If you're a beginner baker, yeast rolls don't have to be intimidating. With just a few simple steps and the right ingredients, you can make delicious soft dinner rolls in no time.
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Whether you're hosting a small dinner party or just enjoying a meal for one, homemade dinner rolls are a great way to add some extra warmth to the table. The fresh-baked buns smell delightful and taste amazing when slathered in butter.
While it may seem intimidating at first, baking your own homemade dinner rolls is actually quite simple. With just a few ingredients and some easy-to-follow steps, you can make delicious homemade rolls with ease.
This easy yeast rolls recipe will help even the most novice baker create dinner rolls that everyone can enjoy!
Ingredients
You only need a handful of basic ingredients to make these tender rolls. Once you give them a try, you'll want to make a double or triple batch the next time.
Here's what you'll need for the recipe:
- Dry active yeast
- Extra virgin olive oil
- All-purpose wheat flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Egg
- Warm water
Scroll down to the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
These step-by-step directions show you how easy the process of making light and fluffy yeast rolls is from start to finish. The dough comes together quickly and easily with minimal kneading, so anyone can master this recipe in no time at all.
Pour warm water into a small bowl and add the sugar and yeast. Quickly stir and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Combine the flour, salt, egg, olive oil, and yeast mixture. Knead with a dough hook for 5 minutes or until smooth.
At this point you should have a slightly sticky dough.
On a lightly floured surface, divide into 4 pieces.
Shape into dough balls and place into greased baking dish. Cover with a cloth and place in a warm place. Let the dough rise for 30 minutes until almost doubled in size.
Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
Brush with melted butter.
Serve while still hot.
Once done baking, your delicious dinner rolls will be golden brown on the outside and soft on the inside - ready to be served with butter or jam!
Variations
There are many ways to vary a simple yeast rolls recipe. Here are just a few ideas:
- Experiment with different types of flour. For example, you can use whole wheat or rye flour instead of all-purpose flour for a more flavorful roll.
- Add herbs and spices to the dough for extra flavor. Try adding rosemary, garlic powder, or Italian seasoning for an herbed roll.
- Top the rolls with something before baking them. Try brushing melted honey butter on the tops of the rolls before baking them for a richer flavor and texture. You could also top them with grated cheese or chopped nuts for added crunch and flavor.
- Change up the shape of your rolls when forming them into buns. Instead of traditional round buns, try shaping them into knots or braids for a unique look and texture. Or, roll the dough out, top it with cinnamon sugar, then roll it into a log and cut it into cinnamon rolls.
Tips
When it comes to baking, yeast rolls can be intimidating for the novice cook. But with a few tips and tricks, you can make delicious rolls that are fluffy and tender. To help you master the basics of yeast roll baking, here are some helpful tips for success.
- Always use active dry yeast when making your dough. This ensures that your yeasted dough will rise properly, resulting in light and airy rolls.
- Measure the temperature of the water. To proof yeast, the liquid should be between 105 and 115°F (41-46°C).
- Knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic. This strengthens the gluten proteins in the flour which helps give structure to your finished product.
- Allow enough time for your dough to rise properly before baking. This will ensure even cooking throughout without any raw spots or underdone centers.
- Use a dough hook. A stand mixer or hand mixer with dough hooks is the easiest way to knead the dough.
Serving suggestions
Once your homemade yeast rolls are ready, what do you serve them with? Here are some serving suggestions that will take your yeast rolls to the next level of tastiness!
Try adding sweet honey butter as a topping - it pairs wonderfully with the subtle sweetness of the roll itself. Or, if you want something savory, melted butter mixed with garlic powder and parsley flakes creates a flavorful side dish that complements most entrees.
Homemade dinner rolls are the perfect addition to any meal. Whether served alongside a hearty stew, as a side to your favorite chicken casserole, or simply on their own, soft dinner rolls can bring warmth and comfort to the table. You can also use them for sandwiches. Just add some meat, like Instant Pot pulled pork, for the filling.
Storage
Make sure the rolls are completely cooled before storing them. Once cooled, place the rolls in a tightly sealed container or plastic bag. This will help keep the rolls from drying out and becoming stale.
You can also freeze leftover yeast rolls for up to 3 months. To do this, wrap each roll individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. When you’re ready to eat them, let them thaw at room temperature before reheating in the oven or microwave.
FAQ
If your rolls are dense and heavy, it could be because you didn't give the dough enough time to rise. Yeast needs moisture and warmth to activate, so make sure that you are using warm water or milk at 105 to 115°F (41-46°C) in your recipe. Also, ensure that you are giving the dough plenty of time to rise - at least an hour for a basic recipe.
If you're still having trouble with dense rolls, try adding more yeast or increasing the rising time. Additionally, check that you're not overworking the dough - too much kneading can make the rolls tough and dense. With these tips in mind, your yeast rolls should turn out light and fluffy!
