Easy Soft Dinner Rolls - two (or more) ways

A very basic, beginner-friendly, soft bread roll recipe for whenever you need them. The dough is simple to make and I will explain each step in detail so you get the perfect results every time. To feed a big crowd, you can easily multiply this recipe by any number!!! Also, you can add various inclusions like dried fruit, seeds, nuts, a tiny bit of bran or brush the top with your favorite infused butter (like honey-butter or herb butter). Possibilities are endless!

I have been teaching this in my workshops and I know where you might struggle. This is why I always try to include pictures and short video clips. Bread making is "easier said than done". That doesn't mean it is difficult or hard to master. You just need to acquire the basic knowledge and practice your dough handling skills at your own pace.

I will show you how to get two different rolls from the same dough, but as I mentioned before, feel free to give them your own spin.

For this recipe, I highly recommend using a stand mixer. The mixer does a good job at kneading the dough which is crucial for the soft crumb.

Flour: I use all-purpose flour and so should you. If you use bread flour, your rolls might turn a little chewy but if that's how you like it, no problem! Just remember to add a little extra moisture if you use bread flour or thinking bout adding a little wholemeal flour. Yes you can add a little wholemeal flour (about 20g-40g) but this is will affect the texture and the dough strength (and rise). If you don't have a lot of experience with wholemeal, I suggest you stay away from that!

Milk: I use milk for this recipe, because I said these are going to be soft rolls. Milk contain sugar, fat which help in achieving the soft crumb. Keep this in mind if you plan to swap milk with water or plant milk. In that case, you can add some extra sugar and butter to compensate.

Egg: Egg adds fat and protein to the recipe. If you want to make this without the egg, just skip the egg and add extra water/milk.

Seed Mix: A mix of your favorite seeds. I am using a mix of chia, flax (Lynne), sesame, poppy.

Let's jump right in and get started!

Bloom the yeast: Mix yeast with some water (or some milk from the recipe), a pinch of sugar and let it sit for about 10 minutes or until frothy.

Prepare all the ingredients and make sure they are all at room temperature.

Place half the milk, egg and yeast in the bowl. Mix with the paddle attachment while gradually adding the rest of the milk. When flour is hydrated, add the butter and mix just until incorporated.

Change to dough hook and knead until a smooth dough is developed or for about 8-10 minutes. Scrape the bowl and dust with a little flour as necessary to encourage.

Developed dough should be smooth, elastic and not very sticky. It should also pull away from the bowl when mixing.

If you are adding seeds, fruit or nuts, you can add it now.

Make sure to rehydrate dried fruit and cut them into tiny pieces. Nuts should be roughly chopped into tiny pieces too.

Once the seeds are added, mix on the lowest speed just until they are evenly spread (for about 30 seconds and not more than a minute). Over mixing with seeds, nuts or fruit could destroy the gluten in the dough.

seeded dinner rolls

Get the developed dough out and shape into a tight smooth dough ball. Place in a greased container, cover and leave in a warm(70°F-75°F) draft-free place until doubled. This may take about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

proofed plain dough

proofed seeded dough

Once the dough is proofed, divide into 12-15 equal pieces (I like to weigh each and every piece)and shape them into smooth tiny balls. Check this video. The shaping is very important for the final rise and shape.

Start preheating the oven to 375°F, halfway through the proofing. Start making the honey butter mixture if you are making honey-butter rolls. Make sure to warm up the mixture and give it a stir before brushing over the baked rolls for best results.

An alternative to Honey-butter

You can make herb or garlic butter instead of honey-butter for a savory take on these rolls. Melt the butter and add your favorite herb or some chopped garlic. Let the butter sit for some time and then use this to brush your rolls when they come out of the oven.

For the seeded rolls egg wash and sprinkle seeds and bake until golden brown

baking time 20-25 minutes.

For the Honey-butter: Bake the rolls plain until golden brown. Brush with honey-butter glaze as soon as it comes out of the oven

baking time 20-25 minutes.

Leave the tray on a wire rack for about 10 minutes and then remove the rolls and place them directly on the wire rack

Leave the tray on a wire rack for about 10 minutes and then remove the rolls and place them directly on the wire rack

Make sure to let the rolls cool down the rolls completely before serving or storing to prevent them going soggy. What I suggest is, leave them in the tray/pan for about 5-10 minutes and them lift them out wich the parchment and place on a wire rack to continue cooling.

Storing: These are best enjoyed on the same day of making just like any other homemade bread because we do not use chemicals like dough conditioners (emulsifiers like mono and diglycerides, monoglycerides, enzymes, ascorbic acid, hydrocolloids) or dough enhancers

Best way to keep them moist and fresh is to let them cool, wrap them with cling film and place them in an air-tight container. This will stay fresh for 1-2 days. To freshen them up, you can spray the rolls with some water (using a spray bottle) and bake in a moderate oven (350°F) for 10 minutes. For the honey butter rolls, you can brush them a second time!

Honey-butter rolls with sea salt flakes

To keep them for longer wrap in multiple layers of plastic and freeze up to a month. You could leave it longer but personally I do not freeze rolls that long.