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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Rolls were raw after following directions
Oh no! I am not sure why that would have happened SJ. Maybe they didn’t rise quite enough. Was the area you were rising them in nice and warm?
Everything turned out great, BUT I feel like I did something wrong because the bread has an odd smell. Like not the smell of fresh bread. I used all brand new ingredients.. google said over fermentation from the yeast? Is it maybe the step where you wait for the yeast to bubble? What should it look like? I left mine for 6 min and it wasn’t bubbling persa it looked like water with expanded dough or something.
Besides the smell, they were fluffy and perfect!
Help!
Oh no, I am sorry to hear that, KJ! Did you use instant yeast or active dry yeast? If using instant yeast instead, it won’t bloom the same as active dry yeast. It also may be that your liquid was too hot to properly bloom the yeast. You can see in the video at the bottom of the recipe card what it looks like when we add in the eggs. I hope that helps!
Have made these many times, they always come out wonderful! Questions: can I use instant yeast instead of active?
Hi Nicole, we did recently test them with instant yeast and it worked just fine. The process does change a little (and does need the full rise time). We have updated the recipe notes to include this information. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
I love these rolls! I came across the recipe when I ran out of bread and didn’t want to go to the store, so glad I did. These are easy to make and so light and fluffy! delicious. I even like to eat them for breakfast, toasted with butter and jam and tea. what a treat. thank you
Can you help me? I love this recipe but the top part was perfectly browned and done, but the bottoms were moist and doughy and not done.
I used a glass 9 x 13 pan, did 400 in my oven for 12 minutes.
Then I put it back in the oven to try and get it fully done, but the tops ended up too brown so I flipped the rolls over and they look decent but pretty hard.
Do you think my oven has the wrong temperature? Was it due to using a glass pan?
Or some other thing?
Thank you!
It could have been the glass pan. If you run into this again I would cover the buns with foil halfway through which will help reduce the browning until they are cooked through.
I love these rolls! I came across the recipe when I ran out of bread and didn’t want to go to the store, so glad I did. These were easy to make and so light and fluffy! delicious. I even like to eat them for breakfast, toasted with butter and jam and tea. what a treat. thank you
Can you freeze these and cook them later? If so, how would that work?
I haven’t tried freezing the dough after forming rolls. But they do freeze well once baked!
Delicious! Kneaded by hand…
Will be making these a lot!
Made these for the very first time, kneaded by hand. So EASY!!!! They turned out perfect! They looked so beautiful when they came out of the oven…wish I could submit a picture.
SO GOOD!!! Amazing recipe – fast, easy, and delicious. this will now be my go to recipe for dinner rolls:)
These buns were so easy and quick to make . and were delicious. Will definitely make them again
This is my go to roll recipe. I’ve made them at least 40 times. I am planning an event but will not have access to an oven once I arrive. How much in advance can I make these rolls and still have them taste fresh?
These rolls are still great the next day so they should be fine if you want to bake them the day ahead or the morning off. Just make sure when transporting that they are cooled completely before you seal them in a bag or container.
My 4 year old and 6 year old want you to know they gives your recipe 5 stars. They were so good the boys almost forgave me for making soup. Almost.
LOL!! Sounds like mom-life, glad your family loved them.
These buns were so easy and quick to make . and were delicious. Will definitely make them again
Can you omit the egg? *allergies*
I have never tried, so I can’t say for sure. But other readers have used an egg replacement with good results. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Great recipe! I let them rise for an hour, they were perfect.
these did not turn out for me, ended up being sort of tasteless unless you count the yeasty flavour! probably user error
Excellent recipe as is. I didn’t have time for my usual dinner roll recipe so took a chance on this quick recipe. We were blown away. Thank you for a great pantry staple recipe.
I am so happy to hear you loved this recipe Keri!
These are seriously terrible. Proper buns should be made with bread flour and have two rises. I was intrigued enough by the simplicity to try it but do not recommend.
Hi Deb, these are intended to be a quick roll and not a traditional roll (however still delicious!). I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love them, thank you for trying it.
I have been baking my whole life. i have my grandmother’s recipe i use, but for a quick recipe, its my go too!! I think its great. I let them rise an extra half hour. they turn out perfect! and I make Chelsea buns with it too! Great recipe! I have learned over years ,sometimes its not the recipe, its the baker. :) keep up the good recipes!
Hello,
Can these be baked in a muffin pan?
If so for how long?
I haven’t tried these in a muffin pan so I can’t say for sure but it should be just a few minutes less than what the recipe states.
Ok, thank you.
I will try it.
Amazing. Easy to follow recipe. This was for first time I’ve made rolls and they came out perfect.