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These Old Fashioned Soft and Buttery Yeast Rolls are rich, fluffy, salty, a little sweet, and absolutely delicious. Between the heavy cream and the honey butter, these dinner rolls are full of moisture. So addicting and worth all of the work, I promise.
I have been cooking for many years now, but have not been baking near as long. But baking homemade bread has been something I have recently fallen in love with. It is one thing that I think is 100% worth your time.
What is something you do not find worth the time to make from scratch? The first thing that comes to mind for me is tomato based pasta sauce. I always start with a jar.
I normally like to keep my recipes pretty simple. Especially when it comes to dinner because I know most of you are extremely busy. I also think you can create something that is full of flavor with minimal ingredients and just 30 minutes to an hour.
These rolls are the exception. They do not even compare to store bought and I find this to be true with homemade bread in general. Nothing comes close to eating these fresh out of the oven drizzled with honey.
I have tried many other yeast roll recipes and while many of them are good, these are the best dinner rolls by a landslide. So what's the secret? It's heavy cream. It keeps the rolls perfectly moist and super soft. You are in for a treat with this one!
Jump to:
Highlights
- Rich, moist, & buttery
- Finished with honey butter & heavy cream
- Light, fluffy, & super soft
- Salty & a little sweet
- The perfect homemade holiday dinner rolls
- Everyone’s favorite side dish
Ingredients
Dough
- Honey: Swap for white sugar.
- Instant Yeast: Red Star Platinum Superior Baking Yeast is my favorite. It is an instant yeast, but active dry yeast can be used as well. Rising may take longer though.
- Bread Flour: You can substitute this for all purpose flour without making any other changes to the recipe. I prefer to use bread flour because it produces a chewier dinner roll.
Topping
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
Instructions
before you start . . .
- Melt & cool the butter. Start by melting the butter (either in the microwave or in a small saucepan). Let it cool while you prepare the other ingredients. You want it to be about room temperature so it does not scramble the egg.
Step 1: In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the milk, honey, and yeast to the bowl. Whisk until combined. Let stand for 5 minutes. The mixture should be bubbly/frothy.
Step 2: Add the melted butter, egg, 1 cup of the flour, and the salt. Mix on medium until just combined.
Step 3: Add another 1 ½ cups of flour. Mix on medium until a dough forms.
Step 4: Depending on what your dough looks like, you may need to add more flour (see photo above). I typically add another ¼ - ⅓ cups of flour. The dough should be slightly wet but not sticking to the sides of the bowl. Mix on high for 4-5 minutes. The dough should have more elasticity now.
TIP - The dough will be slightly sticky. Do not add too much flour!
Step 5: Place the dough into a bowl greased with melted butter or oil. Let it rise in a warm environment (see recipe notes) for 1-2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
Step 6: Punch the dough down and gently form it into a thick rectangle (see photo above). Use a knife or bench scraper to divide the dough into 15 pieces.
TIP - Do not overwork the dough.
Step 7: Take each piece and form it into a ball. Pull the sides around toward the bottom and pinch the seam. This should form a round top. Place into a greased 9 x 13 glass baking dish.
Step 8: Let the rolls rise for another hour in a warm environment. They should puff up quite a bit. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees about halfway through the second rise.
TIP - Don’t stress too much about shaping the rolls. They will taste great regardless.
Step 9: Microwave the heavy cream for 10-15 seconds to take the chill off it. Brush the rolls with it and pour the remainder on top of them.
Step 10: Bake for 22-26 minutes or until the tops are golden and the rolls are cooked through. Mix the melted butter and honey together while the rolls bake. Brush warm rolls with honey butter and serve immediately.
TIP - These rolls are best right out of the oven!
Expert Tips & Recipe Notes
- Use a thermometer to take the temperature of the half and half. If the milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Pour the milk into a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave it in 10 second increments until it is about 110 degrees.
- Cool the butter to room temperature. After you melt the butter, let it cool while you prepare the other ingredients. This will ensure it does not cook the egg.
- Measure your flour with a scale or carefully spoon & level it. A scale is the best way to accurately measure the flour, but if you do not have one, gently spoon the flour into the measuring cup and use a knife to level the top of it.
- Use a stand mixer with a dough hook. While these rolls can be made without a mixer, it really makes the process so much easier. The dough hook does all of the kneading for you resulting in a dough with the perfect texture.