It depends on the type of roll you're baking. If you're making a sweet, enriched dough like cinnamon rolls, then brushing the dough with butter before baking will create a softer, richer texture and flavor. If you're making a savory roll like dinner rolls or crescent rolls, then brushing with butter after baking will give them a nice glossy finish and an extra layer of flavor.
In general, it's best to brush your rolls with melted butter just before baking so that the butter melts into the dough as it bakes. This will help keep your rolls moist and flavorful. If you brush them with cold butter before baking, it can slow down the rising process and make your rolls dense.
No matter which method you use, always be sure to use unsalted butter for best results. Salted butter can make your rolls too salty if used in excess.
Related Recipes
Interested in more small-batch bread recipes? If so, you may like the following ones too.
- Buttermilk biscuits are a classic, comforting treat that can make any meal special.
- Cornbread is an incredibly versatile dish that is perfect for any occasion, including intimate dinners for two.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to see more recipes.
Recipe
Small Batch Yeast Rolls
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour sifted and divided
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Pour warm water (temperature of 105 to 115 degrees F) into a small bowl and add the sugar and yeast. Quickly stir and let it sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is activated and foamy.
- Grease a small square or rectangular baking dish.
- Into a stand mixer bowl or large mixing bowl, combine one cup of flour, salt, egg, olive oil, and yeast mixture. Knead with a dough hook for about 5 minutes or until smooth. If mixture is too sticky and wet, slowly add the additional flour (a tablespoon at a time) until dough is smooth.
- Divide the dough and shape it into 4 balls.
- Place balls in the prepared baking dish and cover with a cloth. Allow rising for 30 minutes until almost doubled the size in a warm place.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
- Brush with melted butter while still hot and serve.
Jennifer
These are fabulous rolls, and again you saved my bacon with a scaled-down recipe. I hate having so many leftovers. Great recipe! I am going to make more for sandwiches!
Meows
How many do they make, usually?
Lisa MarcAurele
The recipe yields 4 rolls.
Gen
Fantastic recipe! I’ve been looking for something that just makes a small batch of rolls. With only 2 in the house we don’t need a whole tray full! I’ll be bookmarking this to make again - thanks!
Bella B
It was the perfect portion just for the 2 of us. I will be making these tasty homemade buns again.
Sara
First time making yeast rolls and I was so surprised by how well these came together. I had to dig through my drawers for the dough hooks for my electric mixer, but am so glad I found them because the dough came together perfectly with them. Will absolutely make this recipe again.
Shelby
I love all your tips to make these yeast rolls! It was my first time giving rolls a go and they turned out so soft!
Bobbi
hi,
just wondering...would these rolls turn out just as fluffy and tender if i used sourdough starter? if so, do you know how i would adjust this recipe? i actually havent even made my starter yet but im starting it today. i dont like keeping packaged yeast as it always goes bad on me...i just dont bake often enough...although if this recipe turns out as good as it sounds lol...that may change!!! thank you, i look forward to your reply.
Also, as another commenter stated, this is a perfect recipe for a single person, i live alone so 4 rolls at a time is perfect, if i need a larger batch that shouldnt be a problem...i really look forward to trying this recipe!!! 🙂
Bobbi
Lisa MarcAurele
You should be able to use a sourdough starter as the dough does have plenty of liquid. However, I haven't tested that myself.
God
keep your yeast in the refrigerator. it will keep a long time. take out only what your recipie calls for and bring up to room temp.
Lisa MarcAurele
Great tip. Thanks for sharing!
Estrellita
Thank you for recipe . I will make this on my Birthday. God Bless Have a great day❤️❤️❤️
Kathy Ferrell
can you just make the dough in a bread maker then roll and put in oven
Lisa MarcAurele
That should work, but we haven't tested it that way.
Mary Carson
your yeast rolls I'm going to give them a try they are similar like the ones I used to make and they was the best your recipe looks good and delicious and scrumptious 😋
Lisa MarcAurele
Hope they work out for you!
Peggy
you didn't tell how much of virgin oliva oil, flour, sugar, salt, Egg, warm water to put in the Recipe
Lisa MarcAurele
It's all in the recipe card box with a light gray background.
joyce
when you triple this recipe do you roll out in 12 balls or more and what size pan should you use? Thank you.
Lisa MarcAurele
I would use a 9x13-inch baking pan for a dozen rolls.
Subhashini Natarajan
This recipe came out pretty good. I thought that the hydration was pretty high in the beginning but as I continued kneading it, it turned out to be manageable and it came out as a very soft roll at the end.
Shelly Drymon
Perfect for the two of us and so easy!! Will definitely make again.
Rebecca
Hello,
What size pan do you recommend to bake the 4 rolls in? 6x6? From the positive comments, these should be a hit.
Lisa MarcAurele
The baking pan in the photo is a smaller casserole pan which is about 5x7-inch.
Rebecca
These were wonderful! This is my first attempt at making bread; I had to add quite a bit of flour. To be sure of the correct amount, would you be able to provide the weight of the flour in grams? I will definitely be making again. Thank you!
