Name: Soft Dinner Rolls
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: makes 12 bread rolls
Cuisine: Slovenian
Ingredients: 240 ml milk (1 cup); 2 tsp (10g) active dry yeast or 20g fresh yeast; 500 g all-purpose flour (4 cups); 1 tbsp salt; 2 tbsp heavy cream; 2 eggs; 6 tbsp melted butter (50g); 2 tbsp melted butter, for brushing

Soft Dinner Rolls

The world right now is such a weird and uncertain place. There’s a global pandemic that has completely changed our lifestyle. It’s hard to adapt, but it’s better to be careful than to be sorry later. So it’s definitely going to be super strange to have Easter without seeing all the family members and enjoying this happy holiday with everyone. With that being said, we are not giving up on tradition and this wonderful holiday. We are still going to dye eggs, bake Potica (traditional Slovenian Nut Roll - the recipe is on the blog), and make these super easy bread rolls.

Let's talk Soft Dinner Rolls

Oh my goodness, it is absolutely impossible to resist these soft, milky bread rolls. We are obsessed with them because we love:

pillowy soft, fluffy and milky interior
shiny, buttery and beautifully golden-brown exterior
they are perfect for breakfast, brunch, side dish, for special occasions, holidays or everyday
a simple recipe for beginners or advanced cooks
kids and adults love them
you can easily store them at room temperature or in a freezer
feel free to knead them by hand or using a stand mixer

How to store and freeze Soft Dinner Rolls

You can store these delicious Soft Dinner Rolls in two ways.

Store any leftovers at room temperature, in a bread bag or airtight container, for up to 2 days. They are best eaten the same day.

Feel free to make these delicious homemade bread rolls ahead of time and store them in the freezer. Place in freezer bags or an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Before serving, defrost by placing on the kitchen counter or microwave them in intervals for a couple of seconds.

Tips and tricks on how to make the best homemade Soft Dinner Rolls

How do I know when my dinner rolls are ready to hit the oven? The most important thing is to check the expiration date on the yeast packaging before using it. If the date is okay, use it.
After combining the lukewarm milk and yeast, the yeast needs to react in the first 5 minutes, if nothing changes, the yeast isn't active. It's also important that the dinner rolls double in size after proofing. Check the photo above and the recipe video below to see the difference.
A simple trick that always works: Place a rubber band around the bowl where you have your dough. Make sure the rubber band is positioned on the same level as the dough before proofing. That way, you can check it later to see if it has doubled in size.

How to shape the perfect little bread rolls? Try to divide the dough into 12 even pieces. Feel free to use a scale too. Arrange the shaped bread rolls in a baking dish, leaving about 1-inch or 2 cm space between the rolls. After proofing, the dough will double in size, resulting in delicious, perfectly shaped dinner rolls. They will continue to rise while baking in the oven. It's essential that these dinner rolls are baked tightly together to ensure the softness and fluffiness of the bread.

How to bake these dinner rolls? Use a conventional oven for this recipe. Fan-assisted or convection ovens would dry out the dough and make the bread rolls crunchy with a thicker crust, which is not what we want in this recipe. Also, these bread rolls are baked at a lower temperature than you would traditionally bake bread, which will help us get that soft, golden-brown exterior.

How do you get that beautiful shiny exterior? Yum, that shiny exterior is a real show-stopper. Gently brush your warm dinner rolls with melted butter to get that beautiful, shiny exterior with a delicious buttery flavor.

How to prevent the bread rolls from drying out? The easiest way to prevent the bread rolls from drying out is to eat them as soon as possible and, of course, to store them correctly (don't leave them out on a kitchen counter to dry). Freezing them works great too.

How to make these amazing Soft Dinner Rolls (recipe video)

Watch this quick video to see how to make the best soft dinner rolls, it's so easy.

Try these delicious homemade bread recipes too

Ingredients

Soft Dinner Rolls

240 ml milk (1 cup)

2 tsp (10g) active dry yeast or 20g fresh yeast

500 g all-purpose flour (4 cups)

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp heavy cream

2 eggs

6 tbsp melted butter (50g)

2 tbsp melted butter, for brushing

Tools and equipment

small bowl

large bowl

baking dish (30 cm x 25 cm or 12-inch x 10-inch)

parchment paper

cling film or kitchen towel

METHOD

yeast mixture

In a bowl, stir to combine lukewarm milk and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.

Tip

The milk shouldn't be too hot, or the yeast won't activate. The best milk temperature is around 35°C / 95°F.
knead the dough

In a large bowl, stir to combine flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture, heavy cream, and eggs. Using a spoon, stir to combine, then using your hand (or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook), knead into an elastic dough. Knead for 2 - 3 minutes.

Tip

The dough will be sticky, but try not to add more flour to ensure the right consistency. If you're kneading by hand, leave the dough in a bowl and only use one hand for the kneading.
proofing

Add the melted (cooled) butter and knead it into the dough. Cover with cling film or kitchen towel to prevent the dough from drying. Leave to proof at room temperature for 35 - 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
proofing

Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a ball. Line a baking dish (30 cm x 25 cm or 12-inch x 10-inch) with parchment paper. Arrange the shaped balls in the prepared dish, leaving at least 2 cm or 1-inch space in between each piece of dough. Set aside to proof at room temperature 35 - 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
bake

Place the baking dish with the dinner rolls into a preheated oven on the middle rack. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes at 190 °C / 375 °F. Transfer the baked dinner rolls from the oven to a wire rack to cool. While they are still warm, optionally brush them with melted butter, then serve.