- Grease the bowl and pan well. Don’t skimp on the butter or oil. The dough should be greased enough that it doesn't stick to your hands while shaping the rolls. I don’t even use flour.
- Let the rolls rise in a warm environment. If it is warm and sunny outside, put your covered dough on a window sill. You can also use your oven. Preheat the oven as low as it can go, then turn it off once it has come to temperature. Wait above 5 minutes and then put the dough in the oven with the door cracked. After 20-30 minutes, close the door so that too much heat does not escape. You can repeat this for the second proof as well.
- Don’t overwork the dough. After the first rise, gently punch the dough down and shape the rolls. They do not need to look perfect and some may be different sizes. That is okay! The more you work the dough, the tougher and more dense the rolls will be.
- Keep an eye on the rolls while they bake. If the rolls reach desired color before they are finished cooking, loosely cover them with foil for the remainder of the baking.
- Don’t skip out on the honey butter & salt. Brush the rolls with the honey butter right when they come out of the oven and sprinkle with sea salt.
FAQs
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 5-7 days.
Yes. The day before you want to bake the rolls, complete the recipe through step 7. Cover the baking dish and place the rolls in the refrigerator overnight. Let the rolls rise on the counter for 1-2 hours before baking. Pick back up on step 9.
You can freeze these rolls raw or cooked. To freeze the dough, shape the rolls into balls. Place the balls not touching on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in the freezer for 3-4 hours. Then you can place them into an airtight bag. Place the frozen rolls into a greased pan and thaw on the counter for 4 hours. Bake according to the recipe. Repeat the same freezing process with cooked rolls so they do not stick together in the freezer. Thaw in the microwave, on the counter, or in the fridge.
Too much flour will create a dense roll. Be sure to measure correctly! Overworking the dough will also create a tough roll.
There are a couple of reasons why the rolls might not be rising. Check to make sure the yeast was not expired. Second, if the milk was too hot, it could kill the yeast. Be sure to use a thermometer. Lastly, too much flour will make the dough too heavy and unable to rise.
Related Recipes
Old Fashioned Soft and Buttery Yeast Rolls
Ingredients:
Dough
- 1 cup half and half, warmed to 110 degrees
- 2 Tablespoons honey*
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry instant yeast, 1 standard packet*
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled
- 1 large egg
- 2 ½ - 3 cups (325-390g) bread flour*
- 1 teaspoon salt
Topping
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tablespoon honey
Instructions:
- Review all recipe notes and instructions before beginning.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the milk, honey, and yeast to the bowl. Whisk until combined. Let stand for 5 minutes. The mixture should be bubbly/frothy.
- Add the melted butter, egg, 1 cup of the flour, and the salt. Mix on medium until just combined.
- Add another 1 ½ cups of flour. Mix on medium until a dough forms.
- Depending on what your dough looks like, you may need to add more flour (see photo above). I typically add another ¼ - ⅓ cups of flour. The dough should be slightly wet but not sticking to the sides of the bowl. Mix on high for 4-5 minutes. The dough should have more elasticity now.
- Place the dough into a bowl greased with melted butter or oil. Let it rise in a warm environment (see recipe notes) for 1-2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
- Punch the dough down and gently form it into a thick rectangle (see photo above). Use a knife or bench scraper to divide the dough into 15 pieces.
- Take each piece and form it into a ball. Pull the sides around toward the bottom and pinch the seam. This should form a round top. Place into a greased 9 x 13 glass baking dish.
- Let the rolls rise for another hour in a warm environment. They should puff up quite a bit. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees about halfway through the second rise.
- Microwave the heavy cream for 10-15 seconds to take the chill off it. Brush the rolls with it and pour the remainder on top of them.
- Bake for 22-26 minutes or until the tops are golden and the rolls are cooked through. Mix the melted butter and honey together while the rolls bake. Brush warm rolls with honey butter and serve immediately.
I love soft breads and will have to try this recipe. I currently ran out of bread flour thanks that I can still use regular APF.
These rolls are heavenly! They make my whole house smell so delicious!
So soft and fluffy! My family really enjoyed these rolls!
Okay, these are crazy good! So soft and buttery I couldn’t stop eating them! Thanks for sharing!