Make Ahead Dinner Rolls

The Best Make Ahead Dinner Rolls. These easy dinner rolls are soft and fluffy and will disappear from the table before you know it!

Soft and fluffy dinner rolls, still warm from the oven. Is there anything better? Maybe Make Ahead Soft and Fluffy Dinner rolls. Usually we are making dinner rolls for big holiday dinners like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter. And those feasts require quite a bit of work and time in the kitchen. It is always nice to be able to make a few things ahead of time so you aren’t in the kitchen all day.

I have been searching for the perfect dinner roll recipe for a few years, and this one just might be it. Here is why I love this Easy Dinner Roll recipe:

• It’s an easy and simple recipe
• It only requires 6 ingredients
• It produces soft and fluffy rolls (a MUST!)
• And best of all – you can make them ahead of time!

Ingredients for Make Ahead Dinner Rolls

• Active Dry Yeast – I use active dry yeast here. Instant yeast can be substituted, Just skip the first step of “proofing” the yeast in the water and honey, just add the yeast, water, and honey in with the second step.
• All-Purpose Flour – All-purpose works just fine here, bread flour can also be used.
• Honey – Helps the yeast get active and adds a hint of sweetness.
• Butter – Adds richness for buttery, soft, fluffy rolls.
• Eggs – Helps the rolls hold their shape.
• Salt – Adds necessary flavor. Without salt your rolls will be very bland!

Don’t make these common mistakes!

When baking with yeast there are a few things that can cause problems – avoid these things and get fluffy dinner rolls every time!

• Using expired yeast – You may have had some yeast in the back of your fridge or in a drawer forever. Proofing the yeast like we do in Step One will show you if your yeast is alive and kicking or if you need to start over. After 5 minutes in lukewarm water mixed with the honey, they yeast should be foaming and bubbling. IF the mixture hasn’t changed since you mixed it, try again with new yeast.
• Using HOT water instead of warm water – using water that is too hot will kill your yeast. Conversely, using cold water will make it hard for your yeast to “wake up” and activate. Use warm water, about 105 degrees (think warm bath water). I use my thermapen to make use my water is a good temperature.
• Adding too much flour – this is a sticky dough, so you may be tempted to add more flour to make it easier to work with. Don’t do that! Adding more flour will make the rolls hard and dense. Using a stand mixer to knead these makes it easier, and use a light touch when handling the dough.
• Over Proofing – Over proofing means the dough was allowed to rise for too long. The dough inflates and then as the yeast runs out of food they don’t produce any more carbon dioxide. The gluten breaks down and the gas escapes. THis means when you bake the rolls, they will deflate and they won’t rise in the oven. Avoid over proofing by setting a timer and keeping an eye on the dough. It should double in size but not be allowed to rise much more that.

How to Make Fluffy Dinner Rolls ahead of time

This simple recipe is mostly hands off. It is easiest to use a stand mixer if you have one, as the dough is a bit sticky. However, you can knead it by hand. Just be sure not to add too much flour as you knead.

• In the bowl of a mixer, add the lukewarm water, yeast and honey.  Whisk together and allow to sit for 5 minutes.  Yeast should foam up and appear active. Add about 1 and 1/2 cups (180 grams) of the flour, the melted butter, the egg and the salt.  Beat on low for 1 minute, scraping the bowl as needed.
• Add the rest of the flour, just until you have a soft dough.  Dough should start pulling away from the sides of the bowl, but will be sticky.
• Grease a large bowl and add the dough ball, turning it to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for about one hour, until doubled in size.

• Gently deflate dough, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Grease a 13×9 pan and set aside.
• Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball, and place into the prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to bake, remove rolls from fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk together the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon of water.  Brush the egg mixture over the rolls.
• Bake the rolls for 20 -25 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter if desired.

More Holiday Dinner Recipes

• Herb Butter Turkey
• Slow Roasted Prime Rib
• Honey Roasted Carrots
• Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes