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Perfect soft and Buttery Rolls have a tender fluffy texture inside with a buttery golden top. These are so melt-in-you-mouth good, you won’t be able to stop eating them!
If you want a really big, soft and buttery roll, then this is the recipe for you. Rolls are simply one of the best ways to eat bread. Need more roll ideas? Try my 30 minute Asiago Cheese Rolls, Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls with Cinnamon Honey Butter or Easy Parmesan Knots at your next dinner.
Perfect Soft and Buttery Rolls
Ever since I was a little girl, homemade rolls have been one of my favorite things ever. I could have lived on bread and rolls while growing up. After I moved out on my own, I decided to learn how to make homemade rolls by myself. I made recipe after recipe and discovered rolls are not hard to make. With homemade bread, practice really makes perfect. Just keep trying and you will be a professional bread maker before you know it.
This recipe is the perfect one to make if you’ve never made rolls before. It’s foolproof! And it doesn’t matter if these are ideally round balls of dough. They will taste amazing however they look. Slathered with butter and jam or cinnamon honey butter or just eaten plain, you will fall in love with them. And because they are simple to make, they just take time, you’ll be tempted to make them every week at least. Dinner time or lunch time, with these rolls on the table, your meal will be transformed from ordinary to extraordinary . Make them today!
What you need to make buttery rolls
Don’t let working with yeast scare you. It’s super simple and these rolls can’t get any easier. You’ll have warm soft rolls in no time. Most of these ingredients are probably already in your pantry ready to go. If not, a quick stop at your local store and you can find it.
- Whole milk: Whole milk is the best to bake with.
- Sugar: Necessary for the yeast to grow.
- Butter: unsalted
- Salt: Salt is essential for bread to have flavor.
- Warm water: Keep it between 80 and 110 degrees F.
- Active dry yeast: If all you have is instant, you can use it just the same.
- Flour: All purpose or unbleached both work.
- Eggs: Make sure they are large not medium eggs.
- Unsalted butter: This is for brushing the tops.
How to make soft and buttery rolls
The hardest thing about this recipe is waiting. Bread in all its forms is so good, especially when it’s given the ample time it needs to rise. Don’t rush it. This will ensure a nice light fluffy interior when you allow the air pockets to form during rising.
- Making the dough: In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 5 Tablespoons butter and salt. Heat until mixture is warm and butter is melted (it will start to slightly bubble around the edges of the pan),
- Cool: Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm (this is important, because if it’s too hot, it will kill the yeast).
- Bloom the Yeast: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the warm water, 1 teaspoon of sugar and yeast. Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes or until bubbly and frothy. If the yeast mixture does not get bubbly and frothy, start yeast mixture over.
- Making the dough: Add three cups of flour to the bowl of your stand mixer. Pour warm milk mixture into the bowl and mix, using the dough hook, until combined, scraping sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the yeast mixture and beaten eggs and mix until combined. Gradually add remaining two cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, or until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl as you mix. Dough should still be slightly sticky to the touch. Don’t add too much flour or your rolls will be dry. You may or may not need the entire 5 cups of flour.
Forming your Rolls
- Shape dough balls: Cover bowl with a towel and allow dough to rise until doubled in size. When dough has risen, punch down. Form dough into balls (if it’s a little too sticky, spray your hands with cooking spray). I use about 3 oz. of dough per dough ball. Place on a large greased sheet pan, spacing 2-3 inches apart. Cover with a towel and allow to rise for one hour or until doubled in size.
- Bake your dough: Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 12-13 minutes. Tent rolls with foil the last few minutes of baking. The rolls brown pretty quickly, so tenting them with foil is a must. When done baking, brush with remaining 2 Tablespoons of melted butter. Makes around 16 large rolls.
What is a “Rich” Dough?
