This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
My favorite 1-Hour Soft and Buttery Dinner Rolls recipe is easy to make by hand or with a stand mixer and absolutely heavenly served warm out of the oven.
Is there anything better than a freshly-baked pan of homemade dinner rolls?
Actually, yes — this easy dinner rolls recipe that can be ready to go in just one hour!
This recipe has been my go-to for years and always yields the most perfectly soft, fluffy, buttery rolls. But I especially love it because the ingredient list is simple, the rise times are minimal, and the dough can be easily made either by hand or with the help of a stand mixer. And everything can come together quickly in just an hour or so, which makes this recipe more do-able on busy weeknights when you’re craving some homemade bread, and also super-helpful on holidays when you’re trying to multi-task all the things.
Many of you have also asked about make-ahead options with this recipe over the years, so I have updated the post with instructions for how to make the bread dough in advance. And I have also included some fun variations if you would like to make your rolls more garlicky, herb-y, cheesy, or whatever other add-ins sound fun.
Bottom line, this dinner rolls recipe is a keeper and never lets me down. So if you are looking for a good one to add to your repertoire, bookmark this one and give it a try!
1-Hour Dinner Rolls Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Homemade Dinner Rolls Ingredients:
Before we get to the full recipe below, here are a few notes about the ingredients that you will need to make this homemade dinner rolls recipe:
Water and milk: These will serve as our base liquids for the bread dough. I used dairy milk, but you are welcome to sub in a plain plant-based milk (such as oat milk or almond milk) instead.
Melted butter: Which we will both bake into the rolls and brush on top.
Honey: To add just a hint of sweetness.
Active dry yeast: This recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of yeast. So if you are purchasing your yeast in 0.25-ounce packets, you will need slightly more than one packet.
Flour: I have only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour. But if you try out different flours, please let us know how it goes in the comment section below!
Salt: Which we will mix into the rolls to bring out all of those delicious buttery flavors. Feel free to sprinkle a bit of flaky salt on top of the warm rolls just before serving too!
Tips For How To Make Dinner Rolls:
The full recipe is included below for how to make these dinner rolls, but here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind too:
Be sure that your yeast has not expired. This is one of the most common reasons for why a batch of bread dough does not rise. Double-check the expiration date on any yeast that may be hanging out in your pantry. And if the yeast does not begin to puff and bubble up after 5 minutes once it has been added to the wet ingredients, toss out the batch and start over with new yeast.
Double-check the temperature of the liquid ingredients. When heating the liquid ingredients (water, melted butter, milk and honey), it’s essential that they be within the temperature range of 100-110°F. If the mixture is too hot, it can kill the yeast. If it is too cool, the yeast may not activate. The mixture should feel warm and not hot to the touch, but I always recommend testing the mixture with a cooking thermometer just to be sure.
Don’t skip the rise times. They are essential to helping the dough rise and create that soft and fluffy texture we’re going for.
No worries about perfection. When portioning the dough into 12 rolls, don’t worry about them all being perfectly equal in size. They will all bake up together in the pan, and if some are slightly larger or smaller, hakuna matata. :)
Possible Recipe Variations:
Here are a few other possible variations that you could make to this dinner rolls recipe:
Make-ahead option: For make-ahead dinner rolls, follow the recipe through the step that you shape the individual rolls and place them in the baking dish. Then tightly cover the baking dish and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Transfer the dish to the counter and let it warm up to room temperature for 2 hours before baking, and then bake as directed.
Make it vegan: Use plant-based milk and butter and your preferred sweetener in place of honey.
Add garlic: Add in 1 teaspoon of garlic powder to the bread dough to make the rolls more garlicky, and/or you could also simmer some minced garlic with butter to brush on top of the rolls after baking.
Add herbs: Add in 1 to 2 tablespoons of finely-chopped fresh herbs (such as rosemary or parsley) to the bread dough to add flavor to the rolls, and/or you could also mix some fresh herbs in with the melted butter to brush on top of the rolls after baking.
