Why are my dinner rolls not light and fluffy?

Too much flour, or not the right kind, could be to blame . Dough made only from flour with a high or even average amount of protein (like bread flour or all-purpose flour) can become tough from overmixing. Protein gives bread structure in the form of gluten—the more you mix and move the dough, the more gluten you get.

How many ounces of dough for a dinner roll?

Divide the total weight by the number of rolls you need . For example, if you've got 24 ounces of dough and need 12 rolls, each piece should weigh 2 ounces.

Why did my dinner rolls come out heavy?

If you are measuring by cups, you may be packing the flour too dense and using too much . Also depending temperature in your home, you may just need to let them proof longer. Test the yeast. Active yeast takes longer to rise than instant dry.

Why are my homemade dinner rolls dry?

Either, you added too much flour or you possibly used all bread flour . Alternately, not giving your dinner rolls enough time to proof and get puffy before baking could yield dense rolls.

What ingredient makes bread light and fluffy?

Sugar : When yeast is mixed with sugar it consumes the sugar and produces carbon dioxide gas, which causes the bread dough to rise and become light and airy. Instant Yeast: Instant dry yeast can be added directly to the flour mixture without needing to be activated first.

What is the secret to soft buns?

Sugar – Sugar feeds the yeast and helps the bread rise faster. Egg – Additional fat content which makes these rolls soft and delicious. Butter – Room temperature butter is added in chunks to the dough. This is key for making soft, pillowy rolls.

Does letting bread rise longer make it fluffier?

Does Rising Bread Affect Its Texture? For a fluffy bread texture, the key is to let the bread rise long enough .

How do I make my bread more fluffy?

Add Sugar Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Can you over knead dinner rolls?

If your dough feels dense and tough to handle when you stop the mixer, it is a sign that it is becoming over-kneaded . Over-kneaded dough can become very hard to work with and produce a more flat and chewy bread.

How to keep homemade rolls soft?

Milk: For the softest dinner rolls, use whole milk . Any milk works but whole milk produces the best flavor and texture because it contains more fat. Flour: I prefer all-purpose flour for the softest dinner rolls but you can use bread flour as well for chewier rolls.

How do you know when homemade rolls are done?

Use a thermometer (I like the Thermapen) to assess the doneness of pan breads, freeform loaves, and soft rolls . A temperature of 190°F at the center will yield bread that's fully baked (soft and moist) but not over-baked (tough and dry).

Why is my homemade bread not light and fluffy?

Do Not Over-Knead Your Dough . The over-kneading dough is a common bread making mistake, which makes gluten too tight for bread to rise, resulting in chewy bread instead of fluffy. Kneading correctly is most important to strengthen the gluten and give your bread a perfect texture.

How do you make bread rolls less dense?

All it takes is a small amount of dough enhancer per loaf to create a much lighter and fluffier result. Using a dough enhancer like Vital Wheat Gluten works to improve the texture and elasticity of the dough and elongate the strands of gluten. Doing so allows more room for the gas in the dough to develop and rise.

Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe - Greedy Eats (2024)

Published May 15, 2019 Last Modified December 1, 2023 By GreedyEats

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You only need 6simple ingredients to create the most fluffy, buttery, tender and easy homemade dinner rolls Recipe!

Oh and if you adore sides you need to give these Readers' Favorite Cheddar Biscuits a go. Try my other Bread Recipes next!

Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe - Greedy Eats (1)

I am a sides loving person. I mean who can resist the comfort of warm and fresh from oven rolls! Our easy dinner roll recipe today easily outruns the main dishes on table.

Jump to:

Recipe ingredients
How to make these Bread rolls?
Can you knead the dough with hands?
Which Baking Pan to use?
How long do you knead yeast rolls?
What happens if you over knead dough?
More recipes you are sure to love:
Frequently Asked Questions:
Recipe

Buttery, soft and oh-so-puffy in the centers! Look for yourself.

Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe - Greedy Eats (2)

Does the thought of baking bread from scratch haunts you? Seems like you are about to feel super confident after baking these rolls.

Even if you are a beginner, you will manage them. These best homemade rolls are that easy. I guarantee!

