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These One Hour Dinner Rolls are the only dinner roll recipe you need! Soft and fluffy, these buttery rolls are easy enough to make during the week but delicious enough to serve at a holiday meal.
One Hour Rolls
A good dinner roll recipe is one of my favorite side-dishes. The problem is that so many recipes end up with me being in the kitchen all afternoon and I just don’t have time for that.
Enter: one hour dinner rolls.
They’re quick, easy, and more importantly – buttery and delicious. You can cut corners on time without sacrificing quality.
They work perfectly with a weeknight meal but also fit in with a fancier holiday get together.
Serve them with Slow Cooker Pot Roast, Mississippi Pot Roast, or Meatloaf Dinner for ultimate comfort food.
Equipment you’ll need
- Thermometer – This thermometer is great for recipes where you need to check the temperatures. It’s super easy to read and can be used for everything from making candy to deep frying.
- Stand mixer – I use my hand mixer for a lot of things, but the KitchenAid is super helpful for bread recipes with a dough hook.
- Pastry brush – Great for “painting” butter on top of baked goods – it makes it so easy & silicone makes for easier cleaning.
- Baking dish – A pretty & functional baking dish.
Ingredients you’ll need
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- Water – Liquid is needed to activate your yeast.
- Butter – I like to use salted butter. You’ll melt it so no need to bring it to room temp first.
- Milk – I use 2% and haven’t tested with others. Milk will give your bread an added taste and texture profile.
- Flour – All-purpose white flour. I haven’t yet tested with others.
- Salt – In dough, salt tightens and strengthens the gluten strands, which allows the dough to hold carbon dioxide, which makes for fluffy rolls. Science!
- Sugar – Sugar helps to feed the yeast and tenderize the dough.
- Yeast – instant/rapid yeast makes this recipe nice and easy. Make sure it’s not expired and that you’re using instant yeast.
How to make One Hour Dinner Rolls
- STEP ONE: To a large microwave safe bowl, add the water, butter, and milk. Microwave until the temperature reaches 95-115 degrees F. If it’s hotter, allow it to cool to that range before proceeding.
Alternatively, you can do this step on the stove in a saucepan over medium-high heat. - STEP TWO: Whisk together 3 1/2 cups of flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.
- STEP THREE: Add the warm liquid mixture to the flour mixture and knead for 6-8 minutes, until a soft ball forms and pulls clean away from the sides of the bowl. Add the additional cup of flour, as needed.
- STEP FOUR: Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a clean towel for 15 minutes. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish and set aside.
- STEP FIVE: After 15 minutes, punch down the dough and divide into 12-15 equal sized balls. Place them in the greased casserole dish and re-cover with plastic wrap and the towel for another 15 minutes. While waiting, preheat your oven to 400°F.
- STEP SIX: Remove the plastic wrap and towel from the baking dish and place the dish in the oven for 15 minutes to bake until puffed and golden brown on top.
- STEP SEVEN: If you’re opting to brush with butter, do so halfway through baking with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and then again once they’re finished baking. Enjoy!
How to store leftovers
The best way to store dinner rolls to maximize shelf life is to wrap them in plastic wrap before leaving them on the counter. They will last about 5 days at room temperature when stored properly.
You don’t want to store them in the fridge, however, as they have a chance of drying out that way.
If they do get stale, use them to make stuffing!
Can I freeze them?
Yes! Wrap them with plastic wrap and/or place them in a freezer bag. They will maintain quality for about 3 months, and are safe to eat beyond that time frame as well.
Pro Tip ⭐️
Increase the sugar to 1/2 cup to use this dough for cinnamon rolls!
What if I don’t have a stand mixer?
A stand mixer makes this recipe easiest with either the paddle or dough hook attachment. You can do it by hand as well, but be prepared to use a bit of arm muscle.
Do I have to use instant yeast?
No, you don’t have to use instant yeast, but if we want one hour dinner rolls, it will work fastest.