Lisa MarcAurele
It should be about 133g, but I can double-check the next time I make them.
Vaishali
Can I use hand mixer?
Lisa MarcAurele
A dough hook works best if you have it on your hand mixer. If you don't have that, I'd recommend kneading the dough by hand.
Linda
My dough stuck to everything, even after adding about a cup of additional flour. What a mess and what a waste. I ended up throwing dough away because I got tired of peeling it off my hands. (and yes I floured my hands between rolls.) I hope they taste good after all this. I knew 1 c. of flour would not be enough it was as thin as pancake mix.
Lisa MarcAurele
I can add a note to the recipe card. The dough should be only slightly sticky. If it is, you definitely need to add more flour (a little at a time) until it's only slightly sticky. I'll also add in the weight as volume measurements aren't the best for measuring.
Renee E Murphy
since finding this recipe, I use it 1 to 2 times a week. I double the recipe. Everybody loves these rolls. Very easy to make. I use a hand mixer that has a dough hook attachment.
Disapointed
The most disgusting recipe I’ve ever made. 1/3 cup of water?!? The dough was as dry as a powder house. An egg? Who uses an egg in yeast rolls. You need to take this recipe down!
Lisa MarcAurele
I'm sorry this recipe did not work out for you. I'll do more testing to see if the water or flour needs adjusting. It's important to note that volume measurement of flour can be off so I recommend starting with a cup and adding the rest slowly if needed. There are many yeast rolls that add egg. The egg makes the rolls lighter and fluffier.
Veritas
It sounds like you went ahead and added in all the flour at once. I suggest adding the extra flour using 1 tbsp increments until the dough becomes slightly sticky (which the recipe clearly stated).
Next time, I recommend reading through the instructions multiple times first so you minimize your chances of failing when you try a new recipe. This was a great recipe and the rolls turned out perfect on my end.
(BTW, it's "disappointed" with two Ps.)
Shannon Rigby
Ok the recipe was easy enough to follow and I decided to double my batch. We love home made bread! I have to admit that this is the very first time I have ever made my own bread dough. I bake everything else you can think of but I have been terrified to make my own. Also I kneaded my dough by hand. I may have over worked my dough a little and I was unsure if the yeast did its thing properly. But I just checked the rolls and they appear to be starting to rise! My fingers are crossed and I’m hoping they turn out. If not I will try again. I’m pretty sure with a little more practice I will get the hang of it! I’m so happy I found this simple small batch recipe!
Cheryl
Recipe worked great. I had to add a good bit of flour but they came out extra soft and fluffy. I brushed them with melted butter, garlic, salt and Italian seasoning to finish them off.
Kathleen Riggleman
Those rolls were the best and easiest I have ever made! I will definitely keep this recipe on my menus
Elaine
I'm been baking bread/rolls for 50 years and had never made a batch this small. Just saw this recipe and decided to give it a try. I made a few changes ~ replaced water with milk and oil with melted butter. I made them into 6 cloverleaf rolls baked on my aluminum muffin tin. Each roll was about 60 g each (3 small 20 g rolls). First rise was 1 hour in warm oven, and second ruse was about 50 minutes. Bakedcat 350° for 20 minutes. These are the best rolls I have EVER had!!
Cindy HANDY
used the amounts for doubling the recipe, but should have seen the high sugar amount as a red flag. Measurements are screwy and I ended up adding another cup of flour (doubling the recipe to make 8 rolls). It was still sticky, but didn't want to add more flour ~ so just put olive oil all over my hands and smoothed out the mounds as best as possible. I think the sugar should be 2 tsp too ~ NOT 2 TB!
Lisa MarcAurele
It's not the sugar, it's the flour. It's difficult to get the exact amount of flour by volume which is why the recipe states to add additional flour slowly until the dough is smooth and more workable.
DEBRA DARLENE BADGER
I followed the recipe as written and the rolls turned out fine. I wished I had used some herbs to give the rolls a better taste as opposed to the bland taste that I got.
I may make them again since they were very easy to make.
Shawn
Love this recipe. Perfect amount for 2 people. I use garlic olive oil in mine for perfect garlic roll. not sure why but I always need atleast an extra 1/4 cup if not more of flour but are always perfect soft and fluffy. Thank you for your recipe.
Lisa MarcAurele
I rewrote the ingredient list to include the extra flour and to add the additional a tablespoon at a time. I find that measuring the exact amount of flour by cups is quite difficult as weight is a lot more accurate.
Wendy Strickland
(help) it doesn't tell you how much flour, unless I'm over looking it.
Lisa MarcAurele
It's 1 cup plus an additional 1/4 (added in tablespoons) as needed.
Wendy
can someone tell me how much flour to use for this recipe?
Lisa MarcAurele
I follow the directions as listed on the recipe. I start with 1 cup of flour and then add additional (up to 1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons), one tablespoon at a time, until the dough "feels" right. It's usually an additional 3 tablespoons for me.