Soft and Fluffy One Hour Dinner Rolls

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A delicious homemade dinner roll recipe ready in just an hour, these Soft and Fluffy Dinner Rolls are a total game-changer. One bowl, one hour, and just six ingredients!

Soft and fluffy homemade dinner rolls ready in just one hour from start to finish! These dinner rolls are perfect for whipping up to go with your favorite soups, chilis, or a special family meal. You can also make ahead and freeze!

Soft and Fluffy Dinner Rolls Recipe

I love having soft, fluffy dinner rolls with my meals – whether we’re serving soup, pasta, sauce-y dishes, steak, special family meals – or making sliders out of them. Dinner rolls go with everything in my opinion!

But, because I am happy to serve them with anything – we usually run out of the store-bought rolls quickly.

That’s why I love this quick and easy homemade dinner rolls recipe. It’s ready in one hour from start to finish and results in perfect buttery, soft, fluffy dinner rolls with a slight chew. (And when you serve them warm they actually melt in your mouth!)

Because of the quick rise time, they do have a slightly yeasty taste. It’s not overwhelming but it is noticeable and I find it more noticeable if the rolls are left out for a couple of days so these rolls are definitely best enjoyed soon after making them.

My best tip to ensure that these rolls turn out perfectly every time is to use a thermometer to check the temperature of the warm milk mixture before adding it to the yeast mixture. I never used to do this and would get so frustrated when my dough wouldn’t rise. I’d assume that the yeast was old – but what was actually happening was that I was killing the yeast by adding a liquid that was too hot.

You can use a candy thermometer or meat thermometer for this. Ensure the mixture is between 95ºF and 110ºF – if it’s hotter, allow it to cool before proceeding with the recipe. This is the meat thermometer I have been using for the past 6 years – I’ve never had to change a battery and it’s super sturdy and reliable. It was a bit pricey, but unlike the $15 models that you can buy, this one isn’t going to need replacement. It is waterproof and comes with a two-year warranty. (Thermoworks also has a $15 pocket-sized model if you want to try that out first before investing in the MK4.)

Why did my dinner rolls turn out hard? There are three main culprits for dinner rolls turning out hard:

  1. Yeast: your yeast is dead. This can be due to expiry dates, poor storage conditions, or killing the yeast with liquid that is too hot. (See above for how to avoid that.)
  2. Too much flour: you only want to add enough flour so that your dough is soft, elastic and not too sticky. It will still be somewhat tacky and shouldn’t be dry at all.
  3. Not enough rising time: this recipe only requires two 15-minute rising times, but the most important factor is how much the dough has risen in that time. Use our pictures for reference to see what your dough should look like at the end of both rise times.

Can I reduce the sugar called for in this recipe? This recipe works out to less than 1 teaspoon of sugar per dinner roll, as written. The sugar is necessary to help the yeast ferment, which allows the dinner rolls to rise. However, I have had success replacing half of the sugar in this recipe with honey.

Can I use active dry yeast to make one hour dinner rolls? Yes, but you will need to proof the yeast first and they will no longer be “one hour rolls” but “two hour rolls.” You can proof the yeast with water, or by adding the yeast, salt and sugar to the warmed milk mixture and letting proof for 10 minutes before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.

Increase all rising times to 40 minutes from 15 minutes.

Can I use rapid rise yeast to make one hour dinner rolls? I use instant yeast and rapid rise yeast interchangeably when making these rolls and always have great results.

Can these dinner rolls be frozen? Yes, you can freeze either before baking (after the second rise) – just ensure you thaw them for one hour at room temperature before baking (and you may need to increase your baking time); or you can freeze after baking for up to six weeks. If freezing before baking, I really love these Pyrex dishes with lids (and I add an extra layer of plastic wrap or parchment paper before securing the lid).

