So incredibly easy to make and wonderfully delicious, these 30-Minute Dinner Rolls are the perfect addition to any meal!
There is truly no smell as amazing as fresh warm bread or rolls coming out of the oven! I remember coming home from school to the smell of freshly baked buns or bread, ready and waiting as the perfect after school snack! To this day when I smell fresh baking, I am immediately transported to that happy time and place of my childhood.
Fast forward to today with busy work schedules, running to kids activities and trying to simply keep up with life, it is difficult to put together a meal – let alone add on the extras!
This 30-Minute Dinner Roll recipe is wonderful because it is truly so easy to prepare, the buns take a short time to rise and the result is such a delicious treat that it is worth the extra effort! What a great side to enjoy with a hot and tasty bowl of soup or chili!
I love the convenience of buying dinner rolls from the store and the quality is very nice. In most cases however, store bought items have additives or preservatives in order to keep a longer shelf life. Making these homemade dinner rolls from scratch ensures that nothing is added except wholesome goodness! And these tasty little buns never last long enough to have to worry about shelf life!
If you are lucky enough to have any left over the next day, they do stay fresh and are so wonderful served with butter and jam in the morning! I love to enjoy this special treat with my morning coffee – it is comfort food at it’s best!
Our sense of smell is one of the most highly acute of all our senses and tends to influence our mood. It is no small wonder that when we smell freshly baked dinner rolls, it makes us feel happy and excited in anticipation of these tender, tasty treats!
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour I use closer to 3
- ⅛ cup milk room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400*F.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup water, oil, sugar, and yeast. Let sit until yeast is bubbly (about 8 minutes). Stir in beaten egg, softened butter, and salt.
- With a stand mixer or by hand, add flour, one cup at a time until you have a soft dough that isn’t sticky. Knead by hand 10 minutes or 5 minutes with a stand mixer.
- Divide dough into 18 even pieces, and form into balls. Place in a greased pan and cover with parchment paper and a kitchen towel.
- Let rise 10 minutes in a warm place. (You can allow them to rise up to an additional 30 minutes if time allows).
- Lightly brush with milk and bake on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes or just until browned.
Video
Notes
- Combine 2 cups of flour with 2 packets of instant yeast (about 4½ teaspoons), sugar, and salt in a large bowl or stand mixer.
- In a large measuring cup, whisk together warm water, vegetable oil, melted butter, and egg. Add to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Add the remaining 1 to 2 cups of flour, half a cup at a time, until you have a soft dough that isn’t sticky (you may not need all of it). Knead by hand for 10 minutes or 5 minutes with a stand mixer.
- Form dough into balls. Place in a greased pan and cover with parchment paper and a kitchen towel. Let rise for 30-40 minutes or until dough is double in size.
- Brush tops with milk and bake as directed.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
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Whether it’s a special occasion or you simply want a delicious addition to your weeknight meal, 30-Minute Dinner Rolls are perfect! Absolutely delicate, delicious and simple to make, you will want to bake them often. And your family will ask for them even more!
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Quick and delicious! Thank you!
What if I don’t have the milk to brush on rolls can I use a substitute?
You can skip the milk or brush the rolls with an egg wash by whisking 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water.
Recipe cause for 1/8 milk and I don’t see any mention of milk in the instructions. What am I missing?
The milk is brushed over the rolls in step 6.
My family LOVES these rolls. They are so fluffy and delicious..they never last long in our house.
That said, has anyone tried making them without the egg? What’s the outcome like? I just found out my baby is allergic to eggs so hoping to still make these, but modified.
I haven’t tried these with eggs but I have seen this egg replacement in the refrigerator section which may work. I hope that helps!
For the egg replacement, I used aquafava – the liquid that you drain off from no salt added can of chickpeas, about 1/4 cup for 1 egg. It worked fine in this recipe
Thank you for sharing, great tip!
they were very easy to prepare, dough was a little sticky at first but I got it under control. I baked for 14 mins. still a little doughy. my son in-law will love them.
Love these. I was looking for something very last minute and came across this recipe. I used 3 and 1/2 Cups of four and let them raise for over an hour – they rose to fill the entire 9X13 pan – resembling Parker Rolls. These will be my go dinner rolls.
Great quick recipe. Fresh batch hot out of the oven and batch two about ready to bake. I prefer to use bread flour as I tend to get the dough a little stiff using ap flour.
Thank you.
I only used 3 cups of flour but my dough came out stiff and my rolls were not edible. I wondered about the yeast amount. Should it be 2 teaspoons instead of tablespoons? Other roll recipes call for just one yeast packet, which is just a little under one tablespoon.
2 tablespoons is correct, the extra yeast helps with the quick rise. Did you measure your flour by spooning it into the measuring cup (instead of scooping it from the container)?
can I use this recipe for bread? I have a problem with getting anything to rise but they were beautiful, I was more than impressed with myself.
Hi Susan, I have never tried turning this recipe into bread but I would love to hear how it turns out for you! Other readers have had success though.
I made this recipe. The rolls came out doughy, and more like biscuits than dinner rolls. What do you think I did wrong?
If they were doughy, they may have been underbaked or perhaps your easy was not longer good. Did your yeast bubble nicely in step 2?
Is it okay to use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
Yes, olive oil will work well in this recipe.
Why would the bottom brown but the top did not?
Did you bake them in a dark pan or non-stick pan? Both can cause more browning. I would suggest baking them in the center of the oven. To encourage browning on top, you can brush the rolls with an egg wash or milk before baking. Hope that helps.
great recipe
they are also amazing fresh out of the oven with jam…
easy recipe to follow, I’ve made in the past and don’t remember them coming out how they did for this years Thanksgiving.
They were very dense. I did let rise over an hour. .. timing of the turkey pushed back the rolls
would this be the reason they were not fluffy? help!
Oh no Heather, how disappointing. A longer rise time should not have caused them to be dense. Did you check that your yeast was still good?
Question: Can the dough be refrigerated overnight?
I haven’t tried refrigerating overnight, however other readers have successfully refrigerated them overnight. Let us know how it goes!
Thank you for the easy to follow recipe but I need some advise please.
I baked the buns for 12 mins at 375… the tops were dark brown but the buns weren’t done yet. What should I do?
Hi Leigh-Anne. Tent the baking pan with foil if it appears the tops of the rolls are browning too quickly. I hope that helps.
So light and fluffy!!
I made these for Thanksgiving. While they look absolutely beautiful they are very crumbly. They fell apart as we tried to butter them. I didn’t have any active dry yeast so I substituted with what I had on hand, quick rise. Could this have been the reason for the crumbling?
Oh no! I am sorry to hear that. I am glad you still enjoyed them. It definitely could have been the yeast you used. For this recipe we use active dry yeast for best results.
This recipe is outstanding!! I forgot to make my usual dough yesterday and looked up a fast roll recipe. I was not disappointed. Very easy and fast to make. Little rise time. Turned out light and fluffy with a delicious flavor.