Who can resist soft dinner rolls fresh from the oven? These dinner rolls bake up fluffy and golden with just a hint of sweetness. Brush warm rolls with melted butter just before serving.
Who doesn't love a warm dinner roll to go along with their meal? We know we do! These irresistible dinner rolls are fluffy, buttery, and just a little bit sweet for a delicious flavor combination.
No one will be able to say no to these rolls — especially when they're warm right out of the oven.
Dinner Rolls Ingredients
You'll only need a few pantry staple ingredients for this recipe:
- Flour: Of course, bread needs flour. Use all-purpose flour for the best results.
- Yeast: This recipe calls for RapidRise yeast, which is what we recommend you use. However, you can use active yeast, you'll just have to follow the directions on the package. Whatever yeast you use, make sure it's not expired or else the dough won't rise.
- Sugar: Two tablespoons of sugar is all you need to add a hint of sweetness.
- Salt: Salt adds a touch of flavor.
- Milk: Warm milk will activate the yeast, moisten the dough, and keep it soft while it bakes.
- Butter: Butter adds a rich flavor to the rolls.
How to Make Dinner Rolls
You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe below, but here's what you can expect when making dinner rolls from scratch:
- Make the dough: Combine flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, salt, warm milk, water, and butter in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer, adding more flour as needed, for a few minutes. Continuously scrape down the sides.
- Knead the dough: Turn the dough out onto a floured and knead until smooth and elastic.
- Let the dough rise: Cover and let the dough rise. This should only take 10 minutes if you're using fast-acting instant yeast (like Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast).
- Shape the dough: Cut and shape the dough into rolls and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until the rolls have doubled in size.
- Bake the rolls: Bake the proofed rolls until golden brown. Brush with melted butter and serve warm.
Learn more: How to Make Soft and Fluffy Dinner Rolls
What to Serve With Dinner Rolls
Dinner rolls go well with just about anything — in our experience, no one will ever complain about some extra tasty bread on the table. If you need some inspiration, try serving your dinner rolls with one of these recipes:
- Italian Sausage Spaghetti
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Chef John’s Nashville Hot Chicken
Can You Make Dinner Rolls Ahead of Time?
Yes, absolutely! Even though these rolls only take about an hour and a half to make, you can break up the prep time by shaping the dough into rolls and then refrigerating them before the second rise. You can leave the rolls in the fridge overnight. Then, when you're ready to bake, allow the rolls to come to room temperature. Proof them for about 30 minutes (or until they're doubled in size). Bake as directed.
How to Store Dinner Rolls
Store your rolls in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to three days. To extend their life, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.
How to Reheat Dinner Rolls
Reheat dinner rolls in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until they're warmed through. For a quicker method, you can also reheat them in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds.
How to Freeze Dinner Rolls
Freezing dinner rolls is simple: Just place completely cooled rolls in a zip-top freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat in the oven.
You can also freeze the dinner roll dough for easy baking later. Place the shaped dough (before the second rise) on a baking sheet and into the freezer. Let the dough freeze overnight until it's frozen solid. Then, place the frozen dough balls into a zip-top freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to three months.
When you're ready to bake, take the dough balls out of the freezer and place them on a baking sheet. Let the dough thaw and rise for about 4 to 5 hours. Bake as directed.
Cookdap Community Tips and Praise
“This recipe is awesome. I followed it to a “T” and they came out perfectly. Only flaw: it only made 11. Next time I make these I’m going to have to double the batch. They didn’t last 30 mins after they came out of the oven,” says BakersGirl.
“This recipe has to be the easiest and tastiest roll recipe ever! I kneaded the dough in my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook for 5 minutes. If you are using a mixer for kneading, you can usually cut the original kneading time in half. After 20 minutes in the oven I had fluffy, golden-brown picture-perfect rolls. This is the only roll recipe I will use from now on,” raves Joyful Cook.
“I too used regular dry yeast since I did not have RapidRise yeast and used my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook. I simply let the buns rise longer than the recipe called for and baked. The buns were awesome and my husband could not stop eating them,” according to TMYERBURG.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided, or as needed
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup water
- 1 (.25 ounce) envelope Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast
- 2 tablespoons butter, plus more for brushing
Directions
Step 1
Combine 3/4 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt in a large bowl.