Add cheese: You can also mix in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of freshly-grated cheddar cheese to make cheesy rolls. (Or I also love mixing in some freshly-grated Parmesan, and then sprinkling some on top of the rolls during the final 5 minutes of baking.)
More Favorite Bread Recipes:
Looking for more easy bread recipes to add to your repertoire? Here are a few of my faves…
My favorite 1-Hour Soft and Buttery Dinner Rolls recipe is easy to make by hand or with a stand mixer and absolutely heavenly served warm out of the oven.
Prep your oven and baking dish. Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.
Heat the liquids. In a microwave-safe bowl (or saucepan, see below), stir together the water and melted butter, then add in the milk and honey and stir until combined. Microwave the mixture for 1 minute and give it a stir. Continue microwaving the mixture in 15 second intervals, until it reaches 110°F. It will be warm but not hot to the touch. (*Alternately, you can heat the mixture over medium-low heat in a saucepan until it reaches 110°F.)
Add yeast. Pour the liquid mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast evenly on top, give it a quick stir with a fork to combine, and let the yeast activate for 5 minutes until it is foamy.
Add dry ingredients. Add in 3 1/2 cups of flour (not all of the flour) and the salt.
Mix. (See alternate instructions in the notes below for how to knead the dough by hand.) Use the dough-hook to mix in the dry ingredients on medium-low speed until combined. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add in 1/4 cup more flour at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is only slightly sticky to the touch. (Only use up to 4 cups of flour total.) Continue mixing on low speed for 4-5 minutes until the dough is smooth. Then form the dough into a ball with your hands and transfer it to a greased bowl.
Let the dough rise. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or paper towel, and let it rise briefly for 15 minutes.
Form the rolls. Gently punch the dough down and divide into 15 equal-sized pieces. Form each piece into a ball and place the dough balls in the greased baking dish. Cover the dish again with a damp towel or paper towel and let the dough balls rise for an additional 15-20 minutes.
Bake. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes, or until the rolls are lightly golden brown on top and cooked through.
Brush with more butter. Transfer the baking dish to a wire cooling rack and brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter.
Yeast: I typically purchase my yeast in bulk. But if you are using the 0.25-ounce packets, they each contain 2.25 teaspoons of yeast. So you will need slightly more than one packet to yield 1 tablespoon.
How to knead the dough by hand: If you do not have a stand mixer, no prob! For step 5 (mixing the dough), simply stir the dry ingredients into the dough as much as possible. Then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth, adding up to 1/4 cup of extra flour if the dough is too sticky.
Tried this today. Its a keeper. I was looking for roll recipe without egg. Was light and fluffy so soft. I wasnt real sure I could pull it off, couldn’t find my dough hook. But it worked fine with gentle kneading. :VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. The step by step directions were great.
Tried this today. Its a keeper. I was looking for roll recipe without egg. Was light and fluffy so soft. I wasnt real sure I could pull it off, couldn’t find my dough hook. But it worked fine with gentle kneading. :VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. The step by step directions were great.
Easy, fast dinner roll with great light texture and nice flavor that can go with many type meals.
In fact, I like the ease so much and the flavor is so versatile I decided to use this recipe as a base for making cinnamon rolls. Now I can make cinnamon rolls in around an hour!! Thank you!! You just made my life a little sweeter. : )
Nini —
Suzy…how did you do your cinnamon rolls? Great idea, by the way! Thanks in advance!
Suzy —
Hi Nini,
Just a note-Ali has 1 hour cinnamon rolls on this website, but I believe she used an egg in the dough. Here’s what I did:
Combine 1/2 cup sugar & 2 T cinnamon in a small bowl & set aside.
After the first 15 minute rise, INSTEAD of rolling into 15 rolls, roll out into a 20×10 inch rectangle. Top with 1/4 cup melted butter. Sprinkle sugar/cinnamon mixture over that. (It’s a lot-but so good). Starting with the longer side, roll dough into a tight cylinder. Then using a serrated knife (or dental floss) slice 12 equal rounds. Place rounds, cut side down, in prepared baking dish. (There May be space between rounds) Brush tips of rolls with 1 T melted butter. Then rise another 15-20. Bake for about 15 minutes or golden.
