One Hour Dinner Rolls
Published Oct 28, 2020•Updated Jul 04, 2025
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Got an hour? That’s all you need to make these incredibly light, fluffy one hour dinner rolls. I first created this recipe in 2012 and it has earned itself many super-fans over the years. You can be next! Just read on for more about this easy dinner roll method.
Amber says: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Awesome recipe! Followed the recipe exactly but made 12 larger sized rolls instead of 24. They turned out perfect.
These classic dinner rolls have been a staple around our table since I first published them back in 2012 (!). Check out the comments to hear from many fans of these soft, light, buttery rolls. And even if you’ve never made homemade dinner rolls, give this one a try. You just need one bowl. They’re easy and turn out great every time.
I love to serve them with everything from Thanksgiving favorites (my spatchcock turkey and favorite Thanksgiving sides beg for these homemade dinner rolls). Throughout the year I pair them with Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup, or Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup.
Ingredients
- Fast-Acting or “Instant” Yeast – This dough rises quickly and requires yeast labeled as Fast Acting, Instant, Quick-Rise, Bread Machine, or RapidRise. Do NOT use “Active Dry Yeast” for this recipe; it needs to be dissolved in water before using.
- Unsalted Butter – Butter shows up in this recipe in two places. Mix some softened butter into the dough and brush melted butter over the tops before and after cooking.
- Warm Water – Use water that is warm to the touch. Check the label on your brand of yeast for the recommended water temperature to get the best results.
- Sugar, Flour, Kosher Salt – Standard pantry ingredients for bread-baking.
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How to Make Dinner Rolls Ahead
To make the dinner rolls ahead, bake them as written and allow them to cool completely. Cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 24 hours.
To Reheat: To reheat the rolls place a piece of foil on a sheet pan. Add the rolls and brush them with some melted butter. Enclose the rolls tightly with foil, sealing the edges. Warm the rolls in foil in a 350°F / 177°C oven for about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
To Freeze and Reheat Dinner Rolls
To Freeze: After testing many different methods, I have found that the best way to prepare and freeze these dinner rolls is to bake them completely as directed. Allow them to cool and then freeze flat on a baking sheet until solid, 2 to 3 hours. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: Take the rolls out of the freezer about 3 hours before baking and let fully defrost at room temperature. Place them on a sheet pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake, covered, in a 350°F / 177°C oven until warmed through, 20 to 25 minutes. Brush generously with melted butter.
Printable Freezer Label
Print and attach the label below so cooking instructions are ready when you are!
More Homemade Bread Recipes
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One Hour Dinner Rolls
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- 9×13 Baking Dish
- Serrated Knife
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Warm Water (110°F / 43°C)
- 1 Tablespoons Instant or “Fast-Acting” Yeast
- 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature (2 Tbsp = 28g)
- 4 cups All-Purpose Flour, divided (4 cups flour = 500g)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
For topping:
- 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted (3 Tbsp = 40g)
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes.
- Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan.
- To the yeast mixture, add 2 Tablespoons softened butter, 2 cups of flour, and salt (making sure that the salt is added on top of the flour and doesn't come in contact with the yeast until you begin mixing). Mix on low until the ingredients begin to come together.
- Add remaining 2 cups of flour and mix again on low until flour is fully incorporated.
- Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. (You will know it is ready when the dough starts to make a slapping sound as it hits the sides of the bowl.)
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover it with a dish towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 20 minutes. (Note: I like to turn on the oven's light and let the dough rise inside the oven. The light produces just enough heat to help the dough rise quickly.)
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into an even ball.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into quarters. Slice each quarter of dough into 6 even slices (you should have 24 even pieces of dough). With lightly floured hands, roll each piece of dough into a ball.
- Place rolled dough in even rows in prepared pan.
- Heat oven to 400°F / 200°C. Cover the rolls with a dish towel and put them near the warm oven to rise for 20 minutes.
- Lightly brush the rolls with half of the melted butter (reserve the other half).
- Bake until golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes.
- Immediately after removing the rolls from the oven, brush them with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with salt.
