Fast Classic White Dinner Rolls

Published Date: March 4, 2024 | Last Updated: April 19, 2024
Everyone has a favorite dinner roll recipe. Whether it’s your mom, your grandma, or your great aunt, someone in the family is the roll master who always brings the rolls to the family gathering. And I want that to be you! These Fast Classic White Dinner Rolls will have people begging you to bring them to the next family dinner.
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Everyone has a favorite dinner roll recipe. Whether it’s your mom, your grandma, or your great aunt, someone in the family is the roll master who always brings the rolls to the family gathering. And I want that to be you! These Fast Classic White Dinner Rolls will have people begging you to bring them to the next family dinner.

These rolls are so soft, fluffy, and all-around delicious. They are my new favorite! Make these delicious rolls and up your family dinner game forever.

Why I Love Fast Classic White Dinner Rolls

The best part of this recipe is that it’s super quick! You can have these rolls on the table in just 90 minutes, thanks to a little extra active dry yeast in the recipe. You all know how much I love sourdough, but it can take hours to rise, and sometimes I just don’t have the time! When I’m not making sourdough I’m definitely making this recipe.

Ingredients for Fast Classic White Dinner Rolls 

Let’s go through all the ingredients you need to make this recipe:

Flour

Bread flour is integral to any of my bread recipes. It contains more gluten than all-purpose flour, so the finished product results is soft with a beautiful stretch and perfect chew. 

You can find bread flour at pretty much every grocery store. It’s usually just right next to the all-purpose flour. I most often make this recipe with bread flour that I get from a local mill, Lehi Mills.  (Affiliate coupon code is AMBERSKITCHEN for 10% off)

You can absolutely swap the bread flour for another type of flour, such as kamut, whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour. just be mindful that kamut flour and whole wheat are more thirsty flours- meaning you will need less! Start with 3/4 as much kamut or whole wheat flour as this recipe calls for, and then keep adding more flour only until it passes the touch test

Salt

I use two kinds of salt in this recipe: Redmond Real Salt for in the dough and flaked sea salt for on top of the dough. I love the extra crunch that flaked sea salt adds to the top of my rolls.

Water

Warm water is the key here. You don’t want it too cold or it will take a little longer to rise. But you definitely don’t want it too hot, or it will aggravate or even kill the yeast. Use room temperature to slightly warm water. Think baby bottle temperature.

Sugar

I add granulated sugar to this dough, but you could reduce it or omit it completely and the rolls would still turn out deliciously. I just love the hint of sweetness and how soft these rolls come out!

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is my go-to for  breads and rolls. It makes the dough so soft. Even if you don’t use coconut oil much, it’s worth it to have on hand for bread! 

Yeast

This quick recipe uses active dry yeast. I added a bit more than I typically use in my bread recipes so that these rolls would be super speedy! Instant yeast would probably work as well.

Melted Butter 

You gotta brush the hot rolls with melted butter. There’s just nothing better than hot rolls with melty butter! 

How to Make Fast Classic White Dinner Rolls

Making these rolls is quick. You can make these start to finish in 90 minutes. To make the dough, combine the water, sugar, and yeast and let proof for 10 minutes. It should be bubbly and smell like bread. Add the oil and salt straight into your bowl with the yeast mixture. Add the flour, a cup at a time, mixing in between until you have enough flour. My favorite way to see if I have enough flour is to use the “touch test.” Here’s how to do it:

Touch the dough. If it sticks to your fingers, you need more flour. If it’s soft and tacky, but doesn’t stick to your fingers, you’ve got the perfect amount! If the dough feels dry, you can add a little extra oil to soften it back up.

First Rise

The dough only needs to rise for 20 minutes, so set a timer and don’t forget about it!

Shape the Rolls

Dump the dough onto a floured surface and divide into 12 equal portions. Roll into balls and place on a greased baking sheet. You can use a greased 9×13 pan, seasoned cast iron pan, or double the recipe and use a standard half sheet pan. I like to use parchment paper sheets if I use a sheet pan.

Second Rise

Preheat the oven while the rolls rise. Cover the rolls and let rise for 20-30 minutes or until puffy.

Bake

Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, or until the tops of the rolls look golden. I love to brush the tops of the rolls with butter right when they come out of the oven, and then sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top. It just takes them over the top delicious! 

More Bread Recipes

 If you love baking, check out these other delicious bread recipes.

Sage’s Perfect Potato Rolls

Cheesy Bread Twists

Sourdough Pull-Apart Bread

Happy Cooking! 

I hope you love these Fast Classic White Dinner Rolls as much as I do.

If you make this, I would appreciate a share! Take a photo and tag me. I love to see you all making my recipes in your kitchen. Thanks in advance!

If you want to follow along on my cooking adventures, follow me on Instagram @amberskitchen

This post contains affiliate links and I may receive a commission on your purchase. Thank you for shopping through my links. 

Fast Classic White Dinner Rolls

So soft and delicious, and the best part is they can be made in 90 minutes!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breads
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Rising time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water baby bottle temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
  • ¼ cup sugar or honey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 2½-3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour, give or take 1/2 cup

Instructions

  • Combine water, yeast, and sugar. Mix gently. Cover and let the yeast proof for ten minutes. If yeast does not foam up then do not move forward, start again with new yeast.
  • Add salt and oil. Mix to combine.
  • Add flour, cup by cup mixing in between each addition. You have enough flour when 1- the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 2- the dough becomes tacky but not overly sticky in texture. Use the touch test (below) to determine if the dough has the right amount of flour. If it doesn’t have enough, add a little flour and knead. If it has too much flour, add a teaspoon of oil and knead. Do not add too much flour!
  • Touch test: after kneading the dough, touch it with 3 fingers. If a lot of dough sticks to your fingers, it needs more flour. If hardly any sticks to your fingers it’s just right. If it is dry and crumbly with pockets of visible flour, it has too much flour. Kneading the dough for a few extra minutes can help hydrate any excess flour.
  • Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or with a bowl lid or with plastic wrap. Let rise for 20 minutes.
  • Punch down dough and dump onto a clean, floured surface. Divide into 12 rolls. Shape into balls and set on a greased 9×13 pan or seasoned 12-inch cast iron skillet. Cover with plastic wrap, a lid, or a clean dish towel. Allow to rise again for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  • Bake at 350° F for 15 minutes.
  • Brush the tops of the rolls with butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired. Enjoy!

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Recipe Rating




  1. 5 stars
    Delicious dinner rolls!
    I made these rolls as my first ever attempt to bake bread from scratch!
    I used honey in place of sugar & my stand mixer with the dough hook. Baked at 350 for 25 minutes in my 11″ cast iron skillet.
    These turned out PERFECT! 🙂

Ambers-Kitchen-Sourdough-Bread-2

Hi! I'm Amber

I'm obsessed with all things food and a mom to five. Baking bread and using my instant pot are my favorite things to do in the kitchen, and I can't wait to bring all that I have learned to you! Connect with me on Instagram because there's where I basically live these days.