Great homemade yeast dinner rolls in 60 minutes. Just fire up the mixer and follow these easy step by step photo instructions.
Editor’s Note: Originally Published September 10, 2016. Updated with expanded text and refreshed photos.
You can have the best homemade yeast dinner rolls from scratch in less than 1-hour with this easy stand mixer recipe. Bound to become a family favorite for every day or the family feast.
I love bread. I know I shouldn’t, but I do. My pick for the recipe of the year for the first year of this blog was Julia Childs French Bread – Simplified where I took a recipe that was 8 hours and nine pages and made it 5 hours and one page. One of my first success stories if I do say so myself.
So, I haven’t done bread for a while, and with the holidays coming, let’s get some great homemade dinner rolls for the holidays.
I’m going to name the inspiration recipe as this 30 Minute version from Six Sisters. There are multiple versions of 30 minute and 60 minute rolls on the blogs and food sites.
The common theme is doubling up the yeast. Obviously, the 30-minute ones use less rise time. But rising creates gluten, and that is great for taste and texture. I can do 60 minutes for great.
My Rating
I’m the bread person, but my wife gave the 5 also. She said to repeat this anytime.
Pro Tips: Notes on 60-Minute Dinner Rolls
I’m republishing this now with the holidays approaching so you can do a little planning. I highly suggest doing a trial cooking of any “new to you” recipe a week or two before an important meal.
Some roll recipes have milk, some not. The milk would make the texture like sandwich bread vs. a French type bread.
Since I like the French texture more and find heating the milk to the right temperature complicates things, my recipe is without milk.
I wanted more gluten formation so a longer spin in the stand mixer and the second rise — all within the 60 minutes.
While mixing by hand is possible, the stand mixer earns it’s kept in a recipe like this. If you must do this by hand, knead for at least 10 minutes.
A Yeast Note
All dry yeast is the same organism but how much is alive and how it is process is what makes quick or instant yeast different than plain old everyday dry yeast.
One package of yeast is 2 1/4 teaspoons. Normally, a recipe this size would use one package, but we are going for quick so double the yeast.
I tend to keep yeast a long time, and it is good usually a long time after the “expiration date” if kept in the refrigerator but due to this, I always “proof” my yeast.
You proof the yeast (prove it is good) by adding to warm water and usually some sugar and waiting for bubbles which will take 5-10 minutes.
While you can add instant yeast to the flour to distribute it, I like to distribute it with the fluid.
Final Notes:
This is an easy recipe to cut in half or double. If you cut it in half, you can still use the whole egg or just the white.
I do not recommend bread storage in a refrigerator. But it will freeze well for up to 6 months.
Other Great Bread Recipes:
Julia Childs French Bread – Simplified
Simple everyday ingredients.
To 1 1/2 cup of 105 to 110-degree water add 2 tablespoon sugar and 2 packages of instant dry yeast. Mix well and allow to proof for a few minutes. While yeast is proofing, add 4 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt to the stand mixer and mix.
Add the proofed yeast, 1 egg and 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Mix on 2 with the dough hook for 10 minutes. You will need to add some additional flour until the dough is dry enough to climb the hook some and pull away from the side. Do a small amount at a time. It took a full cup for me.
Turn onto a floured surface and knead a few times. Add more flour if very sticky. Form into a ball and place in oiled pan, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm spot for 15 minutes until about doubled in size.
Place dough back on the floured surface, “punch down” and roll into 2-inch diameter log. Cut into 12 even pieces.
Prep a 9 by 13-inch cake pan with a good spray of PAM. Form the dough into balls and place in pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 15 minutes until almost double in size.
Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes until nicely brown. Cooking time may vary a little due to oven and pan. Darker pans cook faster. Remove from oven and give them a light brushing of butter and allow to cool for a few minutes.
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60 Minute Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups flour
- 2 pack instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 cup water - 110 degees
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg - use yoke if cutting recipe in half
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- To 1 1/2 cup of 105 to 110-degree water add 2 tablespoon sugar and 2 packages of instant dry yeast. Mix well and allow to proof for a few minutes.