Recipe ingredients

You will only require a few pantry staples to make these rolls. Lets have a look on what you will need to put these together-

Flour- I have used all purpose flour here. You can also use bread flour, it will produce chewier rolls because of more protein content in it.
Yeast- You can use Active dry yeast or rapid-rise/quick rise/instant yeast. If you opt for instant yeast/quick rise yeast, there is no need to prove yeast before. It can be directly mixed into dry ingredients.
Milk- Full fat milk works best in rolls and it creates a rich dough. I would not recommend substituting it with low fat milk.
Sugar- To lightly sweeten the rolls. It also feeds the yeast and increases its capacity to work.
Butter- To create soft, tender and flavor rich rolls, use unsalted butter. That way you get to control the amount of salt that goes in the dough. If you have salted butter on hands, reduce the amount of salt used in this recipe accordingly.

These are truly the simplest and super easy rolls. No mixer, few pantry ingredients, easy to follow steps. And you are rewarded with the most flavorful and texture rich rolls in under 2 hours!

Most of which is resting and baking time by the way! You will only be active for 20 min tops!

Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe - Greedy Eats (3)

How to make these Bread rolls?

There are three parts to todays recipe. First we make the dough. Second, we allow it to rise two times. Third part is baking the rolls. Lets see step by step instructions to accomplish this-

STEP 1. Let the yeast activate by adding it in warm milk and sugar. You can activate yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. Or in a regular mixing bowl, if you wish to knead the dough with hands. When using active dry yeast, you need to proof it first. If opting for an Instant yeast, you can directly mix it with all the ingredients. Instant or Quick rise yeast doesn't need proofing.
STEP 2. Make the dough. After the yeast gets foamy, add in melted butter, salt and flour. Add flour gradually, 1 cup at a time. Continue to whisk until all the dough gets in. You can also make use of a wooden spoon here. Now attach dough hook to the mixer and continue to knead the dough till it leaves sides of the bowl. Dough will be elastic and still be slightly sticky to the touch at this point.
STEP 3: Cover your dough and let it rise until double in volume. Grease the top surface of dough and cover the bowl with cling wrap. Allow the dough to rise. It should take about 1 1.2 -2 hours.
STEP 4: Shaping into Rolls. Grease a 9x13 inch pan with butter or you can spray the pan with cooking spray. Now gently punch the dough to deflate it. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts by eye balling it using a bench scraper/knife.To shape: Work with one dough ball at a time. Place the ball on work surface or in your hand. Now start pulling outer edges of the ball, up and towards the center of the ball, all the way around. Then pinch all the pulled edges together up in the center of ball. Flip and place the ball in prepared pan. Repeat till you are done shaping every roll.

Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe - Greedy Eats (4)

Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe - Greedy Eats (5)

STEP 5: Let the rolls rise. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place the rolls in a warm place to double again. This should take around 30-60 minutes. When the rolls have risen, egg wash/milk wash them. Bake till golden on top about 23-25 minutes in total or till they sound hollow when tapped.
STEP 6: Top baked rolls with melted butter: This will impart rolls a shiny surface and will soften the crust up beautifully as they cool down.

Can you knead the dough with hands?

Yes, absolutely@ Just Proof active dry yeast with warm milk and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add butter, salt and flour next. Mix them all in using a wooden spoon/your hands. Once it all comes together.

Invert the ingredients on to a working surface. Knead dough by pressing it with the heel of your hands in forward rolling motion. Collect the dough ball and repeat this steps a few times.

After about 8-10 minutes a soft and elastic dough will com together. Place in a greased bowl and allow it to rise.

Which Baking Pan to use?

If you want your rolls to have crust on all sides, use a glass pan. A light colored pan works best for soft and golden crust rolls. I had only dark colored ones available, so ended up baking these in a Chipotle lid! 😀

It worked so well! Love Mexican food and their lids. ;D Oh and also Tres Leches!

Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe - Greedy Eats (6)

How long do you knead yeast rolls?

About 8-10 minutes with hands. You can also make your dough in a stand mixer or even a food processor. Where in you would need to knead the dough for 3-4 minutes.

What happens if you over knead dough?

Because dough will develop unnecessary gluten, the outcome of your bread can by dry and not so fluffy on the inside. In case you over work the dough, let it rise and rest for a longer period of time. That way the extra developed gluten, gets some time to settle.

Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe - Greedy Eats (7)

Rolls need not be limited to dinner, enjoy them as breakfast, as a side. Or as slathered with some blueberry jam. Yum!

More recipes you are sure to love:

Small Monkey Bread Recipe

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do you make dinner rolls rise faster?

By using the WARM OVEN METHOD. Heat your oven at 350 deg F for 2 minutes and turn it off. Place your oven proof dough bowl (covered with a damp towel) in the oven and close it. The dough is sure to rise quickly this way!