This bread recipe and many like it are referred to as a “rich” dough. I wish that meant when you made this your bank account grew, but it doesn’t. Although they’ll taste like it did. Rich dough refers to the amount of fat they have them in. Putting eggs, milk and butter in dough creates more fat. When you have more fat in your dough you will have softer, richer bread, like found in cinnamon rolls. When you have less fat in a dough you get a crustier chewy bread. Think Focaccia, Naan, and artisan style breads. They are all extremely luscious!
Tips for making the softest rolls
No matter what roll recipe you are making, here are a few tips that will come in handy.
1. Activate: Make sure the yeast gets activated. If the yeast does not activate, your rolls will not rise. I always combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a separate bowl and make sure it bubbles up before adding it to the other ingredients. I add a little sugar to that mixture, because yeast loves sugar and it helps it to activate. If the yeast does not get bubbly and frothy, start over. Hold your hand under the running water. You want it to be almost too hot to put your hand in.
2. Do NOT add too much flour. Adding too much flour will turn an amazing soft roll into a heavy dry roll. Try to add as little flour as possible without the dough being too sticky to handle. Knowing how much flour to add can be tricky, but the more rolls you make, the easier it will be for you to tell when there is enough. You can always spray your hands with cooking spray to help shape the rolls and keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
3. Do NOT over bake. If you over bake your rolls, they will be dry. No one wants a dry roll.
More bread recipes
Bread is heavenly and small little round ones you can hold in the palm of your hand are divine. Warm and tasty bread is a comfort food for a reason. If you need some bread inspiration here are a few ideas.
- The Best Homemade Garlic Bread
- Homemade Cornbread
- Cheesy Olive Bread
- Jalapeno Cornbread
- Miracle No Knead Bread
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Perfect Soft and Buttery Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 c. whole milk
- 1/2 c. + 1 tsp. sugar
- 5 Tbl. unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 c. warm water
- 4 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
- 5 c. all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 2 Tbl. unsalted butter melted, for brushing on baked rolls
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 5 Tablespoons butter and salt. Heat until mixture is warm and butter is melted (it will start to slightly bubble around the edges of the pan), remove from heat and cool to lukewarm (this is important, because if it's too hot, it will kill the yeast). Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the warm water, 1 teaspoon of sugar and yeast. Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes or until bubbly and frothy. If the yeast mixture does not get bubbly and frothy, start yeast mixture over.
- Add three cups of flour to the bowl of your stand mixer. Pour warm milk mixture into the bowl and mix, using the dough hook, until combined, scraping sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the yeast mixture and beaten eggs and mix until combined. Gradually add remaining two cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, or until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl as you mix. Dough should still be slightly sticky to the touch. Don't add too much flour or your rolls will be dry. You may or may not need the entire 5 cups of flour.
- Cover bowl with a towel and allow dough to rise until doubled in size. When dough has risen, punch down. Form dough into balls (if it's a little too sticky, spray your hands with cooking spray). I use about 3 oz. of dough per dough ball. Place on a large greased sheet pan, spacing 2-3 inches apart. Cover with a towel and allow to rise for one hour or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 12-13 minutes. Tent rolls with foil the last few minutes of baking. The rolls brown pretty quickly, so tenting them with foil is a must. When done baking, brush with remaining 2 Tablespoons of melted butter. Makes around 16 large rolls.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Imade these rolls for breakfast and I could make it so easily. Thank you so much for putting up the steps and guide of this recipe.
These rolls are so good and easy enough for new bakers.
Alyssa – can you freeze the dough? I’m trying to work ahead for Thanksgiving so I enjoy the day and don’t lose steam by 4pm! 😉
That is a great idea! Yes, you can freeze the dough.
Can these rolls be frozen after they are baked? If so would you just reheat in oven?
Yes, that will work too.
If I am out of AP flour. Could I use bread flour instead?
Thank you 😊
I made these rolls and it was a hit for me and my family. They were so soft and fluffy i had to make them again. I work with the pantry at my church and made some and take for the other volunteers and now one of them wants me to make some for him for Thanksgiving
How long do you let the dough rise on the first rise?
It takes about 1 hour to 2 hours.