Step 2
Heat milk, water, and 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan until very warm (120 degrees to 130 degrees F).
Step 3
Add warm milk mixture to the flour mixture. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed of an electric mixer, scraping the bowl occasionally. Add 1/4 cup flour; beat for 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough.
Step 4
Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.
Step 5
Divide dough into 12 equal pieces.
Step 6
Shape pieces into balls and place in a greased 8-inch round pan. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Step 7
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Step 8
Bake rolls in the preheated oven until golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.
Step 9
Brush with melted butter?if you like; serve warm and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings Per Recipe 12 | |
Calories 108 | |
% Daily Value * | |
Total Fat2g | 3% |
Saturated Fat1g | 7% |
Cholesterol6mg | 2% |
Sodium115mg | 5% |
Total Carbohydrate19g | 7% |
Dietary Fiber1g | 2% |
Total Sugars3g | |
Protein3g | |
Calcium16mg | 1% |
Iron1mg | 6% |
Potassium38mg | 1% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.
Powered by the ESHA Research Database ? 2018, ESHA Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved
source by allrecipe
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- by: Tina Waldher
- 14 years ago
Quick and easy dinner rolls! Good flavor and hearty texture; my family loves these rolls. To add variety, I also brush with melted butter before cooking, and then sprinkle chopped rosemary and sea salt on top of about half the pan of rolls. Other good toppings are fine grated Parmesan cheese, poppy seeds, or sesame seeds.
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- by: Cookingfor5
- 14 years ago
These did not work for me… I followed the recipe EXACTLY even using the same brands, and they just would not rise. I have never had a problem with rising before, even at altitude, but I usually mix the yeast in with liquid first before adding to mixture. Next time I would dissolve the yeast in with the warm milk mixture and then add that to dry ingredients. As is, these only came out like little balls about 1.5 inches in diameter, not enough for two people! These also are a little sweet but bland, I would reduce the sugar and maybe add a little more salt or some herbs. Won’t use these again.
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- by: Jan
- 14 years ago
The rolls turned out beautifully, light tender crumb. I proofed my yeast with the water and sugar before adding the other ingredients, mixing it by hand and not with a mixer, I also used half all-purpose flour and half bread flour. I only had active yeast, not the rapid rise, so I allowed an hour or so for the first rise, then gently formed a log and cut 12 pieces with my bench scraper and loosely placed them in the cake pan then let them rise another hour. Love the way they turned out, next time I will add a bit more salt, but other then that wonderful!
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 14 years ago
The rolls turned out beautifully, light tender crumb. I proofed my yeast with the water and sugar before adding the other ingredients, mixing it by hand and not with a mixer, I also used half all-purpose flour and half bread flour. I only had active yeast, not the rapid rise, so I allowed an hour or so for the first rise, then gently formed a log and cut 12 pieces with my bench scraper and loosely placed them in the cake pan then let them rise another hour. Love the way they turned out, next time I will add a bit more salt, but other then that wonderful!
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- by: Litegal1
- 13 years ago
These were about as good as the packaged kind you see rolling around Walmart at Thanksgiving time. Had to use quite a bit more flour – probably another 1/2 to 3/4 cup – as dough was incredibly sticky and virtually impossible to kneed for the alotted time. Next time will try and knead with KA as someone else mentioned. If you’re like me and use a scale, I ended up with exactly 1# of dough which evened out to a little over 1 1/4 oz per roll. I’d probably shoot for 10 next time at 1 1/2 oz instead of the 12 rolls.
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- by: Cherish Grabau
- 13 years ago
These were the best dinner rolls I’ve ever made- so fluffy and soft, with just the right amount of sweetness, not too much. I used my KitchenAid dough hook to knead them for 6 minutes. I brushed them with a little melted butter before baking and again when they came out of the oven. I baked them in a Pampered Chef stoneware deep-dish pie pan (buttered); the bottoms of the middle ones didn’t brown, probably because of the pan, but they still tasted fantastic. I made them at lunch time – we were going to have them with dinner tonight, but we tore into them and ate every single one of them up right then & there! Good thing I still have plenty of time & ingredients to make another batch in time for dinner…
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- by: Lfrasco
- 13 years ago
I made in the bread machine on express bake. I added all the wet ingredients first and yeast last (per directions of my machine) I did have to keep a keen eye on wetness and added quite a bit more flour. Tasted great, didn’t fill the whole bread pan but that’s expected! Also used Rapid rise yeast.
