Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe - Best homemade quick yeast roll

My husband named this soft dinner rolls recipe "killer rolls"... The funny thing is, I got it from his mom twenty years ago;)

These homemade rolls are enriched with milk, butter and egg for a buttery flavor with a soft and fluffy texture.... Made in under 2 hours!

Soft Dinner Rolls

Honestly, I've made these homemade dinner rolls so many times now that I have the ingredients and simple process memorized... I don't need to look at the recipe when I make these any more... But I do like to keep a hard copy in the kitchen for my kids to use, when I'm not here. 

Make sure to print this soft dinner roll recipe off below, because these rolls are the perfect side with soups, a Sunday rump roast dinner, special occasion, or holiday meal... These yeast rolls also makes "killer cinnamon rolls" too, hint hint;)

"Quick" Rolls

I call this a quick yeast roll because of the rise time, and baking time! The total rise time needed for fluffy dinner rolls is 70 minutes: 1st rise is 50 minutes, and the second time is 20 minutes.

Then they bake up in a preheated oven in just 20 minutes! These "killer rolls" cook up fast to a beautiful golden brown finish and are perfectly soft!

Simple Ingredients

One great thing about this dinner roll recipe is that they're made with pantry staple ingredients that most people keep on hand all the time:

• 3 ½ cups of flour, + 1 tablespoon for dusting work surface. I use all purpose flour or bread flour for the softest fluffy rolls. But this recipes is also good made with whole wheat flour. But please note: I only use 2 cups whole wheat flour with 1.5 cups all purpose so they aren't too dense;)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup granulated white sugar
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 ½ tablespoons instant yeast
• ½ cup warm water (Water temperature should be between 105 degrees F to 115 degrees F)
• ½ cup warm milk
• ¼ cup butter, divided in half for brushing tops. 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Make Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe Step-By-Step

The first thing I always do is activate my instant yeast.... I do understand that the yeast is "instant" and therefore does not necessary need to be "activated", but this is the way I learned and I still do it the same way.

Add yeast and a pinch of sugar to a bowl. Stir in warm water with a plastic or wooden spoon. It will start foaming as you get your dry ingredients mixed in a bowl:

In a large mixing bowl add the all purpose flour, sugar and salt. Whisk till well combined.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture.

Add the egg, warm milk and the warm water and yeast mixture into the well.

Next Step

Use a rubber spatula, or your hands, to gently incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients, forming a dough. Make sure to get all the flour off the sides of the bowl.

O a lightly floured surface knead the dough till its soft and smooth and elastic. (About 5 minutes.) Note: Just use a little bit of flour on your kneading surface, a tablespoon or so will do. Too much flour will cause soft dinner rolls to become tough.

Place dough ball back into your large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil before rising time.

First Rise

Cover your dough with a clean kitchen towel, or plastic wrap, place it in a warm spot and let the dough rise for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Generously butter or grease a 7x11, a 9x13 baking dish, or a baking sheet. (You can also use a large round skillet or cake pan, like I did in these pictures.)

Shape Rolls

Remove the risen dough from the bowl. Divide into 12 equal pieces and shape into balls:

Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Flatten each ball slightly with the palm of your hand. Fold the sides of the flattened dough towards the center. Rotate the ball between your hands and gently pinch the sides together to create a tight, round shape. 

Place the formed rolls into the greased baking dish, leaving space between them for rising.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a cup, and use a pastry brush to brush melted butter over the tops of each dough ball.

Second Rise

Cover rolls with a clean tea towel, move them to a warm place for 20 minutes more rise time.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and move the oven rack to the top position. 

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, till golden brown on top.

Remove from the oven to a cooling rack. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a cup, and brush tops of baked rolls with butter again for a beautiful and delicious finish! 

Serve soft dinner rolls warm with your favorite soup, chili or Sunday roast, and enjoy!

Store leftover rolls in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days.

More Roll Recipes

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Soft Sourdough Rolls

Crusty Sourdough Rolls

Recipe Card

If you try this dinner roll recipe, I'd really appreciate a star rating on the recipe card or a review in the comments below... Thank YOU!