- While yeast is proofing, add 4 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt to the stand mixer and mix.
- Add the proofed yeast, 1 egg and 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Mix on 2 with the dough hook for 10 minutes. You will need to add some additional flour until the dough is dry enough to climb the hook some and pull away from the side. Do a small amount at a time. It took a full cup for me.
- Turn onto a floured surface and knead a few times. Add more flour if very sticky.
- Form into a ball and place in oiled pan, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm spot for 15 minutes until about doubled in size.
- Place dough back on the floured surface, "punch down" and roll into 2-inch diameter log. Cut into 12 even pieces.
- Prep a 9 by 13 inch cake pan with a good spray of PAM. Form the dough into balls and place in pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 15 minutes until almost double in size.
- Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes until nicely brown. Cooking time may vary a little due to oven and pan. Darker pans cook faster. Remove from oven and give them a light brushing of butter and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- An easy recipe to cut in half.
- If this is a "new to you" recipe. Please do a trial cooking to be sure it is for you before any holiday or company meal.
- While mixing by hand is possible, the stand mixer earns it's kept in a recipe like this. If you must do this by hand, knead for at least 10 minutes.
- "Proof" the yeast to be sure the yeast is good and distribute it through the dough better.
- An easy recipe to double or cut in half. If half, you can still use a whole egg or just the white.
- If you keep your home cool, you will need to use a slightly warmed oven to rise the dough.
- Good at room temperature for a few days but there is no preservative so they will mold fast.
- Good in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Check Out Other Great Recipes
Nutrition is generally for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
Originally published September 10, 2016
Kat
This was delicious!
I used dark brown sugar because I didn’t have white.
I also baked them on top of a chicken pot pie filling (made the sauce while the dough was rising/had prepped chicken and veggies the day prior). It was incredible! They baked perfectly and weren’t soggy (I was worried they might be). I can’t believe how fast everything came together. Love your site!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Kat,
Welcome to the blog.
I have never used a yeast top on a pot pie but it should work… as you proved. I do love these rolls.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Nancy
Dan, a gentle suggestion: before you post anything it would be nice for my spelling fussiness if you could either proof read or have some one else do so and correct problems. Thank you for recipe, I have been making the identical one for years, guests are twice impressed, one with the fragrance of just baked bread when they come into the house and second, the wonderful taste. Lastly, do you have a simplified recipe for croissant rolls.?
DrDan
Hi Nancy,
Welcome to the blog and sorry for the delayed response. Live gets busy sometimes.
I have a thick skin so can take suggestions well.
About the present croissant roll thing… Real croissant rolls, that is a ton of work and I will just buy mine. All the layering is just not me.
Dan
Dorothy Hodge
I have NEVER made homemade from scratch rolls. I was looking for a recipe and I came across this one. Today is Thanksgiving and my husband had to work. I still cooked and I made these rolls. WOW, they came out so good and love the taste AND I FOLLOWED the recipe too. Have a BLESSED Thanksgiving!!
DrDan
Hi Dorothy,
Welcome to the blog.
Glad it worked well for you. I love the taste of fresh bread and these rolls have great texture with the double rise even though they are quick.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Nushka
I made these both as rolls and as a whole bread (2 loafs, with a slight adjustment to the baking time). Both ways the result is excellent. Thank you, DrDan, for another easy recipe that promises to be an all-time favourite one.
Elina
This was my first time making rolls. Thank you so much for all your included tips, all your posts are so well thought out and I love that it shows you keep beginners in mind.
The rolls turned out great, it’s a 5 star for me!
Andrea
Hi Dan,
Thanks for your answers.
It was my third attempt to make dinner rolls yesterday and I finally succeeded with your recipe. The first two, the bread was flat and hard even if I am sure the yeast was active. I really dont know what exactly happened.
This time I used instant yeast (instead of traditional), unbleached all-purpose flour (instead if bleached), a whole egg and salted butter.