If you only have regular yeast, allow an additional 10-15 minutes for rise time.
If you’re in a pinch, you can also use baking soda at a 1:1 ratio, it just won’t rise the dough as much. (I haven’t personally tested that method but I’m told it works).
Need more homemade bread recipes? Try these:
Quick & Easy Wheat Rolls with Garlic Herb Butter
Holiday Garlic Herb Rolls
Onion Dill Bread
3 Ingredient Biscuits
One Hour Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup milk I use 2%
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour as needed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- Additional butter for brushing optional
Instructions
- To a large microwave safe bowl, add the water, butter, and milk. Heat until the mixture is in the range of 95-110 degrees F. If it is hotter, allow it to cool to that range before proceeding. Alternatively, you can do this step in a saucepan over medium-high heat on the stove.
- To a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together 3 1/2 cups of the flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast.
- Add the warm liquid mixture to the flour mixture and knead for 6-8 minutes until a soft ball forms and pulls clean away from the sides of the bowl. Add the additional 1 cup flour, as needed.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a clean towel for 15 minutes.
- Spray a 9” x 13” casserole dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
- After 15 minutes, punch down the dough and divide into 12-15 equal sized balls of dough.
- Place the balls of dough in the greased casserole dish and re-cover with plastic wrap and towel for another 15 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Remove plastic wrap and towel from the casserole dish and place the dish in the oven for 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown on top.
- If brushing with butter, brush halfway through baking with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and then again after baking.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
My mother made yeast rolls and my cousin is now the one who frequently makes rolls for all family gatherings. I have made yeast rolls only once and that was with the assistance of the bread maker. I have always been intimidated by the lengthy process but this sounds so easy, quicker, and far less intimidating! This recipe sounds easy enough to make and serve for an everyday meal, as well as a holiday meal. I like just a butter on my rolls.
This is definitely a great starter recipe to dip your toes into bread making 🙂
Definitely trying these for Thanksgiving! I’ve tried yeast rolls before…with epic fails every time. I like to put butter on top, but I say the true test of good recipes is having them be as-is ok plain..so might make some plain and some with butter. I’m hoping they’re like the ones my grandma used to make.
Have never made before but I will be giving then a try.
I use just butter. I plan on making these for thanksgiving. Can’t wait to taste them.
Thank you
Valerie
Let me know how they turn out!
This looks easy enough to tempt me to finally make yeast rolls. I’ve always been too intimidated before. They look delicious!
This one isn’t scary at all, but I agree, some of the breads intimidate me.
I’ve never made yeast rolls homemade before but I love to put a honey butter or a cinnamon butter on my rolls
Honey butter sounds like an excellent idea!
Yes I have made yeast rolls before. I am going to try this recipe, it seems to be a good way to have great results.
So good I use only butter
I like butter on my rolls as a first choice and a good jam as a second. Honey comes in third.
I’ve always wanted to make bread from scratch, but never have. I have used a bread maker to do it, though.
I’ve never tried a bread maker but I think I might have fun with one.
I’ve never tried this recipe, but I’ll definitely give it a shot for Turkey Day!
I have made yeast bread but not rolls.
Brush with butter, serve with honey.
I would serve anytime.
Can’t wait to make these.
I really like that I don’t have to wait hours for different rising steps. I am a big fan of honey butter on my rolls 😋
yes! It’s a quick one.
I am doing a test run of this reciper for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. I love fresh warm rolls with a homemade honey butt
Gold star for doing a test run!
I want to try this recipe for Thanksgiving. How much is 0.5 cups of granulated sugar? Please reply, thank you.
A half a cup 🙂
These dinner rolls came out perfect! I have an extra hour to myself :). Thank you so much!!
Yay 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
I have never made rolls before. This looks easy
sugar is not needed. Bread will actually rise more if you do not use sugar. That amount of sugar would make a sweet bread.
I don’t find them to be sweet.
Yummy!
Great