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- by: <3
- 13 years ago
This is a great, simple recipe… I prepare my dough a little different though. I combine the warm milk, water and sugar with the yeast until it foams, then I add most of the flour and salt, and mix it together in my mixer, adding extra flour a little at a time until my dough pulls away from the bowl all over. Then I add the butter last and knead it on high for 5-10 min. I really think waiting to add the butter last makes these soft and fluffy. I’ve made them several times this way and no one believes they’re not store bought the first time they try them! I do think they’re better with a little less sugar but that’s just my preference, they’re good either way.
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- by: Ediecornelius
- 13 years ago
This recipe was so easy and yummy! I used the dough hook attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer for the kneading. I made two changes to the recipe. First, instead of a muffing tin to cook them in I used a pie plate. I weighed the separated dough on a kitchen scale to make sure they were all about the same, (a little over one ounce each) and spaced them out in the pie plate to rise. Next, I brushed the tops with melted butter before putting them in the oven. When they were done, they were golden, moist, and pulled apart (plus they looked like I bought them at the store). My mixer makes the kneading so easy, and with the rising time being so quick, I will make these for dinner on a regular basis, and not just for special occasions! Loved this recipe!!!
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- by: Pammar
- 13 years ago
I prepared this recipe a little then as written but kept the ingredients the same. I did not have RapidRise yeast, only active dry yeast so I bloomed the yeast in the water, milk and sugar then mixed that into all the other ingredients. Knead for about 8-10 minutes. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Shape into balls and let rise for another hour. Baking degrees and minutes are the same. They turned out beautiful, soft and delicious!
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- by: Hyemama
- 13 years ago
I just made these rolls for dinner and all I can say is “Wow!” They were delicious as well as simple. I actually simplified this recipe further by putting all the ingredients in my bread machine and using the dough cycle. I left all ingredients the same and followed the instructions for heating the water, milk and butter. I put all the liquid ingredients in first, followed by the dry and then put the yeast in last. Once the dough was done, I followed all other instructions exactly. The whole family loved them! I will definitely make these again. Thanks!
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- by: Tanyaburrows
- 13 years ago
These were surprisingly really good! I am new to bread making in general, but can cook anything else easily. So I took the time to make these with a little extra butter to the tops of the bread once they were done and greased the bottom of the pan with butter. I also used the dough hook on my mixer to knead the dough. And the result was they were really tasty! The bottoms were nice and brown and buttery and so were the tops! My husband, son and I polished the whole pan off at dinner! They actually were comparable to Texas Roadhouse’s rolls. Definitely a go to for dinner rolls!
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- by: Thecakediva40
- 13 years ago
I just made these rolls tonight and they were just OK! The yeast flavor is not popping as I thought it would be. I have never made rolls without eggs! and they weren’t as light as some of the reviews stated. I might make them again, but I would like to try something else.
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- by: Diana
- 13 years ago
Wonderful recipe, I used every single ingredient as instructed but used my Kitchen Aid to knead the dough for about 7 minutes or so. If you are not used to handling though, make sure you powder your hands with some flour so it doesn’t stick to your skin while shaping the bread balls. I have to admit that they were not as fluffy as I wanted them to be, they had a biscuit type of texture so that’s why I gave it 4 stars. I will be proofing the yeast next time to see if they come out fluffier.
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- by: Joyful Cook
- 13 years ago
This recipe has to be the easiest and tastiest roll recipe ever! I kneaded the dough in my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook for 5 minutes. If you are using a mixer for kneading, you can usually cut the original kneading time in half. After 20 minutes in the oven I had fluffy, golden-brown picture-perfect rolls. This is the only roll recipe I will use from now on!
