Buttery Soft Rolls Recipes

SOFT DINNER ROLLS RECIPE

Steps:

• Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. *If you do not own a stand mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/rubber spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula is a better choice.*
• Add the remaining sugar, egg, butter, salt, and 1 cup flour. With a dough hook or paddle attachment, mix/beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add the remaining flour. Beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If the dough seems too wet to a point where kneading (next step) would be impossible, beat in more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until you have a workable dough, similar to the photos and video above. Dough should be soft and a little sticky, but still manageable to knead with lightly floured hands.
• Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 3 full minutes or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3 full minutes. (See video tutorial above if you need a visual of kneading dough by hand.)
• Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1-2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter. Takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
• Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan or two 9-inch square or round baking pans. You can also bake the rolls in a cast iron skillet or on a lined baking sheet.*
• When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Divide the dough into 14-16 equal pieces. (Just eyeball it- doesn't need to be perfect!) Shape each piece into a smooth ball. I do this entirely in my hands and you can watch in the video tutorial above. Arrange in prepared baking pan.
• Cover shaped rolls with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until puffy, about 1 hour.
• Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). (It's best to bake the rolls towards the bottom of the oven so the tops don't burn.)
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top, rotating the pan halfway through. If you notice the tops browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven, brush with optional honey butter topping, and allow rolls to cool for a few minutes before serving.
• Cover leftover rolls tightly and store at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

1-HOUR SOFT AND BUTTERY DINNER ROLLS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.
• 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.)
• 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 in 3 1/2 cups of flour (not all of the flour) and the salt.
• (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.
• Cover the bowl with a damp towel or paper towel, and let it rise briefly for 15 minutes.
• 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.
• Uncover and bake for 15 minutes, or until the rolls are lightly golden brown on top and cooked through.
• Transfer the baking dish to a wire cooling rack and brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter.
• Then serve warm and enjoy!

BUTTERY SOFT ROLLS

Steps:

• Put the milk (95-115 degrees Fahrenheit) and the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk. (If the yeast is not instant yeast, let it sit for 5 minutes to activate.)
• Add the sugar, eggs, salt, and flour. With a paddle attachment for your stand mixer, mix for a few seconds until just combined. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes.
• Switch the attachment to the dough hook and knead on medium speed for 10 minutes.
• Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled.
• Divide and roll dough into 15 balls. You may have more or less depending on the size you make the rolls.
• Place in a greased 9x13 pan. Cover and rise for 15-20 minutes.
• Bake at 375 for 13 to 16 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Serve warm.

GRANDMA RITA'S SOFT BUTTER ROLLS

Steps:

• Pour milk into a glass 2-cup measuring cup and heat in the microwave until it starts to boil and climb the sides, about 1 minute. Add butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt to the scalded milk; set aside to cool until it gets below 110 degrees F (45 degrees C).
• Dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water in a large bowl. Let stand until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 10 minutes.
• Pour milk mixture into the yeast mixture; add 2 cups bread flour and egg. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition, until the dough is smooth and a little tacky.
• Turn dough out onto a sheet of flour-dusted waxed paper and lightly knead to pull dough together; shape into a ball. Place dough in a large, lightly-oiled bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide dough into thirds. Break each third into six evenly sized balls and arrange onto prepared baking sheet. Cover balls with a towel to rise further for another 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in preheated oven until browned, about 15 minutes.