One Hour Fluffy Dinner Roll Ingredients

  • Water
  • Butter
  • Milk <– I always use whole milk in baking recipes as the fat content helps yield better results
  • All-Purpose Flour, as needed
  • Salt
  • White Sugar
  • Instant Yeast <– can use rapid rise yeast, if using active dry yeast read our tips above for proofing the yeast first and increasing rise times

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: while a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook will make quick and easy work of this recipe, you can use your hands to knead the dough instead. I do not recommend using a hand mixer for this recipe.

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How to Make One Hour Dinner Rolls

Combine the water, butter and milk.

Place mixture in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium-heat and heat until the mixture reaches 95-115F. If it is hotter, allow it to cool slightly before proceeding with the recipe.

 

Stir together 3 1/2 cups of the flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.

Add the warm liquid mixture and knead for 6-8 minutes until a soft ball forms and pulls clean away from the sides of the bowl. Add the additional 1 cup flour, as needed

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a clean towel for 15 minutes.

Grease a 9” x 13” casserole dish and set aside.

Punch down the dough and divide into 12 to 15 equal sized balls of dough.

Place the balls of dough in the greased casserole dish and re-cover with plastic wrap and towel for another 15 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400F

Remove plastic wrap and towel from the casserole dish and place the dish in the oven for 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown on top.

If brushing with butter, brush halfway through baking with 1 Tablespoon of melted butter and then again after baking.

 

Pin this Easy, Soft and Fluffy Dinner Rolls recipe:

How to make soft, fluffy dinner rolls in just one hour! These one hour dinner rolls require one bowl, six ingredients and just one hour of your time - and only 15 minutes of that is active, the rest is just rising and baking. Buttery, soft, fluffy and with the perfect amount of chew.

Grab your free printable for our one hour dinner rolls recipe:

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Yield: 15 rolls

Soft and Fluffy One Hour Dinner Rolls

Soft and Fluffy One Hour Dinner Rolls

A delicious soft and fluffy dinner roll recipe that is ready to eat in just an hour! Two quick 15 minute rise times, one bowl and just six ingredients - this is the EASIEST dinner roll recipe you will ever make!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons butter, plus additional for brushing
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, as needed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 Tablespoons instant yeast

Instructions

  1. Combine the water, butter and milk.
  2. Place mixture in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium-heat and heat until the mixture reaches 95-115F. If it is hotter, allow it to cool slightly before proceeding with the recipe.
  3. Stir together 3 1/2 cups of the flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.
  4. Add the warm liquid mixture and knead for 6-8 minutes until a soft ball forms and pulls clean away from the sides of the bowl. Add the additional 1 cup flour, as needed
  5. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a clean towel for 15 minutes.
  6. Grease a 9” x 13” casserole dish and set aside.
  7. Punch down the dough and divide into 12 to 15 equal sized balls of dough.
  8. Place the balls of dough in the greased casserole dish and re-cover with plastic wrap and towel for another 15 minutes.
  9. Preheat your oven to 400F
  10. Remove plastic wrap and towel from the casserole dish and place the dish in the oven for 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown on top.
  11. If brushing with butter, brush halfway through baking with 1 Tablespoon of melted butter and then again after baking.

Notes

My best tip to ensure that these rolls turn out perfectly every time is to use a thermometer to check the temperature of the warm milk mixture before adding it to the yeast mixture. You can use a candy thermometer or meat thermometer for this. Ensure the mixture is between 95ºF and 110ºF - if it's hotter, allow it to cool before proceeding with the recipe, otherwise the heat will kill the yeast.

You can reduce the white sugar by adding half sugar and half honey.

Also, avoid adding too much flour to these rolls or they will turn out hard. You only want to add enough flour so that your dough is soft, elastic and not too sticky. It will still be somewhat tacky and shouldn't be dry at all.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

15

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 170Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 159mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 4g

Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.

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I hope your family loves these easy one hour dinner rolls as much as mine does! They are incredibly easy to make and perfect for a last minute side dish.

Check out some of our other homemade bread recipes, like our Homemade Pretzel Rolls or our Instant Pot Bread recipe.

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