These one hour Old Fashioned Dinner Rolls are so soft that they literally melt in your mouth! They’re 9 simple ingredients, rise once in your oven, and come out perfect every single time.
Make these golden brown rolls for the holidays and I guarantee you’ll be the one on roll duty every year.
I’m not sure if you know this, but I live in a 200 year old farm house. And during Michigan winters we rarely have sun, it gets super dry, and super cold. This makes it nearly impossible to make successful dinner rolls because the yeast just does not like it.
I have spent 3 years developing this recipe because I needed something that would stand up to my cold wintery climate. So, what makes it work? The combination of potato flakes, dry milk powder, an egg, and a little extra yeast give them the most perfect rich and buttery texture.
On top of that, these rolls only need to rise once and when they do it’s in a warmed oven. This turbo charges the yeast and drastically cuts down on the time it takes to make them. But don’t worry, you’d never know they were ONE HOUR ROLLS!
Old Fashioned Dinner Rolls Ingredients
Here’s everything you will need to make this recipe and a few important notes too. Keep reading!
- Water
- Unsalted Butter
- Bread Flour: I recommend and use unbleached bread flour because the protein in it makes the perfect roll texture.
- Instant Dry Yeast: I use the brand Fleischmann’s, but you can use your favorite. I also recommend doing a test on your yeast before starting. You don’t want to waste ingredients on expired or dead yeast.
- Granulated Sugar: This feeds the yeast, do not leave it out.
- Dry Whole Milk Powder: It gives the rolls such a tender texture and adds richness without adding milk in it’s liquid form.
- Instant Mashed Potato Flakes: Make sure you’re using a brand that uses 100% potatoes without other ingredients, fillers, or flavors. I use Bob’s Red Mill because they are 1 ingredient.
- Salt
- Egg: I know this ingredient is at the end of the list, but you’ll want to get this out first. Just crack it into a small bowl, lightly whisk, and by the time you’re ready to add it to the dough it’ll be the perfect temperature.
You’ll also want to grab your stand-mixer with a dough hook and a 9×13 baking pan. I prefer glass when making dinner rolls because they brown more evenly on the bottoms.
Tips To Read Before Getting Started
Before we jump into the recipe instructions, here’s a few things I want you to know about these dinner rolls.
1. The water and butter should be between 100 – 110 degrees Fahrenheit. If warmer it’ll kill your yeast and too cool your yeast won’t activate.
2. Properly measure your bread flour using the spoon and level method. Just whisk your flour to aerate it then use a spoon to scoop it into your measuring cup. Once full level it off using a knife. It gets the perfect amount every time.
3. If you don’t have a stand mixer, don’t worry. You can easily knead the dough by hand, it’ll just take double the time. Fold everything together until it forms a shaggy dough. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for about 10 to 12 minutes. The dough should be tacky but never sticky.
How to Make One Hour Dinner Rolls
1. Kneading the Dough. To a stand-mixer fitted with dough hook, add and whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Turn mixer on to speed #1 and slowly pour in the warmed (100 -110 degrees Fahrenheit) water and butter mixture. Then slowly pour in the beaten egg. Continue kneading dough on low speed for 5 to 7 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.
ELIZABETH’S NOTE: If after 4 minutes the dough is sticking to the sides and bottom of the bowl, add 1 tablespoon of bread flour at a time until it cleans the bowl (do not exceed 4 tablespoons).
2. Form the Rolls. Pour dough out onto your work surface (no flour needed). Divide it into 12 equal pieces. Lightly roll using the palm of your hand until it becomes a smooth ball and then pinch together the bottom seams. Place the rolls in a greased 13×9 pan (3 rows of 4) so they are equally spaced and not touching.
3. The Oven Rise. Heat oven to 180 degrees Fahrenheit, brush top of the rolls with water, turn off the preheated oven, and place rolls in oven for 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and preheat oven for baking.
ELIZABETH’S NOTE: Set rolls on top of your stove as it is being preheated, the warmth will keep them rising.
