Last Updated on April 9, 2020
These soft, buttery dinner rolls are a crowd-pleaser any time of year and especially welcome at holiday dinners. They’re pillowy, rich with butter, and tender inside — at our house we simply call them butter buns.
Making Homemade Dinner Rolls
Note: this recipe is written for a two-pound bread machine and uses the dough setting.
Follow your bread machine’s instructions about ingredient order. I used the basic dough setting with a medium crust. During the initial kneading, check the dough after five to ten minutes. Open the machine and observe the dough — it should form a smooth, round ball.
Homemade Dinner Roll Ingredients in the Bread Machine
If the dough seems too dry, add water a teaspoon at a time until the texture is correct. If it’s too wet and sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it becomes smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky.
Here’s how the dough ball looked for this batch of buns.
When the dough cycle finishes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half, then continue dividing until you have 16 to 18 equal portions. Shape each portion into a smooth ball, taking care to seal the seams on the bottom to create a uniform top.
Place the rolls on a greased cookie sheet, leaving a little space between each so they can rise into one another. Cover loosely with a clean, lightweight kitchen towel and let them rise for about 30 minutes, until puffy.
Here’s how the buns look after rising for half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Remove the towel and bake the rolls for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are golden brown on top. Transfer the baked rolls to a cooling rack and let them rest briefly before serving so the crumb sets and they’re easier to handle.
Buttery Dinner Roll Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 large egg
3 1/4 cups bread flour
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons dry milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Add the ingredients to the bread machine following the order recommended in your manual. Use the dough setting to mix and knead the dough. If you prefer a faster method, substitute 2 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast for the 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast and use the quick dough setting — this speeds the rise but will slightly alter texture and flavor.
After the dough cycle, shape, proof, and bake as described above. Enjoy warm with butter for best results.