Soft Butter Rolls

How to Make Soft Butter Dinner Rolls

Why Use Instant Yeast?

This recipe utilizes a shortcut ingredient: instant yeast. It’s also sometimes called rapid-rise or quick-rise yeast. These types of yeast are specifically created to allow you to add the yeast directly into the mix with all of the ingredients without a need for proofing (aka the step where you combine the yeast with warm liquid for 5 minutes). You can buy my all-time favorite yeast here on Amazon.

Can I Use Active Dry Yeast Instead of Instant Yeast?

If you don’t have or can’t find instant yeast, you can easily use active dry yeast instead. Simply combine it with the warm liquid called for in the recipe and allow it to proof for 5 minutes before adding into the bowl with the other ingredients.

Top Tips for Fluffy, Soft Butter Dinner Rolls

• Avoid adding too much extra flour to the dough. The exact amount of flour you’ll need will depend on your kitchen environment and even the brand of flour you’re using. Things like humidity and altitude can affect your dough. You may not need all the flour called for in the recipe. You may need a little more. Add it in gradually, just until the dough comes together. Trust me, it’s better to have sticky dough than dense, dry rolls.
• Measure your flour correctly. I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale for accuracy, but if you don’t have one, be sure to use the spoon and level method to ensure you’re not accidentally compacting too much flour in your measuring cups. Learn more about that here.
• Don’t skip the sugar. There’s just a touch in these dinner rolls, to help make the Soft Butter Dinner Rolls tender, soft, and golden brown. Learn more about sugar’s role in baking here.

Can I Knead the Dough By Hand?

Yes! I call for a stand mixer to make easy work of kneading in this Soft Butter Dinner Rolls recipe, but you can also knead by hand. Be sure to knead the dough properly, until the dough is smooth and elastic, to get rolls that hold their shape and bake up nice and fluffy. Check out my full tutorial on how to knead dough here.

How to Tell When the Dough Has Risen Enough

1. After kneading, shape the dough into a ball. Place in a lightly oiled mixing bowl. I like to use glass so I can see how much it’s rising. The dough should be turned over to oil the top so that it doesn’t dry out.
2. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap, foil, or a clean towel.
3. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free location. Ideal rise temperatures are between 80°F and 90°F. Lower temperatures will require more rising time; higher temperatures will shorten the rise time.
4. The dough is done rising when it’s about doubled in size and passed the “ripe” test: gently stick two fingers in the risen dough up to the second knuckle and then take them out. If the finger marks remain, the dough is ready for shaping into balls. If not, cover and let the dough rise longer until it is.
5. The same finger test can be done again when the rolls are shaped and ready to bake.

What Pan Should I Bake Soft Butter Dinner Rolls in?

This recipe uses a 9×13-inch baking pan. I like to use a light-colored metal baking pan, like this one. If you use a glass or ceramic baking pan, you may need to increase the baking time, and your rolls may not get as golden brown – learn more about that here.

How to Stuff Dinner Rolls with BUTTER

1. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces. You can do this perfectly by weighing the mass of dough with a digital kitchen scale and then dividing that amount by 15.
2. Flatten one piece of dough with your hands and place a ball of the frozen butter on it.
3. Pinch and wrap the dough around the butter and seal completely by pinching firmly with your fingers.
4. Roll into a smooth ball.
5. Place shaped dinner roll in the prepared baking pan.
6. Repeat with the remaining dough. 
7. Lightly cover the dough with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise for 1 hour, or until about doubled in size. If some of the rolls show cracks or splits as they rise, don’t worry – they should still bake up just fine.

Do I Have to Egg Wash Dinner Rolls?

Yes! The egg wash brushed on top helps to create rolls that are golden brown in color and shiny in appearance. Don’t skip this step! 

How to Make Soft Butter Dinner Rolls Ahead of Time

For this Soft Butter Dinner Rolls recipe, here’s my recommended method:

1. Make the dough all the way through to rising once and shaping into rolls.
2. Once the rolls are stuffed with the butter mixture and shaped, cover the pan well with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
3. When ready to bake, bring to room temperature as the oven preheats before baking as the recipe directs.
4. If the rolls haven’t doubled in size yet, allow to sit at room temperature until they do. This may take a bit (60-90 minutes) but the exact length of time will depend on your kitchen environment, and how much the rolls rose before being refrigerated. 
5. The rolls are best served the day they’re baked. However, you can easily reheat the rolls briefly in the oven or toaster oven at 300°F until warmed through to refresh before serving.
6. If you need to prep these rolls further in advance, see the freezing instructions just below.