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- by: Kychynwych
- 13 years ago
These were amazing! I served them with Thanksgiving dinner, and my husband can’t stop talking about them (or eating them). They are slightly sweet–much like a Hawaiian roll–and very mild, so they are perfect for topping with Thanksgiving leftovers like cranberry sauce and turkey. I made them almost exactly as written, except that I used hemp milk and Smart Balance Light in place of the milk and butter (to accomodate dairy allergies). I also used white spelt flour instead of AP (wheat allergies). As far as the recipe itself, the only change I made was to proof the yeast with the water and 1 tbs. of the sugar for 10 minutes before adding it to the dry ingredients (along with the warmed milk and Smart Balance). I also used my stand mixer and dough hook instead of kneading it by hand, which took about 5 minutes total. These came out light, fluffy and perfectly golden brown–exactly the dinner roll I was looking for. Fantastic, easy recipe!
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- by: Raiona
- 13 years ago
These were excellent, and so easy to make! It was last minute before Christmas Dinner, and I realized I had no potatoes. Nowhere was open to get potatoes, but I still wanted a starchy sort of thing, so I thought I would try my hand at making rolls! They turned out perfect!
The only problem is I will have to keep myself from making these all the time now and devouring them! -
- by: Jaimie Ostermeyer Czeschin
- 12 years ago
This recipe is delicious. The rolls are slightly dense and still light. Great with soups, stews, fried chicken or just butter and honey. I made these rolls while visiting family out of state. I doubled the recipe and there where no rolls left. My aunt said they tasted just like the rolls her grandmother used to make.
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- by: Annabutton
- 12 years ago
Love this recipe. It is so easy and simple. I followed it exactly (with the exception of rapid yeast, I only had instant). It’s an easy to work with dough that turns out perfect every time. I’ve also used this same recipe for making garlic knots and cinnamon rolls. I would totally recommend this recipe any time.
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- by: Kate Ruddle
- 12 years ago
I had never made bread before, and the first couple times I tried this recipe, it didn’t quite come out – the taste was ok, but they didn’t rise very much and the texture was kind of thick and chewy as a result. I finally found out what I was doing wrong – I wasn’t getting the water/milk/butter mixture hot enough! I bought a food thermometer and got the temp. to 130 and they came out beautifully! This is probably obvious information for most on this site, but if you are like me and new to baking and having trouble with this, try buying a thermometer and getting the temp. exact! Also, try covering the bread with a damp cloth when you let it rise – apparently the dampness helps for some reason, according to another baker who helped me problem-solve on this one!
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- by: Jillian
- 12 years ago
Fabulous dinner rolls that are quick and easy to make! Light, fluffy and just plain good – what more could you ask for? Plus, I have to admit warm dinner rolls are hard to resist. I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer with the dough attachment to make easy work of the kneading. I brushed these with melted butter before baking and the result was wonderful. You could easily add a variety of herbs or top with Parmesan cheese and change the recipe to suite your tastes or to compliment your meal. Great recipe!
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- by: Rick P.
- 12 years ago
This is a wonderful recipe. Easy, quick, and the a great light, classic dinner roll. I made them yesterday to go with our Thanksgiving turkey. Everyone raved. I made them in my KA mixer with the dough hook, then hand kneaded for a couple of minutes just to feel the dough. They rose nicely in the time the recipe said and just took about 10 minutes longer in the oven.
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- by: Jeff And Jeni
- 12 years ago
I decided to give theses a try remembering the ones my great grandmother used to make me. I made these with my two and four year olds. I followed the dirctions except i let them rise 30 mins the first go round and close to an hour for the second. The were delicious and almost all gone as sone as they cooled.
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- by: Twinmother
- 12 years ago
I was searching for a good dinner roll recipe. After two not v. successful attempts with different recipes I tried this one – rolls came perfect and I didn?t change a thing (except yeast brand). I made them twice so far for two different parties and rolls disappeared in minutes both times. Made them small (a ?two bites? size). Also one batch sprinkled with some Parmesan cheese. Will make them again and again. Thank you v.v.v. much.
