These delicious dinner rolls are easy to make at home with just a few simple ingredients. Including dairy-free options, and optional whole wheat, this fluffy dinner roll recipe is perfect for a lunchtime sandwich or served with dinner. Including a sinfully decadent yet simple garlic butter sauce recipe to dip your dinner rolls in!

These dinner rolls are so light and fluffy, and they have so many uses. I love making little sliders or fish or chicken sandwiches with them, plus they are great for mopping up leftover soup or sauce out of your dinner bowl. This recipe makes 16-18 dinner buns, so you can usually get more than one night out of them, or at least feed quite a few people.

Also the garlic butter herb sauce, while optional, is absolutely fantastic. It’s also mostly butter, so why wouldn’t it be? If you’re looking for the ultimate butter sauce, here it is.

The best thing about these dinner rolls is that while it does take about 4 hours to make them, most of that time is the dough proofing on its own, so your attention is not required for most of the recipe beyond mixing the dough, shaping the buns, and baking them.

If desired, you can even put the rolls in the fridge overnight after shaping them, then pull them out and bake them just before dinner. I will say I do have to be somewhat careful with cold proofing these, since sometimes my yeast blooms a little too aggressively, and then you have gargantuan Godzilla buns the next day (but nobody is complaining, believe me). To counteract this, I will often shape the rolls just before going to bed, and sometimes I don’t even let them rise for the full 2 hours after the first dough mix.

The rolls don’t take too long to bake either; just 20-25 minutes at 350˚F/180˚C/Gas Mark 4. I love to eat these fresh from the oven, though you should probably let them rest for at least a few minutes before serving. They will continue cooking a little on the inside once they are removed from the oven.

Dinner Roll Basics

Here are a few helpful tips to making great dinner rolls:

• Use warm milk or water. Make sure the milk or water is heated to about 110˚F. I usually heat the milk or water in a small saucepan for 1-2 minutes on high heat while stirring, or just zap it in the microwave for 45 seconds.
• Bloom the yeast for 20 minutes with warm liquid and sugar. Sugar, warm liquid, and time are the secret to getting the yeast to bloom properly. Mix the warm liquid and sugar together in a bowl, then add the yeast and stir again. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a tea towel, then let it sit for 20 minutes to get nice and bubbly.
• Knead the dough by hand for 5-10 minutes. You can use a strong spoon or spatula if you are very averse to getting the sticky dough on your hands, but kneading your dough by hand assures appropriate gluten development.
• Let the dough rise twice. Let the dough rise for 1-2 hours in a warm room, then cut the dough into 12 pieces, and roll those pieces into balls. Place the balls, spaced out evenly, in an oiled baking tray. Let them rise for another 30 minutes before baking (or put them in the fridge overnight and bake them the next day).
• Oil and cover your dough. Every time you let the dough sit and rise, make sure both the dough and the inside of the bowl it’s in are coated with oil. Also cover the buns with plastic wrap and a tea towel so the dough doesn’t dry out.

• Add egg wash for a golden crust. For a golden exterior on the buns, use a pastry brush to paint beaten egg on the outside of the dinner rolls right before baking.
• Bake the rolls at 350˚F/180˚C/Gas Mark 4 for 20-25 minutes. Being that this is just a basic dinner roll recipe, a super high oven temperature isn’t necessary.
• Store your baked dinner rolls in a sealed container at room temperature, in the fridge, or in the freezer. These rolls keeps well in a sealed bag on the counter for about 3 days, in the fridge for up to 7 days, or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

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Easy Dinner Rolls With Whole Wheat

Instructions

1. To a heat-proof bowl add the warm milk or water and sugar, then stir to combine. Add the yeast and stir once more. Cover with plastic wrap and wrap the bowl in a tea towel. Let the mixture proof for 20 minutes until the yeast becomes expanded and bubbly.

2. Add the salt and 1 cup (125g) of all-purpose flour to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. 
3. Add the proofed yeast mixture to the bowl of flour and salt, then stir to combine.
4. Add the egg and the oil or melted butter, then mix.

5. Kneading the dough for about 10 minutes while gradually add the remaining flour. Dust your fingers and the dough with extra flour if the dough is too sticky to handle.
6. Smooth out the dough into a ball, then coat the dough ball and inner sides of the bowl with oil. 
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then wrap in a tea towel. Let rise in a warm room for 1 -2 hours. 

8. Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 16-18 equal pieces, then roll into balls. 
9. Place the dough balls (spaced out) in a lightly oiled or parchment-lined baking dish (9×13-inch/23x33cm pan or two 8-inch/20cm pans). Cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel.
10. Let the buns rise for another 30 minutes. Or, chill the buns in the fridge overnight before baking.
11. Preheat the oven to 350˚F / 180˚C / Gas Mark 4. Position an oven rack in the centre of the oven. 
12. Use a pastry brush to paint the buns with beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
13. Bake the buns at 350˚F for 20-25 minutes , or until a cake tester pulls out clean. 
14. Once baked, remove the buns from the oven. Let the buns cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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Garlic Butter & Herb Sauce

I have a confession to make – these dinner rolls are beyond amazing with a buttery herb sauce (who would have thought). You can either pour the sauce over the freshly baked buns just before serving, or serve the sauce on the side for dipping (my preferred method).

This sauce recipe makes about a half cup of sauce (usually this is plenty). I will also say, this sauce goes great over chicken, or with any kind of fish or seafood. It’s butter, so yeah.

To make this butter sauce, simply add the butter and garlic to a frying pan over medium heat. Let the butter melt completely. Once things start to sizzle, turn the heat down to medium low and move the garlic around the pan for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, add the fresh herbs, and serve! You can also mix a splash of lemon juice into the butter and garlic while it’s cooking if you like.

So, did you make these dinner rolls? With or without the butter sauce? Let me know!