1-Hour Rolls - The Recipe Critic (2024)

These 1-hour dinner rolls are the perfect solution for making fresh bread in a pinch! This easy and delicious roll recipe will become your new favorite and are perfect for any occasion.

Homemade dinner rolls are a necessity for every meal. For a roll on the sweeter side try my amazing Hawaiian sweet rolls or these copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls are always a hit! Or, for that perfect in-between buttery goodness, go for my perfect dinner rolls.

Easy 1-Hour Dinner Rolls

These 1-hour dinner rolls are the solution for that tasty homemade flavor without all the prep time! I LOVE the flavor and texture of homemade rolls but it can get pretty time-consuming. Good news! With just a little rapid-rise yeast and simple ingredients, you can recreate the soft, buttery texture of fresh rolls with just 40 minutes of prep time.

This is a great place to start for easing into the world of baking bread. Getting the perfect dough and working with yeast can sometimes be a bit tricky! This 1-hour dinner roll recipe takes the guesswork and long proofing times away with the use of rapid-rise yeast and just a few simple instructions. Perfect for any dinner, dipping in some tomato soup, or even for enjoying with a little honey butter or jam.

Ingredients For 1-Hour Dinner Rolls

No grocery trip is required here! 1-hour dinner rolls are amazing because they use super simple ingredients. All individual measurements are in the printable recipe card below.

• All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour works great for achieving that light, fluffy bread texture.
• Granulated Sugar: Needed for activating your yeast!
• Rapid Rise Yeast: Be doubly sure you’ve got rapid rise yeast and not active dry yeast. This will change the conditions necessary to make your dough.
• Salt: Salt is added to enhance the rolls’ overall flavor.
• Milk: Milk is a vital part of your dough and makes your rolls more tender. You can use any kind of milk here! Even dairy-free options like oat milk, almond milk, or cashew milk.
• Unsalted Butter: Added to dough for a rich flavor and soft texture. Additionally, butter is needed to melt and brush on top! This gives your rolls that bakery-worthy shine.

How to Make 1-Hour Dinner Rolls

The steps to make these 1-hour rolls are really straightforward. You’ll have hot, buttery rolls fresh from the oven in no time! It’s the perfect recipe whether it’s your first time making them or you’re a seasoned cook! Honestly, all they need from you is a little love. The simple ingredients will do the rest!

Preparing Dough

1. Preheat Oven/ Prepare the Pan: Let’s make some tasty rolls! First, set your oven to warm. Or as low as you can set it if you don’t have a warm option, about 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray then set aside.
2. Prepare Yeast Mixture: In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
3. Combine with Milk and Butter: In another bowl, combine the warm milk and 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Using the dough hook on low, slowly add the liquid to the dry ingredients. Knead the dough for about 4 minutes or so, until it is smooth and elastic. If the dough is still very sticky, add more flour 1-2 tablespoons at a time.
4. Rest: Once you have achieved a smooth dough, cover the bowl then let rest for about 5-10 minutes.
5. Divide: Once the dough has rested, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and divide the dough as evenly as you can into 15 pieces. I like to use a kitchen scale so I can get them equal in size. Weigh the whole ball of dough in grams then divide it by 15. That’s the weight each roll should be. Shape each piece into a ball and pinch the dough together on the bottom.

Baking

1. Let Rise in the Oven: Next, place the dough balls into the baking pan and use your fingers to rub a little bit of water over the tops of the balls so they don’t dry out while baking. Then, transfer them to the warm oven and let them rise for 20 minutes, or up to 30 minutes if they have not doubled in size after 20. I find it helpful to use a spray bottle to spray the bottom of the oven to create steam to help the rolls rise faster.
2. Bake: Remove the risen rolls from the oven and bump the heat up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. As soon as the oven has preheated, bake the rolls for 16-18 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.