PS: I used my bread maker to make dough. -
- by: Ekaba
- 12 years ago
It tastes good, and it’s tender yeasty, but I wish I could get them fluffier. Also, the tops are too hard for me(I glazed them with butter the first time before baking, and after the second time I baked them. Both ways still produce a hard top(not burnt). My church gets these type of rolls from a restaurant and those are brown on the top, very very soft and yeasty with a slight sugar taste to the tops(which are soft and shiny) I am killing myself trying to recreate these rolls and I just can’t get it, even though the flavor is just about spot on. Trying to get the texture is getting to me, but I am determined not to give up. Also, I went to a fleischmann’s affiliate site called Breadworld that has the same recipe, but they added an egg. I emailed them of my dilemma and asked them if the egg makes a noticeable difference. Will see what they say…
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- by: Debra Cook
- 12 years ago
I just took a pan of these out of my oven. Prep was remarkably easy. I used a different brand of instant yeast and unbleached flour. The recipe made 12 rolls in a 8 inch pan although I considered using muffin tins instead. Maybe I will do that or turn them into Parker House rolls the next time. They were not too sweet as some doughs can be, and they rose very nicely. I might try another 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar the next time so that the taste more like my mother’s recipe. The rolls closely resemble the photo and I am completely delighted with them!
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- by: Michelle22
- 12 years ago
Great recipe! Light, flaky rolls even taste wonderful the next day. Rolls came out perfectly with recipe followed as-is. No proofing needed if liquids are at 120 degrees and using rapid yeast. Did use kitchen aid for most of kneading, hand kneaded for about 2 minutes. Rose beautifully on a covered, warm stove top. I did only get 9-10 rolls with this recipe though.
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- by: Dolly
- 11 years ago
I don’t mean to be mean with the two stars. I put my rating at two so others may use the method I stated below when the rolls don’t “rise:” Based on the lovely photo of your rolls, I soo wanted this recipe to work out! I, however, experienced much the same as Cooksfor5 who stated that her rolls simply would not rise. Because it is January in Phila., PA, my kitchen is somewhat cool. When checking on the rolls after the 30-minute rise time, I noticed that they had not risen. I removed the rolls from my cool, dark oven and cut the oven on the pre-heat cycle. When the oven reached 100 degrees, I cut it off and placed the rolls back in. After about 12 minutes, I checked to see if the rolls had risen some. Sure enough, they had. I am leaving them in for another 10 or so minutes to see if they will rise more. Here’s hoping they do because, again, they look so delicious in your photo. Wish me luck!
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- by: Angela
- 11 years ago
I was upset with this recipe at first because I thought the rolls weren’t going to rise. After giving them an hour to rise, I gave up and stuck them in the oven. There they finally rose some, and the end result was a little roll with a lot of flavor. I feel like they should have risen more, but they were still very good. We ate them with honey-butter. I followed the recipe this time, but next time, I’ll proof the yeast first–as others suggested.
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- by: Cajungal328
- 11 years ago
OMG… these are soooo good! I used these to make jalapeno cheese kolaches (which is a glorified hot dog pig in the blanket) they came out big, fat and wonderful. I followed this recipe exactly, only I didn’t have rapid rise yeast, only active dry yeast. So, to speed up the rising process, I heated my oven a bit to warm it and turned it off. After I kneaded the dough and let it set the 10 minutes or so, I wrapped my kolaches, placed in a glass baking dish, covered with foil, and set them in the warm oven (turned off) for 10 – 15 minutes to rise. Then I pulled off the foil, cranked up the oven to 375, and baked for 20 minutes until golden brown… My kolaches are the bomb! I had a bit of leftover dough, so I made 2 plain rolls, just to see how they are as just plain rolls, and to me, they taste as good, or better than store bought rolls, could use a bit more salt though…. This ones a keeper!
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- by: Gerry Higgins
- 11 years ago
Double Duty – I loved the dinner rolls, but I also use this recipe to make hamburger buns. Divide dough into 8 pieces, shape into flattened balls and lay on a cookie sheet. Bake – cool – slice. Better than store bought and the heartier texture holds up to juicy hamburgers.
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- by: Tally
- 11 years ago
Sooooo so good! I have to make these almost everyday because they never last more than a few minutes! Using this recipes ingredient measures though, I’ve only been able to get at most 11 rolls out of it, so I usually stick to about 10 so their a decent size. Go great with anything and just delicious!
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- by: Candi
- 11 years ago
Too easy to believe! And just as TASTY! Made for my family on Easter and they were a huge hit. To make 12 rolls fit in a 9×13 pan (larger size than recipe), you’ll need 1/3 more of the ingredients. For those not familiar with RapidRise yeast, it is different than “Active Yeast.” Follow the recipe exactly when using RapidRise OR adjust your processes and timing to use “Active Yeast” (which will take longer). BUT you’re not sacrificing taste using the RapidRise version.
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