Mom’s Jumbo Dinner Rolls
on Dec 17, 2009, Updated Aug 21, 2024
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My mom has been making this homemade dinner rolls recipe for years and they’re absolutely divine. They make your house smell amazing and the recipe makes perfectly soft and fluffy jumbo dinner rolls. The dough is extra soft and tender thanks to the addition of butter, milk, and eggs! So tasty and perfect for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table.
This dinner roll recipe makes big, fluffy dinner rolls that your whole family will love to eat. They simply turn out great every time. My mom has a handful of recipes that she’s “known for,” and this, my friends, is her nearly famous dinner roll recipe. She makes it for all the major holidays and family functions, and when she flies out west to visit all the grandbabies, we always request a batch of her famous dinner rolls. They are the stuff childhood memories are made of.
This is a classic dinner roll recipe, but the trick to make the rolls extra soft and buttery is melted butter, eggs, and milk in the dough. All three of those things lend to really tender dough. This is actually a great dough recipe for cinnamon rolls, but we’ll save that for another post. I can’t wait for these simple dinner rolls to become a family favorite in your house, too.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Even if you are new to yeast baking these are the easiest rolls ever! Seriously, they’re fool-proof even if baking rolls has given you trouble in the past.
- You can easily spruce these up by adding chopped herbs and garlic, cinnamon and sugar, cheese and jalapeño, or bacon bits and cheese to the dough! Just add your additions of choice before kneading the dough and letting it rise.
- These rolls are kneaded to perfection, resulting in a soft, elastic dough that bakes into light and airy rolls with a golden, buttery crust.
- You can prepare these rolls in advance and either store them at room temperature or freeze them, making them convenient for busy schedules and holiday preparations.
Recipe Ingredients
- Instant yeast
- Flour – all-purpose
- Sugar – granulated
- Milk
- Butter – Can be substituted with margarine
- Eggs
- Salt
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Dinner Rolls
Step 1. Combine warm milk, melted butter, water, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add flour gradually and knead into a soft dough.
Step 2. Let the dough rise in a greased bowl for 30 to 60 minutes.
Step 3. Divide dough into 32 pieces, shape into balls, and place on a greased baking sheet. Let rise again until doubled.
Step 4. Bake at 400°F for 14 to 18 minutes, then butter the tops and serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Fill up a small measuring cup with a little warm water. Add 1/4 teaspoon of your yeast, and then add a pinch of sugar and lightly stir it together. Wait for 5 minutes. If the yeast is still active, you will see little bubbles along the top of the water, and it will start to “foam.” I think the date on the yeast package is a good guide, and I like to store my yeast in the fridge to help keep it fresh. When in doubt, get new yeast. Nothing is worse than an loaf of bread that won’t rise!
I love to serve dinner rolls shortly after taking them out of the oven, when they’re still warm and buttery and soft. If you’re waiting to serve them, you can place them in a cloth napkin-lined basket and loosely cover them with another cloth napkin to keep the warmth inside.
The key to these being super tender and soft is the milk, melted butter, and eggs. Be sure you scald the milk and melt the butter together to get really incredible results! Also, don’t be afraid to over-knead the dough. The longer and more you knead it, the more elastic and tender it becomes.
I could eat these plain and have about 7 of them as a whole meal. But we also love serving them for holiday meals or other special occasions. Serve them with butter and jam if you like, or split them open and make a little turkey or ham sandwich using them.
Expert Tips
- Make sure your yeast is fresh! Check the date before starting. This is the yeast that I use and have great success with.
- Ensure the water is warm but not hot (about 110°F) when mixing with the yeast. Too hot, and it can kill the yeast; too cold, and the yeast won’t activate properly.
- Add the flour gradually, 1/2 cup at a time, to avoid a dense dough. The dough should be soft and elastic but not sticky.
- Don’t be afraid of over-working your dough. Kneading the dough will lead to tender and soft dough.
- Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free area. If your kitchen is cold, you can place the dough in an oven with just the light on or near a slightly warm oven.
- Brush the tops of the rolls with butter right after baking to add flavor and keep the rolls soft and tender.
How to Serve and Store Dinner Rolls
Enjoy these rolls warm or at room temperature. Arrange the rolls in a bread basket lined with a cloth napkin to keep them warm and add a touch of elegance to your table. Serve with butter, jam, or turkey gravy for a delightful addition. They also pair well with soups such as beef noodle, vegetable, and Italian wedding soup, stews such as Brunswick or Hungarian goulash, and holiday meals such as green bean casserole, brown sugar glazed ham, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce.
To make these in advance, follow the directions in the recipe card below to make rolls ahead of time. If I’m not serving the rolls right away, I like to remove them from the pan to cool about 15 minutes after they come out of the oven so that the bottoms don’t get steamy and soggy. You can travel with them easily by storing them in an airtight container.
After baking your rolls, remove them from the pan and let them cool completely. Store in an airtight container or freezer-safe sealable bag to store them in your freezer for up to 4 months. To reheat, let them thaw for an hour or two at room temperature, place them back in a baking dish, and bake for about 10 minutes at 250 degrees F. Be sure to rub butter over top before serving.
More Holiday Recipes to Consider
Appetizer Recipes
Fresh Cranberry Salsa Recipe | Sweet & Spicy Holiday Dish
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Healthy Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Homemade Coconut Cream Pie
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie
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Mom’s Jumbo Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons instant yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 large eggs
- 6.5 to 7.5 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Heat the milk and butter together in the microwave to scald the milk and melt the butter, 2 to 3 minutes. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine milk/butter mixture, water, yeast, sugar, and salt. Let yeast rest for 5 minutes.
- Add half the flour, and mix for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until incorporated.
- Add the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. The dough should be soft and elastic, but not sticky. Knead with your mixer or by hand for 5 minutes.
- Let the dough rise in a greased bowl for 30 to 60 minutes.
- After rising time has passed, divide the dough into 32 pieces. Roll each piece into a round roll, and place it on a greased, rimmed baking sheet (that is 13×18 inches).
- Once all the dough is shaped, cover the rolls, and let them rise for another 30 to 60 minutes. The sides of the rolls should be touching each other before you bake them, that’s how you know they are ready. If your house is cold it might take a longer for them to rise this much. See the photos of the risen rolls in the blog post for reference.
- Once the rolls have at least doubled in size, bake at 400 degrees F. for 14 to 18 minutes, or until the tops are nice and golden.
- Remove from the oven, and butter the tops of the rolls while still hot. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- To make this ahead of time simply make the rolls and bake them. After 10-15 minutes remove the rolls from the pan so that they bottoms don’t get soggy from steam (I try to keep them connected in 1 or 2 big pieces). Cool the rolls on a wire rack. When the rolls have cooled all the way, place them back in the pan they baked in and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. If you are just making them the day before, they can just let them rest at room temperature. If you are making them more ahead of time you can freeze them all wrapped up. Allow 6-8 hours for them to thaw at room temperature before you serve them. They are great at room temperature or you can break them apart, put them in a large oven-safe bowl with a towel in the bottom and then cover them with a clean towel and reheat in a 200 degree oven for 15 minutes or so before serving. I normally put them in my enamelware bowls for this.
- I make this recipe using butter, but my mom often makes it using margarine. It works just great with either one.
- If I’m not serving the rolls right away, I like to remove them from the pan to cool about 15 minutes after they come out of the oven so that the bottoms don’t get steamy and soggy.
Have you ever used this dough for cinnamon rolls?
YES! Spoiler alert, you can do half batch or rolls and half batch of cinnamon rolls and it’s the perfect amount for a family!
Best recipe for roll I have used also makes great cinnamon rolls
What size pan did you use?