I topped with a cream cheese/powdered sugar icing. That’s it! Hope this helps.
My dough was very sticky, but again I live in the South. Not a fan of “sweet” bread but it’s not bad with the honey; may try without it next batch. Loved how easy and precise the instructions were (my late husband was the bread maker but he didn’t have anything written down)!
Andrea —
So GOOD!! So easy and quick! I don’t have a mixer so I had to do by hand but they came put beautifully and so tasty and fluffy! I brushed mine with some honey butter and ooh this recipe is added to my go to collection of recipes!!
I found this recipe tonight and decided to try it to go with dinner. The process was easy and these were amazing! They came out soft and buttery, the perfect texture. My daughter in law thought I got them from a bakery, that’s how impressive these are. Thanks!
Quick question, is this using regular yeast or quick yeast? New to the whole yeast thing :)
Thank you!
Jess —
Instant yeast and use warm water and warm milk, they dont say here to but it’s important that everything be warm to activate the yeast. I use a candy thermometer or meat thermometer to get it to 110-115° nothing higher than 120° or it will kill the yeast. While it is instant yeast it still has to be activated! Sugar and warmth are oh so important in the bread making process. Hope this helps.
Jess —
Apologies they do in fact say in the directions to use warm water. Oopsies! But instant yeast would be best in this recipe still.
Made these buns for Thanksgiving and everybody was raving about them – they said they were better than our local bakery’s buns! They were gone within the first helping. Thank you for the recipe!
I was looking for an easy recipe when I found your website and was finally able to use my dough hook for these addictively light and fluffy buns. So very impressed although I was a bit hesitant as I haven’t made buns in many years. The video came in handy to help me determine the approximate texture of the dough – I added an extra 1/4 cup of flour after the original 3 cups. This is now my go-to and plan on making them often as well as planning on making cinnamon buns. I had one while it was still warm and was only able to refrain from more as we just had lunch. I kept them in the oven for an extra 5 minutes to brown the tops a bit more. Next time, I might skip the honey as others have posted. Thank you for a recipe that was easy enough to get me to use the yeast I found during the great shortage of 2020!
Savannah Driedger —
Do these need to be put in a 9×13″ pan? Or can they be formed and placed on a baking sheet spread apart? I don’t want pull apart buns, wondering if this recipe would hold it’s shape.
I’ve made these buns twice now and WOW. So soft, fluffy, and the perfect flavour. I needed 4 cups of flour plus an additional 1/4 or 1/2 cup to make the dough come together properly (I live in Ontario, Canada so not very humid here). I do find the dough is very soft/a bit sticky after it’s done the first rise, and both times my dough balls have looked more wet than the sample video. But, they’ve turned out perfect both times so I think it’s just the kind of dough (I also kneaded by hand the second time; first time I kneaded in the mixer then finished by hand). I cooked them at 375 as I use a glass dish and they take a bit longer than 15 minutes and are the perfect golden brown. This recipe is a keeper!
These came out great! Not as sweet as I prefer but still good. Have one question though… In the ingredient list it calls for 2 tbsp melted butter so I melted my butter in a liquid measuring cup and then added the other liquids. Now in step two it makes it sound like you didn’t have to melt the butter beforehand, that if you just put the solid butter in with the rest of the liquids and then microwave it it will be fine? Does it make a difference?
Donna —
it does say to put water and the MELTED BUTTER into the measuring cup. This is a recipe that I will try.
I’m looking for a yeast-raised eggless bread recipe with oat flour in the flour that you presented 1-2 years ago. I was going to make that today but noticed the recipe is gone. How to find it?
Really delicious and very soft! I would not have believed that you could have yeast rolls in such a short period of time but it worked! A Definite keeper!
Can you make these ahead of time and refrigerate? I want to make them for thanksgiving but I was thinking about forming them the day before and baking fresh the day of.
Looking forward to trying this! I’ll bet this recipe freezes well too. When I plan Thanksgiving, rolls are always on the bottom of my list (hello Pillsbury crescent rolls!) but maybe this year I’m going to commit to making some of these homemade beauties!
