Homemade Butter Rolls

If you’ve never experienced the magic of pulling out a tray of warm dinner rolls from your oven, breaking it apart at the center and watching the steam escape as you’re about to take a bite, you my friend, are missing out. I know it seems like it might be too much work for such a busy day like Thanksgiving to have to add homemade dinner rolls to the menu, but man! These are so worth the time.While I was shopping for groceries just a few days ago, the thought of buying them premade, did cross my mind. I even circled back to the mountain of rolls on display and stood there for a good minute with my son while he tried to convince me to buy donuts. He did.

Likewise, I almost convinced myself to call it a day and buy some rolls already made. I mean, why bother going through the trouble of making something that is in abundance at every grocery store during this time of the year? What’s the difference anyway, right? Unless you’re talkin’ about King’s Hawaiian bread rolls, then yeah, skipping the homemade version might not seem like such a bad idea. I love those rolls!

In the end, I decided to stick with my rolls and keep perfecting them. The last week and a half of testing, and testing, and testing my own bread roll recipe was finally perfected with this last batch. I’m so glad I didn’t give up on making my own. I hope you like them.

First off, lets talk about that yeast. Use yeast that is fairly new. Check the expiration date to be certain it’s still good. If you keep yeast in the fridge, it’s tempting to keep on using it past it’s expiration date if you still have some left. I made the mistake of using old yeast the on the first batch. They took four hours to rise, and the result was a bit more dense than when I used new yeast. The final batch (which I’m sharing here) only took 1 hour to rise and gave me softer, fluffier rolls.

Start by warming up cold water in the microwave for 40 seconds. The goal is to get the water warmer than warm, but not too hot. Ideally, water for yeast should be between 105-110 degrees to activate the yeast. Dissolve two teaspoons of sugar in the water completely, then add the yeast. Give it a quick stir and let the sugar water do it’s magic. This should take about 10 minutes.

Oh, and use a bigger cup or bowl than I did here.

That yeast is going to expand fast, so make sure you use a cup or a bowl larger than two cups. I had to transfer mine to a larger one. Such a rookie move.

Warm up the cold half & half milk in the microwave for one minute. Dissolve four tablespoons sugar in the milk.

In a large bowl, combine the salt and bread flour well. Add the half & half, yeast water, and softened butter. Don’t worry about cutting the butter. It will be A-OK.

Mix the dough until it starts to form a  sticky ball of dough.

Roll it out onto a clean and floured surface. Wash your hands well, then start to knead the dough for five minutes non-stop. If it’s still sticking to your hands too much, add a little bit more flour. It should still be a bit tacky, but not sticking to your hands.

After five minutes, place the dough in a large bowl that has been lightly greased. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise in the warmest place in your kitchen.

If you have good yeast, it should double in about an hour. If it hasn’t, let it keep rising.

Give it a light punch to release the gas build-up and make those air pockets smaller. Lightly knead the dough once more while it is in the bowl for about one minute. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll them into balls. Arrange them evenly on the baking sheet. Cover them with a clean and dry thin kitchen towel. Let them rise again another hour.
Bake at 400F for 13-15 minutes.

While they are baking, you might want to make some Rosemary and Garlic Compound Butter to spread on them. The two together are flippin’ delicious!

Enjoy, my friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!

5 from 1 vote

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Homemade Butter Rolls

Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes

Servings 24 rolls

Author Stephanie Chavez

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water 105-110 degrees
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 5 cups bread flour plus more for kneading
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup warm half & half milk
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 stick half cup butter, softened

Instructions

1. In a 2-cup sized bowl or cup, warm up cold water in the microwave for 40 seconds. The goal is to get the water warmer than warm, but not too hot. Ideally, water for yeast should be between 105-110 degrees to activate the yeast. Dissolve two teaspoons of sugar in the water completely, then add the yeast. Give it a quick stir and let the sugar water do it’s magic (about 10 minutes).
2. Warm up the cold half & half milk in the microwave for one minute. Dissolve four tablespoons sugar in the milk.
3. In a large bowl, combine the salt and bread flour well. Add the half & half, yeast water, and softened butter. Mix the dough until it starts to form a sticky ball of dough. Roll it out onto a clean and floured surface. Wash and dry your hands well.
4. Knead the dough for five minutes non-stop. If it’s still sticking to your hands too much, add a little bit more flour. It should still be a bit tacky, but not sticking to your hands. After five minutes, place the dough in a large bowl that has been lightly greased. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise in the warmest place in your kitchen. It should double in about an hour. If it hasn’t, let it keep rising.
5. Give it a light punch to release the gas build-up and make those air pockets smaller. Lightly knead the dough once more while it is in the bowl for about a minute. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll them into balls. Arrange them evenly on the baking sheet. Cover them with a clean and dry thin kitchen towel. Let them rise again another hour. Bake at 400F for 13-15 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Regular milk can be substituted for half & half if you don't have it.