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Breads & Baking

Homemade Dinner Rolls

Soft, buttery, classic pull-apart rolls made with a bread machine dough cycle. The bread machine handles the mixing, kneading, and first rise, then the dough is shaped by hand for classic pull-apart dinner rolls.

Dough cycle • Rise: 30–60 minutes • Bake: 20–25 minutes15 rollsJump to Recipe
Finished pan of homemade dinner rolls with a roll pulled apart to reveal the fluffy interior.

Make the Dough

Add ingredients to the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the Dough cycle and allow it to complete, including the first rise.

Bread machine and dinner roll ingredients arranged on the kitchen counter.
Gather the ingredients and follow your bread machine’s recommended order.
Risen dinner roll dough inside the open bread machine.
The Dough cycle includes the first rise.

Shape the Rolls

Remove dough from the bread machine and place on a lightly floured surface. Gently press down to release excess air. Divide into 15 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth, round ball by tucking the edges underneath and pinching the seams closed.

Soft bread machine dough turned out onto a lightly floured kitchen counter.
Use a lightly floured surface and keep the dough soft.
Dinner roll dough divided into pieces on the floured counter beside a dough cutter.
Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces.

Prepare the Pan

Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter. Arrange rolls evenly in 3 rows of 5, leaving a little space between them.

Fifteen shaped dinner rolls arranged in a greased rectangular pan on the kitchen counter.
Leave a little room for the rolls to rise.

Second Rise

Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise in a warm, draft-free location for approximately 30–60 minutes, or until noticeably puffy and nearly doubled in size.

Puffy dinner rolls after their second rise in the baking pan.
The rolls should be noticeably puffy and nearly doubled.

Bake and Finish with Butter

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the centers are fully baked, approximately 190°F internally. Remove from oven and immediately brush the tops with melted butter. Loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel for about 5 minutes to soften the tops. Serve warm.

Brushing hot golden dinner rolls with melted butter using a red pastry brush.
Brush with melted butter while the rolls are hot.

The Same Dough, Shaped Differently

This is the same soft bread-machine dough base used for the Pasture Threads Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. The cinnamon roll version is rolled out, filled with cinnamon sugar, and shaped differently.

Printable Recipe Card

Homemade Dinner Rolls

Soft, buttery, classic pull-apart rolls

Bread Machine: Dough cycle • Second rise: 30–60 minutes • Bake: 20–25 minutes • Oven: 350°F

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups warm milk
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
  • FOR FINISHING
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing

Yield: 15 rolls

Instructions

  1. 1Add ingredients to the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the Dough cycle and allow it to complete, including the first rise.
  2. 2Remove dough from the bread machine and place on a lightly floured surface. Gently press down to release excess air. Divide into 15 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth, round ball by tucking the edges underneath and pinching the seams closed.
  3. 3Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter. Arrange rolls evenly in 3 rows of 5, leaving a little space between them.
  4. 4Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise in a warm, draft-free location for approximately 30–60 minutes, or until noticeably puffy and nearly doubled in size.
  5. 5Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the centers are fully baked, approximately 190°F internally.
  6. 6Remove from oven and immediately brush the tops with melted butter. Loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel for about 5 minutes to soften the tops. Serve warm.

Make-Ahead Refrigerator Option

After shaping and arranging the rolls in the baking dish, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to overnight. Remove from refrigerator approximately 60–90 minutes before baking. Allow the rolls to finish rising until noticeably puffy and nearly doubled. If already fully risen, bake sooner. Bake at 350°F for 20–25 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Notes

  • Avoid adding too much flour when shaping. The dough should remain soft and slightly tacky.
  • For fluffy pull-apart rolls, allow the sides to touch as the dough rises.
  • Rising time depends on room temperature and how much the dough has already risen.
  • Brush with melted butter while hot for soft, buttery tops.
  • This is the same soft bread-machine dough base used for the Pasture Threads homemade cinnamon rolls. The cinnamon roll version is rolled out, filled with cinnamon sugar, and shaped differently.

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