The BEST Dinner Rolls

Ingredient Notes

Most rolls have the same key ingredients. In this recipe, you’ll find the usual suspects, plus one magical ingredient my Grandmother swore by.

The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.

• Buttermilk — The magical ingredient that isn’t in every roll recipe but probably should be because it yields the most tender, flavorful rolls. Just be sure to use full fat for optimal flavor and texture.
• Sugar— For sweetness, though you can use honey (just cut it down to ¼ cup, since honey is sweeter than sugar).
• Butter — Lends fat and flavor to these dinner rolls.
• Eggs— Incorporated into the dough and also used for brushing the rolls before baking. This helps give them that lustrous, golden hue.
• All-purpose flour — A key ingredient to achieving these supple yeast rolls.
• Instant yeast— I use RapidRise yeast because it saves time and you don’t have to bloom it in water first to activate it.
• Flaky sea salt — For topping, such as Maldon.
• Optional mix-ins and toppings — You could add fresh or dried herbs, garlic, or cheese to the dough if you like, or sprinkle your rolls with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, everything bagel mix, or herbs and cheese before baking.

How to Make the Fluffiest Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

Heidi’s Tip: Plan ahead to allow enough time for the dough and shaped rolls to rise. Start these rolls around lunchtime when making them for dinner (start in the morning if you’re having a mid-afternoon meal).

Step 1: Warm the liquids before adding them to the yeast

The mixture should be warm but not hot and read somewhere between 100°F and 110°F so the hot liquid doesn’t kill off the yeast (I use a digital thermometer to check the temperature).

If your mixture registers hotter than that, let it cool on the counter for a bit, or pop it in the fridge for a couple of minutes, then recheck with your thermometer.

Step 2: Make Your Dough

Add the flour, yeast, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the buttermilk mixture, followed by 2 eggs.

Mix on medium speed for about 5-7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, elastic, and comes free from the sides of the bowl.

Heidi’s Tip: If you don’t have a stand mixer and dough hook, you can mix this in a large bowl with a spatula or wooden spoon, and then knead with your hands for about 10 minutes.

Step 3: Let the dough proof aka rise

Brush the inside of the largest bowl you have with room-temperature butter (you could use cooking spray, but we’re going for buttery rolls, so I like using butter), and place your dough in the bowl.

Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot in the kitchen or an oven that’s been warmed for just 1 minute then turned off. Proof the dough for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Step 4: Portion the Dough

Use a bench scraper or sharp, heavy knife to divide the dough in half. Cut each half in half and those halves in half. You’ll want to have 15 equal pieces of dough (for 15 rolls).

I end up with one extra roll that I portion out to the slices so the rolls all weigh the same. I recommend weighing each roll with a kitchen scale to ensure they’re all the exact same size. I weigh mine out so each is about 70g or almost 2.5 ounces. If you have any dough left over, cut off little pieces and add them to each roll.

Another way to portion the dough is to weigh your entire ball of dough before cutting, then divide that number by 15 to get the most precise weight for each roll.

Step 5: Shape Your Rolls

Shaping yeast dinner rolls might feel tricky, but it’s really easy once you get the hang of it. The key thing is to allow some friction between the dough and your work surface.

I’m a visual learner, so watching this video really helped me grasp the technique. Start with a lightly floured work surface. You want to be sure to cup your hand around the dough ball, resting the side of your hand on your work surface as you gently roll in quick, tight, circular motions.

Heidi’s Tip: As you’re rolling, cover your other dough portions with a kitchen towel so they don’t dry out.

Step 6: Proof Your Rolls

Brush a 9×13-inch baking pan with softened butter. Then arrange each of your rolls in there, 5 across. Cover with a dish towel and let sit someplace warm for the rolls to proof (I like stashing mine in the microwave), for 1 hour (if the rolls have not doubled in size by then, you may need to allow another 30 minutes of proofing time).

Step 7: Brush and Bake

Once the rolls have finished proofing, preheat your oven to 350°F. Break the remaining egg into a small bowl and whisk well. Brush each roll with the egg wash (you will not use all of it) and place the rolls in the oven to bake for about 20-23 minutes or until golden brown.

Once the rolls are done, brush them with more softened butter and top with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt.

Heidi’s Tip: I like brushing these with an egg wash as opposed to melted butter because it gives the rolls much more color and sheen.