How do you moisten dry rolls?

Soak a paper towel in water, squeeze out as much as possible and cover your roll in it tightly. Place it in microwave for 10 seconds.

How do you reheat rolls?

Rolls are best re-heated in oven. Place rolls on a baking dish/tray, cover it with a foil. Place some water in a ramekin along side the baking dish. Re-heat rolls in a 300 deg F pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes.

If you liked this recipe, give them a star review. Also, tell me in the comments- how did this turn out for you? And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog Are we friends on PinterestandFacebook yet?

Recipe

Homemade Dinner Rolls

You only need 6 simple ingredients to create the most fluffy, buttery, tender and super easy Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe!

4.88 from 25 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

▢ 1 ½ Cups Milk (full fat, warmed to about 110°F)
▢ 4 Tablespoons Sugar
▢ 1 Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast (I used Red Star)
▢ 6 Tablespoons Butter (unsalted, melted)
▢ 1 ½ teaspoons Salt
▢ 3 ½ - 4 Cups All purpose flour
▢ 1 Tablespoon Butter (for brushing on top)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

PROVING THE YEAST:

Mix warm milk, yeast and 2 tablespoons sugar in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Or in a regular mixing bowl, if you wish to knead the dough with hands. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy.

MAKING THE DOUGH:

Now add in melted butter, salt, remaining sugar and flour. Add 3 ¾ cups of flour gradually, 1 cup at a time. Continue to whisk until all the dough gets in. You can also make use of a wooden spoon here.
Next attach dough hook to the mixer and continue to knead the dough on speed 2 till it leaves sides of the bowl. Add the last ¼ cup of flour if you find the dough to be too sticky. This should take about 2-3 minutes. If you

FIRST RISE:

Coat the dough in some oil, also oil the sides of bowl. Cover it with a kitchen towel or foil and let it rise in a warm environment until double in size. This should take about 1- 1 ½ hours.
Grease a baking 9x13" pan or two 8-inches square/round pans and set them aside.

SHAPING THE ROLLS:

Punch the dough down after it is doubled. Divide the dough into 12-14 portions eyeballing it using a bench scraper/knife.
To shape: Work with one dough ball at a time. Place the ball on work surface or in your hand. Now start pulling outer edges of the ball, up and towards the center of the ball, all the way around. Then pinch all the pulled edges together up in the center of ball. Flip and place the ball in prepared pan. Repeat till you are done shaping every roll.

SECOND RISE:

Now cover the pan with a damp towel. Let the rolls rise again until double for about 30-45 minutes) in some place warm.

BAKING THE ROLLS:

When you notice your rolls have risen halfway, preheat your oven to 375°F. Bake the well risen rolls for 25-30 minutes or until they are golden on the outside and sound hollow when tapped on top with a spoon/spatula.
Remove the rolls from oven and brush with butter. Serve warm!

Notes

Storing and Freezing Instructions:

How do you store them overnight?

Cover leftover rolls in a foil and store in an air tight container at room temperature. Never store rolls in fridge as it will dry them out.

How to freeze Rolls?

Both baked/unbaked rolls can be frozen.

Baked rolls can be frozen in a plastic bag foiled individually for up to a month.
Unbaked rolls can be frozen after rolling individually. Place rolled balls in greased baking tray for 2-3 hours in freezer. Now you can store them in a freezer bag for 2 months.
When ready to bake, thaw and let them rise in baking pan and bake as directed above.

More Helpful Tips:

Which Yeast is best for Dinner Rolls?

Both Quick Rising and Active Dry Yeast work well for this recipe. If using Quick Rise Yeast, you do not need to prove it first. Just directly add it with all ingredients while making the dough.

Even active dry yeast can be added directly. The rising time of dough would be considerably more in that case.

How to make the dough rise quickly?

In Microwave: Place a damp kitchen towel/a bowl filled with water in microwave for a minute on high heat. Now remove the towel/glass and keep the dough covered in the warm microwave with door closed and allow it to rise.

In Oven: Preheat oven at 400 deg F for 2 minutes. Now turn the oven off and place dough (covered with a kitchen towel) in the oven and shut the door. Allow the dough to rise in this warm oven.

How do you unfreeze a baked roll?

You can thaw dinner rolls in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter top. Serve them after re-warming.

How do you reheat rolls?

Nutrition

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