Perfect Dinner Rolls

Deliciously buttery, super easy and quick enough for a weeknight, these rolls deserve to be a regular in your dinner rotation. I first saw them when Nancy posted them on her bread blog here. She found them on Holly's site, and Holly saw them here. I made these twice in one week, weighed them out in 30 gram portions and got 30 rolls. Brushed with butter before baking, they are a richly delicious addition to your weeknight meals. Don't hesitate to change the butter to garlic butter, snip some chives and grate some lemon zest into the dough, or swap out up to a third of the flour for white whole wheat flour, or use your hazelnut or walnut oil instead of the vegetable oil. And so on.

The rolls can be formed and frozen in the pan you plan to bake them in. Just let them defrost and rise in either the refrigerator or on your counter. Just make sure to spray them with some vegetable oil spray, wrap the pan well in plastic wrap and then foil (and remove both before baking).

Perfect Dinner Rolls
Printable recipe
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups/484 grams all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cup, then leveled off
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes.

Add the oil, salt, and 2 cups of the flour and mix on on low speed with the paddle attachment and incorporate the flour to create a wet, sticky mixture. Add 1 cup of the remaining flour and incorporate. Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining 1 cup flour. On low speed, mix the dough to incorporate the final addition of flour until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the speed to medium and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding additional flour 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough reaches the desired consistency. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl and turn the dough to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 20 - 30 minutes (you can also let it rise in the fridge, which will take about 90 minutes)

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate into a rectangle. Cut it in half vertically, then each half vertically again into thirds so you have 6 equal strips of dough. Cut each strip of dough into fourths by cutting horizontally to make 24 little squares of dough. Take each piece of dough and cup it lightly under the palm of your hand on a clean surface. Press lightly and start rotating and rolling the dough ball quickly so that it forms a nice little ball of dough.

Place each rolled piece of dough into a lightly greased 9" x 13" or 12" round baking pan in rows of 4 about 1/2-inch apart. Cover the rolls in the pan with a lightly greased piece of plastic wrap and let rise to double while your oven is preheating to 400 degrees - about 20 minutes. Brush them with the melted butter before baking. Bake for 13-15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 24 - 30 rolls.