I am a huge fan of bread. Especially sweet bread. Stuff like Hawaiian rolls, Irish Soda Bread, bagels, sweet pretzels — you name it, they all make me happy! And these bread machine sweet dinner rolls definitely put a smile on my face. They are sweet enough to eat and enjoy on their own but they also taste delicious with butter, jelly, applesauce, as a side for a meal, as a bun for a ham sandwich or breakfast sandwich…the possibilities are endless😊
Recipe adapted from this rolls recipe.
Ingredients for Bread Machine Sweet Dinner Rolls:
- All Purpose Flour
- Bread Flour
- Active Dry Yeast
- Butter or Margarine
- Milk (Regular or Almond Milk)
- Egg
- Sugar
- Salt
- Water
Sweet Dinner Roll Video Instructions:
How to make Bread Machine Sweet Dinner Rolls:
1) To the pan of your bread machine, add warm water, warm milk, egg, 1/3 cup of softened butter or margarine, sugar, salt, all-purpose flour, and bread flour. (Check your bread machine’s instruction manual and add ingredients in the order it recommends)
tips:
- Use a spoon to scoop the flour into your measuring cup, then level it off with a knife before adding to the pan.
- Make sure your water and milk are warm (about 110 degrees F) before adding them to the pan. Liquids that are too cold or too hot can interfere with the yeast and keep your bread from rising properly. If you don’t have a thermometer, turn on your faucet and hold your finger under the stream of water as it gets warm. The water is warm enough when it’s uncomfortable to keep your finger in the stream, but not so hot that you have to take your finger out.
- Use the microwave to warm the milk in 15-30 second intervals, stirring after each. The milk should be warm to the touch. Don’t let it get hot.
- I use margarine and almond milk for dairy-free rolls and it works great!
2) Use your finger to make a shallow well in the flour, then pour the packet of active dry yeast into the well.
3) Make sure the bread pan is locked into place then select the Dough cycle on your bread machine. Close the machine and press “Start”.
4) Check the consistency of dough during kneading and, if necessary, add additional bread flour 1/2 Tablespoon at a time until the dough forms a ball and (mostly) pulls away from the sides of the bread pan.
TIPS:
- Make sure the additional flour has time to fully incorporate. My bread machine kneads the dough for about 20 minutes, so I start adding flour at the 10-minute mark. Let each addition of flour fully incorporate before adding the next one.
- Don’t overdo it! The ball of dough should remain a little sticky. Adding too much flour now can lead to dry rolls.
- I usually use 3-4 Tablespoons of extra flour to get the right texture.
5) Let the bread machine complete the dough cycle, then turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
TIPS:
- If the dough has not at least doubled in size at the end the cycle, leave it in the bread machine until it does.
- You can use all-purpose flour on your work surface.
6) Sprinkle a little more flour on the top of the dough and gently pat it in. Then very carefully flip the dough and lightly pat in the flour on that side too to reduce stickiness.
TIP:
- If your dough is too sticky to handle, you can pat in a little more flour. Use the least amount possible though! Too much flour will make the bread dry.
7) Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Knead each one very lightly then pull edges into the middle, pinch together, and roll in your palm to make it round. Place rolls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave an inch or so between rolls.
TIPS:
- If you don’t have a dough cutter you can use a metal spatula. Run your cutter/spatula through the flour to keep it from sticking to the dough.
- The pieces don’t have to be perfect (I always eyeball it), but try to make rolls the same size so they bake at the same speed.
- Be gentle and don’t overdo it when you knead and shape the dough so that the rolls stay light and fluffy.
- Check out the video if you need help shaping the rolls
8) Lightly spray plastic wrap with cooking spray and loosely cover the rolls with the sprayed side down. Let dough rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes, or until rolls have doubled in size.
TIPS:
- Spraying the plastic wrap with cooking spray can be a little tricky, just do it the best way you can without making a big mess!
- Make sure to cover rolls very loosely so they have room to rise.
- A closed oven is a good place to let bread rise. Make sure the oven is off, but turn the oven light on to provide a little heat.
9) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Carefully remove plastic wrap from rolls and bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden. Brush with half of the melted butter halfway through baking. Remove from the oven once rolls are done then brush with the remaining melted butter. Serve warm and enjoy!
TIPS:
- If you let your rolls rise in the oven, make sure to take them out before you preheat!
- Bake on the middle rack and check rolls frequently after 10 minutes so they don’t overbake.
Don’t let the instructions intimidate you! I am a beginner when it comes to homemade bread and these still turn out really well. Check out the video to help you walk through each step. The rolls do require some advance planning because of the rising time, but they are easy to make.
Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Bread Machine Sweet Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
- 1/2 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 3/4 cups bread flour
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Instructions
- To the pan of your bread machine, add warm water, warm milk, egg, 1/3 cup of softened butter or margarine, sugar, salt, all-purpose flour, and bread flour. (Check your bread machine’s instruction manual and add ingredients in the order it recommends)
- Use your finger to make a shallow well in the flour, then pour the active dry yeast into the well.
- Make sure the bread pan is locked into place then select the Dough cycle on your bread machine. Close the machine and press “Start”.
- Check the consistency of your dough during kneading and, if necessary, add additional bread flour 1/2 Tablespoon at a time until dough forms a slightly sticky ball that (mostly) pulls away from the sides of the bread pan.
- Let bread machine complete the dough cycle and once dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Sprinkle a little more flour on top of the dough and gently pat it in. Then very carefully flip the dough and lightly pat in the flour on that side too (to reduce stickiness).
- Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Knead each one very lightly then pull edges into the middle, pinch together, and roll in your palm to make it round (see video for help). Place rolls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving space in between rolls.
- Lightly spray plastic wrap with cooking spray and loosely cover the rolls (sprayed side down). Let dough rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes, or until rolls have doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Carefully remove plastic wrap from rolls and bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden. Brush with half of the melted butter halfway through baking. Remove from oven once rolls are done then brush with the remaining melted butter. Serve warm and enjoy!
Best dinner roll recipe that I have tried. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for your kind comment! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I’ve been using various roll recipes for years and this is by far the best one I’ve found!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the rolls Kate!😊 Thank you so much for your comment!
I am new to making rolls. Can I make these a few hours before I bake them?
Hi Angie! So sorry I missed your comment when you posted it! If you are still interested in making the recipe, you can pause at step 8 — the part where you have shaped your rolls then cover them loosely with plastic wrap to rise. Instead of placing them in a warm place to rise, you can place the entire tray of covered rolls in the refrigerator. The cold temperature will slow down the rising process so that they won’t rise too much before you are ready to bake them. Once you do take them out of the fridge, they will probably take longer to rise than usual because they need to come back to room temperature. Plan to take them out of the fridge for rising about an hour before you want to bake them. Finish steps 8 & 9 by letting them rise in a warm place until double in size, then you can bake as directed.
If I have a bread machine that preheats for about 30 min. Do I still need to warm the liquid first?
Hi Adele! I haven’t worked with a bread machine that preheats, but I think you can skip warming your liquid. From what I understand, you will place all the ingredients in your machine and it will bring them to the right temperature for you before kneading. If that’s the case, feel free to skip the warming and put the liquids in as-is😊
Wonderful rolls. Tasty, easy to make. I found that it took almost 2 hours for the rolls to rise so overall time was around 4 hours. Can’t wait to take them to the Easter lunch today. Made 2 batches. Thank you so much.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the rolls! Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Hope you had a wonderful Easter😊