Up to you — the honey is extremely subtle here, so it would still probably make for a delicious savory and slightly sweet combo. But you are welcome to omit it entirely if you’d like.
Had these with dinner last night. They were terrific. We brushed them with garlic butter when they came out of the oven. We’ll definitely have these in our rotation. Thanks!
Thanks. Looks pretty simple. Just the stuff i like to make… Quik. Simple. No FUSS. wow sure to enjoy when i do make it. Just to add.. i like those extra ingredients which i can add… Like cheese, parsley etc. ?
I have made this recipe so many times that I know it by heart and can whip it up so easily. My kids love these rolls so much, they ask for them several times a week and I’m happy to comply. Super yummy, easy recipe
This is a simple and tasty recipe. Being new to this baking obsession, I’ve been trying to master the dinner roll. This recipe has led me to success. A+
These soft, fluffy rolls have become a family favorite and so easy to make! I’ve made these many times and they are always a hit! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Thank you! I decided to add homemade dinner rolls to my Thanksgiving menu. I have never made any yeast bread and I don’t have a stand mixer. I made these as a trial run today and they turned out perfectly! My family loved it and I will be making 2 batches of these rolls on Thursday for Thanksgiving! Thank you sharing and having such thorough directions for kneading by hand!
If I want to make these one day and refrigerate overnight, should I go through the 2nd rise in the pan, then stick them in the fridge? Or put them in the fridge without doing the 2nd rise, and assume the 2nd rise will happen when I pull them out of the fridge and let them come to room temp before baking the next day?
I always read through every comment before trying a new recipe. I just made this for the first time, and it is BY FAR the best, fastest, and easiest roll recipe I have ever made. And I have made so many different roll recipes. I have never left a comment on a blog before, but this recipe is such a keeper that I had to let others know. It works well since I now I have to find no-egg recipes too! This will be made at every family gathering from now on! :)
I buy yeast in bulk and keep it in the freezer, it has never gone bad. Roll the pkg up so it is airtight. I then keep a small jar in the fridge and refill when empty.
Would love to try these. If I don’t have a microwave- can I just heat those ingredients in a small pot on stove? Never owned a microwave and am not planning on getting one. Thanks!
Tried this today. Its a keeper. I was looking for roll recipe without egg. Was light and fluffy so soft. I wasnt real sure I could pull it off, couldn’t find my dough hook. But it worked fine with gentle kneading. :VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. The step by step directions were great.
Tried this today. Its a keeper. I was looking for roll recipe without egg. Was light and fluffy so soft. I wasnt real sure I could pull it off, couldn’t find my dough hook. But it worked fine with gentle kneading. :VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. The step by step directions were great.
Easy, fast dinner roll with great light texture and nice flavor that can go with many type meals.
In fact, I like the ease so much and the flavor is so versatile I decided to use this recipe as a base for making cinnamon rolls. Now I can make cinnamon rolls in around an hour!! Thank you!! You just made my life a little sweeter. : )
Suzy…how did you do your cinnamon rolls? Great idea, by the way! Thanks in advance!
Hi Nini,
Just a note-Ali has 1 hour cinnamon rolls on this website, but I believe she used an egg in the dough. Here’s what I did:
Combine 1/2 cup sugar & 2 T cinnamon in a small bowl & set aside.
After the first 15 minute rise, INSTEAD of rolling into 15 rolls, roll out into a 20×10 inch rectangle. Top with 1/4 cup melted butter. Sprinkle sugar/cinnamon mixture over that. (It’s a lot-but so good). Starting with the longer side, roll dough into a tight cylinder. Then using a serrated knife (or dental floss) slice 12 equal rounds. Place rounds, cut side down, in prepared baking dish. (There May be space between rounds) Brush tips of rolls with 1 T melted butter. Then rise another 15-20. Bake for about 15 minutes or golden.
I topped with a cream cheese/powdered sugar icing. That’s it! Hope this helps.
This recipe is amazing and a life saver. Goes great with chili so easy to make!
