The BEST Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe (2024)

Thanksgiving rolls are simple enough that anyone can put them together. The best part is, you can serve these dinner rolls all year long, and anyone can make them. This Thanksgiving recipe makes a perfect recipe for any holiday!

These are as simple to make as our easy homemade bread. I’m living proof! (No “bun” intended.) Read on and I’ll show you exactly how it’s done.

About These Homemade Rolls

Homemade dinner rolls are a perfect addition to holiday meals or any dinner. They are easy to make with simple ingredients like flour, yeast, warm milk, melted butter, and a little bit of sugar.

These simple Thanksgiving rolls are soft and pillow-like little bites of heaven. Add a smudge of sweet butter, and you’ll probably start hearing harp music. They’re that good.

Ingredients and Notes

The beauty of this recipe for Thanksgiving rolls is the shortlist of ingredients. Aside from water, there are only seven other things you need. All of them are basic pantry ingredients!

Eggs: Always allow eggs to get to room temperature before using in baking recipes. This makes things bake more evenly and will not cool down the ingredients mixture! Here’s how to quickly bring eggs to room temperature.

Flour – You can use all-purpose flour but try to use bread flour. The higher protein content will give these Thanksgiving rolls a chewier crumb.

Yeast – Be sure and proof it to make sure it is alive and well (active.) Otherwise these rolls won’t rise well! Do this by “proofing” it in some warm water and sugar. Let it set for 10 minutes and if you get a bunch of bubbles, you are good to go!

If nothing happens, this means your yeast is not good. Either the proofing liquid was too warm and killed the yeast, or it has expired.

Expert Cooking Tip – Check the expiration date of your yeast. If it has expired, you’ll need new yeast to make these dinner rolls.

How to Make Homemade Rolls

Whenever you’re working with a yeast recipe, a warm kitchen is always preferred. You want to avoid cold and drafty areas.

These Thanksgiving rolls are super simple to make! It is a matter of mixing the dry (flour) with the wet (milk and eggs) to the proper consistency. This dough will be wet and sticky!

1. Heat the milk, butter, milk, and sugar in a small saucepan, until the butter melts. Do this over medium heat.
2. Proof the yeast by dissolving it in 2/3 cup of warm water with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Stir the mixture and allow it to set for a few minutes. You should see some tiny bubbles form which is “proof” that the yeast is alive.
3. Combine the flour and milk mixture in a large bowl. Beat on medium-low speed for 30 seconds and then add the yeast mixture. If you have a stand mixer use the dough hook attachment to do this.
4. Add the beaten eggs and as much of the remaining flour as is necessary to make the dough soft. You want the dough to pull away from the edge of the bowl, but it will still be very sticky.

Now, you’ll place the dough inside a large bowl and let the dough rise. You can also leave it in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cover it with some plastic wrap or a kitchen towel during the rise time. After the initial rise, we go to the next steps.

1. Punch dough down on a lightly floured surface.
2. Divide dough into two equal pieces. You can use a kitchen scale to make sure the pieces are equal.
3. Shape each piece into a rectangle.
4. Cut each piece of dough into 12 equal sections and form them into a smooth ball.

Place the dough balls on a prepared baking sheet and let the rise for another 30 minutes, in a warm place. You can cover them with a clean kitchen towel during the rising time.

Toward the end of the final rising time, you can preheat your oven to 375° F.

These Thanksgiving rolls take between 15 and 18 minutes to bake. When they turn golden brown they are ready to come out of the oven!

If you want to brush a little melted butter over the top of the rolls at this time, no one would ever judge you! These buttery rolls will make your Thanksgiving dinner, or any special meal, even better.

Substitutions and Variations

Make-Ahead Options – Holiday dinners can be hectic! To make things easier, you can make these ahead of time by refrigerating the dough overnight before baking.

Rapid Rise Yeast – If you don’t have much time, you can use rapid-rise or instant yeast instead of active yeast.

Common Recipe Questions

This easy roll recipe is a nice way for you to build some confidence in your bread-making skills. Besides that, they are truly wonderful!

Thanksgiving rolls are the perfect way to soak up Gravy. Or, just as a simple side dish for any meal! I hope you will give these a try today.

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Updated from the original post of November 13, 2014.