These are the best 1-hour dinner rolls! Buttery pillows of dough, baked to a golden brown. Start to finish in an hour.
You might also like my Amish dinner rolls, quick-rise cinnamon rolls or easy breadsticks recipe!
My family absolutely loves these rolls. They are perfect for sandwiches, spread with honey butter or strawberry freezer jam, or served as a side dish with dinner.
Why I Like This Recipe
- 1 hour rolls. When you don't feel like waiting 2 ½ hours for yeast rolls, these rolls will definitely hit the spot. They are basically my knotted dinner rolls in a different form. We skipped the initial 1-hour rise and moved straight to rolling out the dough.
- Simple ingredients. Dinner rolls are made from simple ingredients that you most likely already have on hand. You can use oil instead of butter, but you'll never regret using butter. It adds richness and delicious flavor to the rolls.
- Buttery and delicious rolls. They are still buttery, soft, and delicious. You'll wonder if it's worth letting rolls rise for an hour ever again. Spoiler alert: YES. Yes, it is worth going the extra mile for soft, feathery rolls---but these 1-hour knock-off versions are DARN GOOD, just in a different way.
What Others Are Saying
I made these for Thanksgiving, and they were really good. We used the cinnamon butter too.---David on FB.
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Tips and Tricks
- Tip for those who don't own a stand mixer: If you do not have a stand mixer, you can make this dough by hand using a Danish dough whisk in a large mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients together, then knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes. I rarely use a wooden spoon to mix dough anymore; a dough whisk is much more efficient and works great!
- Tip for letting rolls rise. The rolls will rise faster in a warm spot. I preheat my oven for 1 minute, then shut the heat off. It makes the oven just warm enough for the rolls to rise while on the pan. Then I remove the rolls from the oven when I preheat the oven for baking.
- How to freeze rolls. Freeze the baked rolls by placing them into a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months.
Ingredients
- Water: The majority of liquid in this roll recipe comes from milk, but I use a small amount of warm water to proof the yeast.
- Yeast: Yeast is necessary for a proper rise. You can use instant (my preferred yeast) or active dry yeast. Regardless of the type of yeast I use, I always proof it.
- Milk: Milk adds a richness to the rolls and gives them golden brown edges. You can use water in place of milk for allergen purposes.
- Butter: I bake exclusively with salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter. Butter is used in the dough, then spread over the dough, and then brushed over finished rolls.
- Sugar: Just a bit to add sweetness to the dough.
- Salt
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make 1 Hour Dinner Rolls
Step 1: Heat milk, butter, and sugar in a microwave-safe bowl for 2 ½ minutes. Stir. Allow it to cool for a bit so that it is warm, not hot.
Step 2: Combine 3 cups of flour with salt and yeast. Add the milk/butter mixture and egg. Stir until smooth. Add remaining flour and mix until a soft dough forms.
Step 3: Knead dough until smooth (3-5 minutes).
Step 4: Divide the dough into 2 sections and roll each section into a 10" x 15" rectangle. Slice each rectangle into 12 squares (24 squares total) using a pizza cutter.
Place rolls on greased baking sheets and let rise 30 minutes in a warm place.
Step 5: Bake rolls at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, until tops are lightly brown. Brush generously with melted butter.
Dinner Roll FAQs
You can use either type of yeast for making rolls. For the most part, I use whatever yeast is available. Most of the time, it's the instant yeast that comes in a large package from Sam's Club. When I use dry active yeast, I add 10-15 minutes to the rise time. Technically, you do not need to proof instant yeast, only dry active yeast; however, I've become so accustomed to proofing my yeast that I do it for every recipe.
I always use bread flour or all-purpose, whichever one I have on hand. My favorite brand is King Arthur.
Freeze the baked rolls by placing them into a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months.
More Dinner Roll Recipes To Make
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The BEST 1 Hour Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm milk
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 egg
- 6 cups flour divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 4 ½ teaspoons yeast 2 packets, instant or rapid rise
- ¼ cup melted butter to brush over finished rolls
Instructions
- Heat milk, sugar and butter in microwave safe bowl for 2 ½ minutes. Stir. The mixture should be warm, not too hot. If it's hot, let it cool down a bit before adding it to the flour.
- In a large mixing bowl combine 3 cups of flour with the yeast and salt. Add milk/butter mixture and egg. Mix until smooth.
- Stir in remaining 3 cups of flour until soft dough forms.
- Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
- Divide dough into 2 sections. Roll out each section into a 10" x 15" rectangle. Slice each rectangle into 12 squares (24 squares total).
- Place squares on 2 greased baking sheets (12 per sheet). Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
- Brush rolls generously with melted butter.
Brandy says
I love these rolls when I don't have a lot of time, but still want homemade bread. They work great in my kids' lunches too!