It’s a large rimmed baking sheet, half sheet pan or jelly roll pan. It’s 12 by 18 inches. My mom’s pan is 15.5 by 10.5 inches and it works well too, they’ll rise a little higher in the smaller pan because they are a bit closer together.
I like the pan you have in the recipe. It looks like white enamel. Where can I get one like it?
Yes! look up Rove and Swig enamel online, that’s where I get all of my stuff and I have LOTS!
Hi, Do you use a dough hook or paddle attachment?
I use the hook attachment.
I have vegans in the household, would it work to make these with Earth Balance margarine (butter substitute) and Almond milk?
Hmmm… I bet that they would turn out fine! I’d definitely try it. Even if they aren’t exactly the same I think they’d be a really nice vegan roll.
Hi there,
I like the looks of this recipe and am considering making it for Thanksgiving. Can the rolls be made and placed in the refrigerator unbaked the night before, sat out to rise then baked the day of?
I have better luck baking the rolls and freezing them ahead of time and just reheating them. I’d love to hear if you try baking them the next day though!
I have a similar recipe and because I have to make 100+ for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I parbake them a day or two before I need them then finish them off in the oven so they are hot and fresh. To parbake, set the oven to 250-275 and bake about 20 minutes until they are no longer sticky, but are not browned. They can be cooled and stored in ziplock bags for a day or so or frozen for a couple of months. Then just finish off at the normal temp to brown and finish.
Ohhhhhh great great tips! THANK YOU so much for sharing!
Hello! These look delightful! Since we are traveling this year for a very short amount of time for thanksgiving , my family has asked for me to do less cooking 😭. That way I can enjoy my only day there. This is a hard spill to swallow . Soo I’m determined to make rolls at least !! I have a couple questions .. can the dough be made in a bread machine ? Can just the dough be made ahead of time and then let them defrost and rise to bake once I am at my destination on Thanksgiving mornkng ? We will be traveling about 5 hours the night before . Any suggestions would be great ! Thank you ! My family are big bread eaters so this looks perfect !
You can mix up the dough in the bread machine! And when it comes to making these ahead of time, I have the best luck baking them, cooling completely, and then freezing. Thaw overnight and then refresh in a warm oven!
So I made this in my bread maker and everything rose wonderfully.. however I feel as though they are more tough and not very tender. They remind me more of those Parker house rolls in the tin pan… how can I make them more tender ? Please excuse how messy they are!! I halved the recipe so that I could test it out. The dough setting on my bread maker is 23 minutes. The picture shows you what the inside of one of the rules looks like as well as the top of the others. Thanks for any help!!
I don’t know much about bread makers, it is possible it over worked the dough or that it killed the yeast?
Maybe?? They rose beautifully in the bread maker! However I just opened my microwave and realized I never added the butter 🤦🏻♀️ So perhaps this is why! Maybe I’ll attempt again tonight. Do you know if using bread flour makes a difference?
Ohhh yes, it needs that fat for enrichment! I’d for sure try them again!
That’s super odd… do you have any ideas? Anything odd on your end? Normally in a baked good the baking soda or baking powder can give off flavors but this doesn’t have either of those. Was something rancid?
Everything was fresh…I’m not sure what’s wrong…
I think I know what’s wrong now Melissa….I baked all day yesterday…and I munched on a lot of things, including York peppermint patties…my boyfriend had a dinner roll today with his lunch and loved them…I asked if they were bitter, he said no…I took a bite, and no bitterness…it has to be the peppermint patty…that’s all I can think of….I am going to give them 5 stars now…
Well I’m glad we figured that out! How interesting, I hope you do love them and get to enjoy them hot out of the oven next time!
What size is the enamel pan you used to bake these in? I love enamel pans. Thank you.
They’re a bit bigger than 9×13, 11 by 15 inches maybe?
Can you make these into one (or 2) loaves instead of roles
Yep, it makes 2 loves. Or I’ll make one large braided loaf with this bread. It’s really pretty like that!