My dough was very sticky, but again I live in the South. Not a fan of “sweet” bread but it’s not bad with the honey; may try without it next batch. Loved how easy and precise the instructions were (my late husband was the bread maker but he didn’t have anything written down)!
So GOOD!! So easy and quick! I don’t have a mixer so I had to do by hand but they came put beautifully and so tasty and fluffy! I brushed mine with some honey butter and ooh this recipe is added to my go to collection of recipes!!
I found this recipe tonight and decided to try it to go with dinner. The process was easy and these were amazing! They came out soft and buttery, the perfect texture. My daughter in law thought I got them from a bakery, that’s how impressive these are. Thanks!
Quick question, is this using regular yeast or quick yeast? New to the whole yeast thing :)
Thank you!
Instant yeast and use warm water and warm milk, they dont say here to but it’s important that everything be warm to activate the yeast. I use a candy thermometer or meat thermometer to get it to 110-115° nothing higher than 120° or it will kill the yeast. While it is instant yeast it still has to be activated! Sugar and warmth are oh so important in the bread making process. Hope this helps.
Apologies they do in fact say in the directions to use warm water. Oopsies! But instant yeast would be best in this recipe still.
Made these tonight. They turned out great! I did only use one packet of the active dry yeast, and it worked perfectly.
Made these buns for Thanksgiving and everybody was raving about them – they said they were better than our local bakery’s buns! They were gone within the first helping. Thank you for the recipe!
Hello,
These rolls look scrumptious! I do not have a mixer with a dough hook, can I still make these?
Sincerely,
Lynne
I made it today, turned out great, first time at making yeast rolls,main thing is the temperature of your liquids, not to hot or cold!
Excellent easy quick buns!! I made them to go with turkey soup and they were perfect!
My kids went nuts. They are great. thanks!
I was looking for an easy recipe when I found your website and was finally able to use my dough hook for these addictively light and fluffy buns. So very impressed although I was a bit hesitant as I haven’t made buns in many years. The video came in handy to help me determine the approximate texture of the dough – I added an extra 1/4 cup of flour after the original 3 cups. This is now my go-to and plan on making them often as well as planning on making cinnamon buns. I had one while it was still warm and was only able to refrain from more as we just had lunch. I kept them in the oven for an extra 5 minutes to brown the tops a bit more. Next time, I might skip the honey as others have posted. Thank you for a recipe that was easy enough to get me to use the yeast I found during the great shortage of 2020!
Do these need to be put in a 9×13″ pan? Or can they be formed and placed on a baking sheet spread apart? I don’t want pull apart buns, wondering if this recipe would hold it’s shape.
I’ve made these buns twice now and WOW. So soft, fluffy, and the perfect flavour. I needed 4 cups of flour plus an additional 1/4 or 1/2 cup to make the dough come together properly (I live in Ontario, Canada so not very humid here). I do find the dough is very soft/a bit sticky after it’s done the first rise, and both times my dough balls have looked more wet than the sample video. But, they’ve turned out perfect both times so I think it’s just the kind of dough (I also kneaded by hand the second time; first time I kneaded in the mixer then finished by hand). I cooked them at 375 as I use a glass dish and they take a bit longer than 15 minutes and are the perfect golden brown. This recipe is a keeper!
Can I bake these in advance for thanksgiving. How long will they keep if not baked?? Thanks Helena
These came out great! Not as sweet as I prefer but still good. Have one question though… In the ingredient list it calls for 2 tbsp melted butter so I melted my butter in a liquid measuring cup and then added the other liquids. Now in step two it makes it sound like you didn’t have to melt the butter beforehand, that if you just put the solid butter in with the rest of the liquids and then microwave it it will be fine? Does it make a difference?
it does say to put water and the MELTED BUTTER into the measuring cup. This is a recipe that I will try.
I’m looking for a yeast-raised eggless bread recipe with oat flour in the flour that you presented 1-2 years ago. I was going to make that today but noticed the recipe is gone. How to find it?
I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’ve ever had a recipe like that on Gimme Some Oven. Perhaps another site?
