These Buttery Dinner Rolls melt in your mouth and come together so easily. They elevate any meal to an unforgettable affair!
I think I’ve found the perfect buttery dinner rolls. And I’ve made a lot of dinner rolls. So often homemade rolls have a little too thick of a crust, or they taste just a bit too eggy, or maybe they’re a bit dense. Also, I hate rolling them into rounds, one after another…
But one Friday morning somewhere around Thanksgiving I was shaping a batch of cinnamon rolls and I had a thought. What if I took a similarly decadent brioche dough, rolled it out thin, spread on plenty of butter, omitted the sugar and cinnamon, and shaped it like small cinnamon rolls? Why would that not count as a dinner roll?
The Buttery Dinner Rolls that were an Answer to Every Problem
Growing up, each Thanksgiving someone would buy those pre-baked dinner rolls that you warm up in the oven. We would spread them out on pans, cut a little slit in the top of each one, and slip a pat of butter inside to melt gently into the roll. Then, as dinner started you see everyone get their plates, have a seat, visit and laugh a bit, pick up a roll, then the war for the butter plate would ensue. It’d be passed back and forth across the long table all through dinner. Rolls need butter.
I don’t think anyone at that table would try to add butter to these dinner rolls. They have the perfect amount in each bite without being at all weighed down by it. They’re light and incredibly fluffy, and if you choose to top them with honey butter, they’re divine. Best of all, they are so easy to shape, and because they’re rolled up in layers, they bake evenly allowing for a thin and delicate crust.
To Make Buttery Dinner Rolls
These dinner rolls come together quickly with the help of a stand mixer. I start by throwing in all of the dry ingredients and turning the mixer on low. Then, I slowly pour in my milk and eggs and allow everything to form a shaggy dough.
Your dough will be a bit on the dry side at this point, but after you add in the butter cubes it will quickly become glossy, supple, beautiful dough!
Now you want to let your dough knead for 12-15 minutes with the mixer on medium low. This is a pretty long kneading time, but you’ll see a real transformation in your dough. When you first start kneading it the dough will probably stick to the sides of the bowl and seem too wet. You might be tempted to add more flour but resist the temptation! Time and gluten development really change the dough and after about 12 minutes you will have a smooth dough that cleans the sides of the bowl. Transfer it to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let it rise in a warm place for an hour.
After about an hour, the dough will have doubled and will feel very light and full of air. Dump it out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Using your fingers, gently pat the dough into a rough rectangle and get ready to roll it out.
Use a rolling pin to roll your dough into a 12 inch by 30 inch rectangle (approximately). The dough should be about a quarter inch thick. Pat yourself on the back because you’ve made it to the fun part!
Spread the softened butter evenly over the rectangle…
Leave about an inch of dough un-buttered along the bottom edge.
Begin rolling the dough up into a long log and give the seam a good pinch to make sure it holds together.
Use a sharp knife to cut each roll 1.5 inches wide. You will end up with about 18 rolls. Finally, place them swirl side up in a 9×13 baking dish. The edges of the rolls will be touching but they should still have room to grow!
Cover the dish with plastic wrap and give the rolls another hour to rise. This is a good time to preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
After the final rise, place the rolls in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until they are golden brown and the internal temperature reads 180 degrees.
While the rolls are baking, you can whip up some honey butter! It’s pretty straightforward but yields unbelievable results. Add about 2 tablespoons of honey to a stick of very soft butter and mix it together with a fork.
You can definitely omit the honey butter if you feel that the added sweetness doesn’t complement your meal. But I would recommend trying it out just once! It’s swoon worthy!
Spread on the honey butter as soon as you take the rolls out of the oven. Then allow them to cool a bit before serving. Prepare to be hugged repeatedly by greasy fingers!
Buttery Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 500 grams (4 cups) Bread Flour (Feel free to use All-Purpose)
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) sugar
- 15 grams (1 Tablespoon) instant yeast
- 5 grams (1 teaspoon) salt
- 240 grams (1 cup) milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 stick butter, cubed, room temperature
- 1 stick of softened butter for filling
Directions
- Add dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs with a fork until well combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, pour in the milk/egg mixture slowly until a shaggy dough forms.
- Add in the cubed butter and continue to mix on medium speed for 12-15 minutes. The dough will become very smooth and supple when it is well kneaded and will clear the sides of the bowl.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel and allow to rise for one hour. The dough will have doubled and be nice and puffy and light!
- After an hour, dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat gently into a rectangle. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 12×30 inch rectangle.
- Spread the softened butter generously onto the dough leaving an inch of dough along the bottom edge clean.
- Starting on the far side, begin rolling the dough towards you into a long log. Pinch the bottom edge to seal the dough.
- Cut the rolls 1 1/2 inches wide with a sharp knife and place them in a greased 9×13 baking dish. The rolls can be touching slightly but should have plenty of room to grow. You will get approximately 18 rolls.
- Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for one hour. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- After about an hour, the rolls will be nicely puffed up. Place them in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until they are golden brown, and an internal temperature reads 180 degrees.
- For the Honey Butter (Optional): Mix 1 stick of softened butter with 3 Tablespoons of honey and spread generously over the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven.
- Allow the rolls to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy with dinner and again as a midnight snack 🙂