However, I dont find the taste of the bread that good. My mom’s bread was way more tasty but I cannot figure out what made it so different. For sure she did not put eggs in it. Unfortunately I cannot ask her as she passed away 15 years ago.
Anyway, for my short experience, your recipe is the best do far.
Thanks again for your help.
Andrea
DrDan
Hi Andrea,
Sorry it wasn’t what you wanted. Most homemade bread does not have egg since they use a longer time at room temperature. Also, a lot of that “old fashion” homemade bread taste is from gluten development which takes longer than this recipe. You might want to look at https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/easy-everyday-bread/.
Dan
Andrea
Hello, 3 questions:
What exact type of floor is needed? Bleached, unbleached or bread flour?
As I will make half of recipe for my first try, what about the egg? Recipe says use the yolk while tip #4 says the whole or white? I am confused? Does it have to be at room temperature?
About the butter, salted or not?
Thanks
DrDan
Hi Andrea,
Welcome to the blog.
In order.
1) any of those will be fine. Anywhere on this blog where it says flour, it will mean all-purpose (AP) flour. I tend to use unbleached just since I don’t care if it is pure white. I buy King Authur or Gold Metal usually. I don’t think brand matters much. Bread flour would be fine but not needed. I don’t usually have it around.
2) for a half recipe, it should be the whole egg or just the white. Your choice. The egg helps hold it together a bit but that is really mostly the white. The yolk does that a bit but adds fats also. So for half a recipe, you don’t really need the whole egg but can put it all in. Or just the white. With the whole egg, a bit more flour is used but that is adjusted for as you add flour to get the right dough consistency. No need to be room temperature. I adjusted the text to be more specific.
3) Unsalted vs salted butter. I have totally given up caring about which. Salt is a “to taste thing” anyway and the small amount in butter doesn’t matter. Only in a recipe where the butter is a main feature of the recipe, like butter cookies, would I care. A few of my earlier recipes, I did specify unsalted, but it really doesn’t matter 99% of the time.
Hope this helps. Let me know if there are other concerns.
Dan
Jo Ann
Can I substitute whole wheat flour – part or completely?
DrDan
Hi Jo Ann,
Welcome to the blog.
I have done this with a 25/75 and a 50/50 mix. Both were fine. I have not tried 100% but it might require a tiny bit of water.
I think they worked well because of when mixing in the stand mixer and adding additional flour, the wetness is adjusted there.
Dan
Ashley
Hi,
I just have active dry yeast packets. Can I follow the same measurements of everything?
DrDan
Yes but no. The final results will be the same but there are more live yeast cells in Rapid-Rise Yeast, Instant Yeast, and Bread Machine Yeast. So it will just take longer for the yeast to kick in and work. Everything else stays the same. So the rise time would take longer.
Dan
Joe
Wow, another great recipe. Amazing rolls.
Darlene
I just have the container of yeast . Do you know how much is
in 2 packages?
DrDan
Hi Darlene,
A package of yeast is 2 1/4 teaspoon. So think of it as a light tablespoon.
Dan
Joan
My rolls looked amazing but were not quite done at 12 minutes in my conventional oven. I baked them another 3 minutes and they were almost perfect. I may need to add 1 more minute to the bake time. Your thoughts?
DrDan
Hi Joan,
Thanks for the note. I’m usually not quite so definite on the baking time and I think here is a good example why. Ovens vary so that might be part of it. But also if you look at my pictures, I use a darker baking pan which can cut a minute or two off also. So I’m changing the wording a little.
Thanks again
Dan
Linda
These rolls were unbelievable!?
DrDan
Thanks, Linda
Dan
DrDan
Thanks for the note. I do love these rolls and will be doing them for Thanksgiving if I can work them in.
Dan
Cerwyn
Once again ur the man! I made these today and I was too intimidated by the bread hook and recipes with 20 ingredients that take hours to try it before. this was easy, and fun! Best of all they were delicious! My husband loves bread and raved. I also made ur meatloaf with it and that was incredible as well! I’ve made 3 things from ur site and they all are great!