Fluffy, Buttery Dinner Rolls Recipe on Food52 (2024)

After you make them for the first time, these dinner rolls will be on your table again and again and again. They’re crusty and fluffy, with an incredible chewy texture.

I like to make a bigger batch and freeze the baked rolls for up to three months. If you’re juggling lots of other tasks for a holiday, you can make these in advance, thaw at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, and reheat in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for five to seven minutes.

A couple of notes on substitutes: You can use an all-purpose gluten-free flour as a one-to-one substitute for all-purpose wheat flour called for. You can also use rapid-rise yeast as a one-to-one substitute for active dry. Keep in mind, this will speed up the rising process. With rapid-rise, you can skip the step of waiting for the yeast to get frothy—just add the yeast with the flour and proceed with the recipe from step two.

With respect to the oil: You can use canola, vegetable, or grapeseed oil for this recipe. Or swap in whatever you have on hand—I had avocado oil, so that’s what I used.

Here’s a trick I like for proofing dough in a warm place: Cut the oven temperature to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, turn off, add the dough, then leave the door ajar so it’s not too hot. The perfect temperature to proof dough is 81 degrees Fahrenheit.

This recipe uses a stand mixer but, if you don’t have one, you can mix the dough this way instead: Start with a wooden spoon and, once you add the remaining 2 1/2 cups of flour, knead the dough by hand until a smooth dough ball forms, about eight to 10 minutes. At first, the dough will look like something has gone wrong, but keep kneading and it will smooth out.

If you like a softer crust, use an egg wash (two eggs plus two tablespoons of water, beaten together) instead of melted butter to brush on the rolls before baking.

If you want to break up the recipe, you can do the second proofing (step three) in the fridge overnight. Just cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

I like to serve these rolls with anything that has gravy or sauce, especially at holiday dinners. —Kenneth Temple

Directions

1. Stir together the water, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit until the mixture looks frothy, about 5 minutes. If your mixture does not look frothy your yeast is probably inactive and you should start again with new yeast.
2. Once the yeast mixture is frothy, stir in oil and egg. Add 3 cups of flour, and using the paddle attachment, mix on low for 1 minute, until mixture is well combined. Add the rest of the flour and mix for another minute, until dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Transfer the dough to another lightly greased bowl (this will help the dough to rise and not cling to any leftover scraps of dough in the mixing bowl), cover with a towel, and set in a warm spot for 1 hour, until the dough doubles in size.
4. Punch down the dough and weigh out to 2-ounce portions. (If you don’t have a scale, eyeball 16 portions of equal size). To shape a roll, use your thumb to make an indention in the center, then fold the dough inward until a ball forms. Repeat with the remaining dough portions.
5. Brush a sheet pan with melted butter, place rolls on the pan, and cover with a towel. Set in a warm spot for 30 minutes, until the rolls double in size, while you heat the oven to 400°F.
6. After the rolls finish their second proof, brush tops of rolls with melted butter and bake for 7 minutes, rotate, then continue baking for another 7 minutes. When ready, the rolls should be golden brown.