- Flip the pan over to remove the rolls.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am a professional Chef = I needed a quick recipe in a pinch – this is a wonderful recipe – my customers were thrilled – and I was so proud to serve these. I baked them close together and “Top Split” them with a knife to use them as miniature buns for an appetizer sized fried clam roll. They were perfect and delicious!
Thank you so much!
What a compliment Nick! Thanks so much for letting me know! These do always seem to impress, but if they pass the chef test, that’s the real deal. P.S. yum – that appetizer sounds SO good.
Thank You Jess! They really are superb. We made them again for a different use this time, and they were received so very well. What a great recipe! I see a lot of questions about whole wheat, which I am curious about too – I will let You know my results!
Best Wishes – NIck
Tried making dinner rolls 3 times but the results were disastrous. I think the dough was too thick, not properly kneaded ( I used a stand mixer with the dough hook). My dough wasn’t smooth nor supple. I left the dough kneading in the mixer for a while so I don’t even know what went wrong! All I know is that it was a total disaster. I really wanna learn to make dinner rolls but I’m too traumatized to attempt it again.
Ps- I followed the recipe of a renowned YouTube food blogger to the T.
Hi Kimmola – I’m not sure what might have gone wrong. Was the YouTube blogger featuring the exact same recipe? Perhaps it was a different version?
Many issues with bread stem from the fact that the yeast has gone bad. Yeast is super sensitive and sometimes is even bad when you buy it from the store and use it right away. If you feel up for trying it again, I’d definitely recommend first getting a new batch of yeast. It can definitely take some time to master bread baking, but I promise this is a great recipe with which to hone your skills! I hope you’ll give it another try at some point.
These were soooo good!! I don’t usually like rolls at all, but wanted to make some sort of bread quickly for dinner and decided to give them a try. The salt and butter on top really added to them. They were so light and soft. I may make them again this weekend. Just make sure you don’t over-bake them, otherwise they may dry out and loose their airy texture.
So glad you liked them Kristin and thanks so much for your note! Great point – this is a recipe to really watch for over-baking. If baked just right, they’re my all-time favorite rolls.
Hi Kaylen – I’m so sorry to hear that. Can you tell me which direction confused you?
Best dinner rolls I’ve ever made! Definitely going to be my go to recipe for rolls!
I followed the recipe but my yeast water isn’t creamy. It’s been five minutes.
Betty, I would check and make sure the yeast is new. Sometimes if the yeast is too old, it dies. If it is new yeast, just proceed with the recipe and you should be fine. 🙂
WOW…been looking for an easy dinner roll recipes for years. This is the one. Light and buttery, EASY. My go to recipe from now on. Thank you!!!
Thanks, Narda! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Scan these be made up and frozen before baking? Traveling for thanksgiving so would like to let them thaw, rise and bake at location. Thanks!! Sally
Hi Sally! I’ve made them this way with great success. I let them rise for about 30 minutes before freezing, then let them defrost / rise before baking. Just don’t forget to bring the butter to brush over top – that’s key!
I made these rolls one hour ago. Fantastic!!! A big hit with my family.
I am going to make two dozen for the veterinarian office tomorrow. I take the vet office baked goods through out the year because it is a fantastic group of caring people who give so much to the community.
Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
Tulan – what a wonderful thing to do! I’m so glad you enjoyed these and will be able to share them with such a wonderful group of people.
Sooooooooo good!!!
I needed a quick dinner roll for the meal I was making for my wife and I and found this little gem of a recipe! SO quick and easy! Admittedly, I did modify a bit by simply using Rapid Rise put directly into (all) the dry ingredients and then adding the water while mixing, but it turned out (I’m guessing) just as good! I needed to prove a bit longer since my house was so cold, but the texture and flavor were to die for. I think I had 2 before dinner, 3 with dinner, and 2 for snack afterward 🙂 My wife liked them so much she told me to bookmark the page so I could make them again (and again… and again!) Super easy, super awesome! Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome! So glad you liked them George! These have saved many a last minute meal for us over the years. I’ll have to try it with your shortcut though!