4. Bake your old fashioned dinner rolls. Bake them for 18 to 22 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Brush the tops generously with unsalted butter or even a seasoned/ herb butter.
Storing and Reheating Information
To keep as much air out as possible, I like to wrap my dinner rolls in aluminum foil and then place them in an airtight container. Sometimes I use a glass container and sometimes it’s a sealable plastic bag. Either way, we want to keep the air out and keep them from going stale.
You can keep them at room temperature for 5 days, refrigerated for about 9 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Easily reheat the dinner rolls in the microwave or 350 degree Fahrenheit oven until warmed. I like to keep my rolls wrapped in aluminum foil when warming them in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Things To Serve Your Rolls With
You can make these 1 hour rolls for any of the major holidays (Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas) or just because you are craving fresh homemade rolls. Here’s a few recipes I love to make these with.
Old Fashioned Dinner Rolls
EQUIPMENT
- stand mixer - with dough hook
- 9×13 baking dish - glass
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups bread flour - unbleached, or all purpose flour – measure using spoon and level method
- ¼ cup potato flakes - Bob's Red Mill (I use them because they are 1 ingredient and 100% potatoes), or other non-flavored brand
- ¼ cup dry milk powder
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons instant dry yeast - Fleischmann's
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup water
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter - cubed, plus more for brushing on rolls
- 1 egg
INSTRUCTIONS
- Crack egg into a small bowl and lightly beat. Set aside.
- To a stand-mixer bowl add and whisk together the bread flour, potato flakes, dry milk powder, granulated sugar, instant dry yeast, and salt. Fit stand mixer with dough hook.
- In a small saucepot add the cubed unsalted butter and water. Heat until it reaches 100 °F to 110 °F. Don't worry if the butter isn't completely melted, it'll break down as the dough kneads.
- Turn stand mixer on low speed (#1 to #2) and slowly pour in the warmed butter/water mixture, then the lightly beaten egg. Continue to knead on low speed for 5 to 7 minutes.ELIZABETH'S TIP: If the dough does not clean the sides and bottom of the bowl after 4 minutes, add 1 tablespoon of bread flour at a time but do not exceed 4 tablespoons.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 170 °F.
- Turn out dough onto work surface (no flour needed). Divide it into 12 equal pieces. Lightly roll by cupping the hand and using the palm for light pressure until it becomes a smooth ball. Pinch the bottom to make a smooth seam.
- Place rolls seam side down in a greased 13×9 baking dish. They should be placed equally in 3 rows of 4 so they are not touching. Brush rolls with water.
- Turn off oven and put the rolls inside with the door shut. Allow them to rise for 20 minutes.
- Remove rolls from the oven and place on top of stove covered with a towel. Preheat oven to 375 °F.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until golden. Once removed from the oven, brush with unsalted butter. Serve immediately.
RECIPE NOTES
STORING INFORMATION
- At room temperature, wrapped in aluminum foil and placed in an airtight container or sealable bag, for up to 5 days.
- Refrigerated, wrapped in aluminum foil and placed in an airtight container or sealable bag, for up to 9 days.
- Frozen, wrapped in aluminum foil and placed in an airtight container or sealable bag, for up to 3 months.
- Reheat dinner rolls unwrapped and in the microwave OR kept wrapped in aluminum foil and in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed.
USING ACTIVE DRY YEAST IN PLACE OF INSTANT
- Active dry yeast has larger granules that need to be bloomed first. Heat water to 100 °F to 110 °F, add granulated sugar and then the yeast. Lightly stir and cover with a towel. Set aside to bloom for 5 to 10 minutes.
- The stand mixer should contain all the remaining dry ingredients. Slowly pour the bloomed yeast, then the melted butter, and lastly the egg. Follow all other directions as written.
HAND KNEADING INSTRUCTIONS
- This is for those who will not be kneading the dough with a stand mixer. Just stir the ingredients together until it becomes a shaggy dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 to 12 minutes. The dough should be tacky but never sticky. Follow all other directions as written.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
