One-Hour Dinner Rolls

Dinner Rolls – perfectly soft and fluffy and ready from start to finish in 1 hour! No more waiting forever for dough to rise!

These dinner rolls have the perfect melt-in-your-mouth, yet chewy texture and delicious buttery flavor. They’re the perfect side to homemade Vegetable Soup or Minestrone Soup!

The Fastest Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe!

I’ve have so many soup recipes so of course it only makes sense to have some delicious rolls to serve with them. Plus these rolls also double as great base for sliders, sandwiches (pulled pork, leftover ham and turkey etc).

Dinner rolls are just the greatest upgrade to a comforting meal. Or they’re a delicious snack when served with creamy butter or homemade freezer jam.

And who doesn’t love a homemade fluffy roll, warm from the oven? It’s amazing that something made up of just a few of the most basic ingredients can create some so truly delicious!

How Big to Make the Rolls?

These rolls are a pretty generous size, if you want more rolls, or if you’d rather they were a bit smaller you could definitely cut them into smaller portions (I might do 5 rows of 4, and shape into a rectangle instead of a square to cut).

But in my mind I’m thinking we each just always have two rolls at my house, so instead I’ll just make them bigger. Dinner rolls are usually fairly small so I just decided to make them the size I think their soft, tender goodness deserves.

The first few times you make them it may take a little bit longer than 1 hour, maybe 1 hour 15 minutes but once you get the hang of it they’ll be a breeze to make.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Dinner Rolls

1. All-purpose flour – preferably unbleached, but bleached will work as well.
2. Granulated sugar – this adds just a hint of sweetness that isn’t overpowering.
3. Rapid rise yeast – using this specific type of yeast which is more powerful is what makes it possible for the rolls to rise so quickly and be ready in 1 hour. See notes below on subsitutes.
4. Salt – just stick with standard table salt. And please be careful not to forget it. I’ve done this and the rolls taste so incredibly bland.
5. Water – this (along with milk and butter) will be heated to 120 degrees to help activate the yeast.
6. Milk – I like to use anything but skim milk.
7. Butter – if you only have salted butter on hand just reduce salt by 1/8 tsp.
8. Lemon juice – this encourages more rapid rising, so it’s great for quick rolls.

How to Make Dinner Rolls in just 1 Hour!

• 1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
• 2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer whisk together 4 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt.
• 3. To a medium bowl add water, milk and butter and heat in microwave on HIGH power until it reaches 120 degrees on a thermometer, about 1 minute 15 seconds. Stir to partially melt butter.
• 4. Pour milk mixture into dry mixture in bowl of electric stand mixer along with lemon juice.
• 5. Set mixer with a hook attachment then set mixer on low speed and gradually increase to medium-low, knead about 3 – 4 minutes until smooth and elastic while adding additional flour as necessary (dough should be lightly sticky but manageable).
• 6. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

• 7. Drop dough onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into an evenly level square, about 9 by 9-inches.
• 8. Cut into 16 equal portions (don’t have to be exact).
• 9. Shape dough into 15 balls, while using excess dough from the 16th portion to add to smaller rounds as needed, and place shaped dough portions into prepared baking dish.
• 10. Dampen hands with water and brush tops of dough with the water (just so they don’t dry while rising in oven).

• 11. Transfer to oven, close oven and turn oven off, allow rolls to rise 20 minutes (don’t open oven door).
• 12. Remove from oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees (this should take about 5 minutes, so just allow rolls to rest on counter while oven preheats).
• 13. Bake in preheated oven 14 – 16 minutes until tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and run the top of a stick of butter along tops of rolls just to coat.
• 14. Serve warm. Store in an airtight container (I recommend rewarming cool rolls in microwave for best results.

Can I Use a Different Type of Yeast?

Active dry yeast can be used as well:

1. You’ll want to proof it first.
2. To do so mix 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees), active dry yeast and 1/2 tsp sugar, mix in stand mixer bowl, let rest 10 minutes (it should bubble up).
3. Warm milk, remaining water and butter to 110 degrees. Mix liquids into mixer bowl.
4. Mix in dry ingredients, knead and proceed as directed.
5. Rise time will be about 1 hour for the dough, then 1 hour or so for the shaped rolls, or until doubled in volume.

 Instant yeast will work too:

1. Prepare as directed replacing rapid rise yeast with instant yeast.
2. Increase rise times until dough doubles in volume with 1st and 2nd rise.

Can I Make Rolls in Advance and Bake Later?

1. Yes, if doing so use active dry yeast (follow mixing directions above to do so).
2. Shape into rolls, place in baking dish.
3. Cover and refrigerate rolls overnight.
4. The following day remove from fridge and let rise until doubled in volume. Uncover and bake as directed.
5. Rolls can be baked a day or two in advance but they are most delicious just after baking.

More Delicious Bread Recipes to Try!

• No Knead Bread
• Biscuits
• Breadsticks
• The Best Cornbread
• One Hour Bread
• Homemade Bread Bowls

4.98 from 94 votes

Print Recipe

One-Hour Dinner Rolls

Soft and fluffy dinner rolls that are so easy to make and ready in one hour! Soon to be a family favorite!

Servings: 15 rolls

Prep20 minutes minutes

Cook15 minutes minutes

Ready in: 1 hour hour

Ingredients

• 3 3/4 - 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp rapid rise yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cool water
• 2/3 cup milk
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, diced into 1 Tbsp pieces, plus more for tops
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer whisk together 3 3/4 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt.
• To a medium bowl add water, milk and butter and heat in microwave on HIGH power until it reaches 120 degrees on a thermometer, about 1 minute 15 seconds. Stir to partially melt butter (you just want to make sure it's softened through).
• Pour milk mixture into dry mixture in bowl of electric stand mixer along with lemon juice.
  
• Set mixer with a hook attachment then set mixer on low speed and gradually increase to medium-low, knead about 3 - 4 minutes until smooth and elastic while adding additional flour as necessary (dough should be lightly sticky but manageable).
• Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
• Drop dough onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into an evenly level square, about 9 by 9-inches. Cut into 16 equal portions (don't have to be exact)
• Shape dough into 15 balls, while using excess dough from the 16th portion to add to smaller rounds as needed, and place shaped dough portions into prepared baking dish.
• Dampen hands with water and brush tops of dough with the water (just so they don't dry while rising in oven). Transfer to oven, close oven and turn oven off, allow rolls to rise 20 minutes (don't open oven door).
• Remove from oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (this should take about 5 minutes, so just allow rolls to rest on counter while oven preheats).
• Bake in preheated oven 14 - 16 minutes until tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and run the top of a stick of butter along tops of rolls just to coat. Serve warm. Store in an airtight container (I recommend rewarming cool rolls in microwave for best results.

Nutrition Facts

One-Hour Dinner Rolls

Amount Per Serving

Calories 185 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g6%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 11mg4%

Sodium 240mg10%

Potassium 55mg2%

Carbohydrates 31g10%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 129IU3%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 19mg2%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

Course: breads

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dinner rolls, Rolls

Author: Jaclyn