I don’t ha e a stand mixer. Is there an alternative?
I always hand knead and it works great
How much is the dough supposed to rise?
Really delicious and very soft! I would not have believed that you could have yeast rolls in such a short period of time but it worked! A Definite keeper!
Can you make these ahead of time and refrigerate? I want to make them for thanksgiving but I was thinking about forming them the day before and baking fresh the day of.
Everyone was making sourdough during the pandemic. Any good sourdough recipes? LOL
Looking forward to trying this! I’ll bet this recipe freezes well too. When I plan Thanksgiving, rolls are always on the bottom of my list (hello Pillsbury crescent rolls!) but maybe this year I’m going to commit to making some of these homemade beauties!
Super quick recipe! Love how soft and fluffy they are. Will definitely make often. Thank you for another great recipe!
If you add garlic salt or cheese to the rolls should you eliminate the honey?
Up to you — the honey is extremely subtle here, so it would still probably make for a delicious savory and slightly sweet combo. But you are welcome to omit it entirely if you’d like.
Had these with dinner last night. They were terrific. We brushed them with garlic butter when they came out of the oven. We’ll definitely have these in our rotation. Thanks!
Thanks. Looks pretty simple. Just the stuff i like to make… Quik. Simple. No FUSS. wow sure to enjoy when i do make it. Just to add.. i like those extra ingredients which i can add… Like cheese, parsley etc. ?
Wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe. They turned out perfectly!
Can I freeze these after they cool?
Do you think this would work in a bread maker? I just started using mine again and it seems like it would. What do you think?
Can these be frozen? Can I bake them in tin pans?
The rolls turned out fantastic! I’ll be making this again and again. Thanks!!
OOOH This looks amazing! how can I make this recipe replacing the yeast with sourdough starter? I know that it will add much more time though!
I LOVE this topic you made about the bloggers bucket list. Very ingenious.
for online meat delivery, visit https://www.beckandbulow.com/
I have made this recipe so many times that I know it by heart and can whip it up so easily. My kids love these rolls so much, they ask for them several times a week and I’m happy to comply. Super yummy, easy recipe
This is a simple and tasty recipe. Being new to this baking obsession, I’ve been trying to master the dinner roll. This recipe has led me to success. A+
Do you use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe?
Does this require instant dry yeast?
These soft, fluffy rolls have become a family favorite and so easy to make! I’ve made these many times and they are always a hit! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Would this be okay with bread flour instead of AP?
Can you use sugar in place of honey
Sure!
Thank you! I decided to add homemade dinner rolls to my Thanksgiving menu. I have never made any yeast bread and I don’t have a stand mixer. I made these as a trial run today and they turned out perfectly! My family loved it and I will be making 2 batches of these rolls on Thursday for Thanksgiving! Thank you sharing and having such thorough directions for kneading by hand!
Could you make these without the milk, replacing it with more water? I just don’t have any on hand and can’t get any today!
Sure, all water will work!
Has anyone used bread flour?
I haven’t tested it using bread flour, so unfortunately cannot say for sure.
Can I use bread flour to make these?
If I want to make these one day and refrigerate overnight, should I go through the 2nd rise in the pan, then stick them in the fridge? Or put them in the fridge without doing the 2nd rise, and assume the 2nd rise will happen when I pull them out of the fridge and let them come to room temp before baking the next day?
I always read through every comment before trying a new recipe. I just made this for the first time, and it is BY FAR the best, fastest, and easiest roll recipe I have ever made. And I have made so many different roll recipes. I have never left a comment on a blog before, but this recipe is such a keeper that I had to let others know. It works well since I now I have to find no-egg recipes too! This will be made at every family gathering from now on! :)
I buy yeast in bulk and keep it in the freezer, it has never gone bad. Roll the pkg up so it is airtight. I then keep a small jar in the fridge and refill when empty.
Would love to try these. If I don’t have a microwave- can I just heat those ingredients in a small pot on stove? Never owned a microwave and am not planning on getting one. Thanks!
Sure thing, that works great too!