mixture over it, and knead with the dough hook on speed 2 for about 10 minutes. The dough should start pulling away from the side of the bowl.
- Oil a glass bowl and your hands. Scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl and shape it into a ball in your hands and place it in the oiled bowl. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 - 2 hours until at least double in size.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out into a rectangle 12”x15” and about ¼” thick.
- Melt the remaining 1 oz of unsalted butter and brush the surface of the dough with the melted butter.
- Use a pizza wheel to cut the dough sheet in half, horizontally. Then cut each half into six rectangles about 2 ½”x6”. Roll each of the small rectangles up and place on the prepared baking sheet seam side down, spaced 1” - 2” apart. Cover the rolls with a sheet of oiled plastic wrap and let rise for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Beat 1 large egg with a tablespoon of milk to make the egg wash. Lightly brush egg wash over the top of the rolls and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove the rolls from the oven and brush the top with melted salted butter if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did they change their recipe? I have one of their cookbooks and the rolls in it call for powdered milk. They are a family favorite for sure.
Hi Julie, thank you for your question. This recipe is my take on the lion house rolls recipe, so its a little different! I love the Lion House rolls too!