Cottage Cheese Dinner Rolls

Meet Your New Favorite Dinner Rolls

These cottage cheese dinner rolls are about to steal the show! ♡

If you’ve never baked with cottage cheese before, prepare to be pleasantly surprised. It adds such a lovely softness and richness to homemade rolls! These little guys bake up perfectly tender, lightly sweet, and irresistibly fluffy. Plus, the cottage cheese adds extra protein, with each roll clocking in around 7g — not bad!

Best of all, this dough is wonderfully easy to work with. No complicated steps, no fussy shaping — just mix, knead, rise, and roll. Whether you’re serving them for a weeknight dinner, a cozy holiday meal, or saving extras for slider buns (highly recommend!), these warm and buttery rolls are always a treat.

Let’s bake a batch!

Recipe Tips

Here are a few simple pointers to help your rolls turn out extra soft and delicious every time:

• Blend the cottage cheese completely smooth. This ensures the dough hydrates evenly and bakes up with that signature pillowy texture.
• Start with the lower amount of flour. Gradually add more only until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and feels tacky (not sticky).
• Let the dough rise somewhere warm. A slightly warm oven (turned off!) or a sunny countertop would be perfect.
• Try to keep the rolls the same size. No worries about being exactly precise, but do your best to try and cut the rolls into similarly-sized pieces. You can use a scale to help if you’d like.
• Brush with melted butter (or honey butter!) right away. It keeps the tops soft and gives them that bakery-style sheen. I love then sprinkling each roll with a pinch of flaky salt for extra flavor and crunch!

Recipe Variations

Feel free to have fun customizing this dough — it’s incredibly versatile!

• Garlic herb rolls: Add 1–2 teaspoons garlic powder and a tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs to the dough.
• Cheddar rolls: Add ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar to the dough.
• Everything bagel rolls: Sprinkle everything seasoning on top before baking.
• Cinnamon butter dinner rolls: Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the dough and brush warm rolls with cinnamon honey butter.

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Cottage Cheese Dinner Rolls

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• Author: Ali
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 2 hours 10 mins
• Yield: 12 servings 1x

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Ingredients

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• ¼ cup warm water (about 110°F)
  
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
  
• 1/2 cup whole milk
  
• 2 tablespoons honey
  
• 1 cup blended cottage cheese (2% milkfat; blend until completely smooth)
  
• 1 large egg, room temperature
  
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (one packet) instant yeast
  
• 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  
• extra melted butter, for brushing on top

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Instructions

1. Combine wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), whisk together the warm water, melted butter, milk, honey, blended cottage cheese, and egg until smooth and combined.
   
2. Add yeast and dry ingredients. Sprinkle in the instant yeast, 4¼ cups of the flour, and the salt. Mix with a dough hook (or wooden spoon) until a soft dough forms, adding more flour as needed until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky.
   
3. Knead and rise. Knead for 8–10 minutes by hand or mixer until the dough is soft and springy. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, 60–75 minutes.
   
4. Shape and proof. Punch down the dough and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll into balls and arrange in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Cover and let rise again for 25–35 minutes, until puffy and nearly doubled.
   
5. Bake. Bake at 375°F for 15–18 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on top and cooked through.
   
6. Finish. Brush warm rolls generously with melted butter. Sprinkle with flaky salt if desired, then serve and enjoy!

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