Tried & True Honey Butter Rolls

You solely want 7 components to make these yeasted honey butter rolls. Fluffy, flaky, mushy, and buttery, with a dose of honeyed sweetness, these recent rolls are in one other league than something store-bought. Should you’re a bread newbie, reference my Baking with Yeast Information for solutions to frequent yeast FAQs.

This recipe is dropped at you in partnership with Crimson Star Yeast.

dinner rolls with honey butter topping in pink ceramic pie dish.

These mushy, flaky, golden honey butter rolls may simply be my very favourite rolls to make. I imply, I really like my traditional dinner rolls, however with the addition of honey, each within the rolls and on prime? These rolls are the bee’s knees!

One reader, Mia, commented: “What a tremendous recipe! I haven’t even made bread a lot earlier than. But this turned out so efficiently. Will certainly be making it on the common…★★★★★

I first revealed this recipe in 2015, and have lately made a pair small adjustments to it. The recipe used to incorporate granulated sugar, for proofing the yeast, however you may really simply use a teaspoon of honey for this! (Handy, because you’re already utilizing honey within the dough.) I’ve additionally prolonged the kneading time to eight–10 minutes, so that they’re further mushy. Should you’ve made these garlicky home made breadsticks earlier than, the kneading directions are precisely the identical.

honey butter rolls in glass baking dish with one turned on its side to show flakiness.

That is an old style, made-with-love dinner roll recipe, with honey butter stepping into and on the rolls.


Substances You Want for This Wealthy Dough

Sadly, this dough doesn’t include a profitable lottery ticket (although we might name the honey liquid gold!). Slightly, “wealthy” correlates with the quantity of fats within the dough. Right here’s the distinction:

  • Wealthy dough: The softer the bread, the extra fats within the dough. For instance, this dough consists of entire milk, butter, and egg. Recipes like my simple cinnamon rolls, pizza pull-apart rolls, and brown butter sage dinner rolls all begin with a wealthy dough.
  • Lean dough: The crustier and chewier the bread, the much less fats within the dough. Recipes like chewy home made bagels and mushy pretzels, pizza dough, focaccia, and artisan bread all use a lean dough.

You want 7 components whole:

ingredients on counter including a packet of yeast, bowl of bread flour, milk, salt, honey, butter, 1 egg, and egg yolk.
  1. Milk: Liquid prompts the yeast. For the very best rolls, use entire milk. Nondairy or low-fat milks work too, however entire milk produces phenomenal taste and texture.
  2. Yeast: You need to use energetic dry yeast or immediate yeast. If utilizing energetic dry yeast, the rise occasions might be a little bit longer. I like to recommend Platinum Yeast from Crimson Star, which is an immediate yeast blended with pure dough improvers.
  3. Honey: The honey feeds the yeast, will increase its exercise, and tenderizes the dough. Plus it gives that particular sweetness these rolls are made for!
  4. Egg: 1 egg gives construction and taste, and that further egg yolk provides richness and makes the rolls supremely mushy. Don’t skip it.
  5. Butter: Butter within the dough guarantees a flavorful, mushy honey butter roll. And is there something higher than slathering honey butter on prime of the nice and cozy rolls?
  6. Salt: You may’t make flavorful bread with out salt!
  7. Flour: You need to use all-purpose flour or bread flour on this recipe. All-purpose flour is handy for many, however bread flour produces chewier rolls. There aren’t any different adjustments to the recipe if you happen to use bread flour. I take advantage of bread flour in my honey butter rolls as a result of it accommodates extra gluten than all-purpose. Additional gluten helps make completed rolls further chewy and, um, extra bread-like. Technical phrases right here.

Making rolls from scratch could sound intimidating and time-consuming, however most of that point is hands-off. Should you’re new to baking bread, reference my Baking with Yeast Information.

One reader, Erin, commented: “That is my go-to recipe for dinner rolls. They’re scrumptious! I make them on a regular basis for household gatherings and they’re at all times a success. Earlier than I got here throughout Sally’s weblog, I by no means had the boldness to attempt to make bread of any variety. Due to her detailed directions and pictures, I’m now absolutely assured in my capability to make not solely rolls, however tons of different recipes as effectively. ★★★★★

The first step is to proof your yeast, a step I take even when I’m utilizing immediate yeast. All you do is combine the yeast with the nice and cozy liquid (milk), and a little bit sugar (honey). Cowl and let it sit for five–10 minutes till foamy and frothy on prime. This proves your yeast is energetic and able to get to work:

proofed yeast mixture in glass bowl.

Now you’ll add the remainder of the dough components. The method is very easy, and kneading is a crucial step.


Honey Butter Rolls: Kneading the Dough Is Key

Kneading dough is a standard step in bread baking, and this specific dough undoubtedly advantages from an extended kneading step (about 8–10 minutes) to assist make sure the honey butter rolls keep mushy. You may knead dough together with your fingers or in a stand mixer. A stand mixer clearly makes the job hands-off, however if you happen to don’t have one, kneading is a good stress reliever. 😉

The dough ought to really feel barely cheesy, however not overly sticky. On a flippantly floured work floor, utilizing the heels of your fingers, stretch and fold the dough with light movement. Should you’d like a visible of methods to knead the dough by hand, you may see me do it within the video tutorial in my mushy dinner rolls submit.

Why Do I Knead Dough?

Kneading the dough serves a pair functions. First, it incorporates air into the dough, which helps maintain the rolls good and mushy. It additionally encourages the proteins within the flour and moisture within the dough to hyperlink collectively, forming a robust gluten community, which is important for retaining the gasoline produced by the yeast. Gluten is what makes bread deliciously chewy.

When Do I Cease Kneading Dough?

You recognize your kneaded dough is able to rise when it stretches with out instantly tearing. After kneading, the dough might be mushy and supple, and a windowpane check is at all times useful. You may poke the dough together with your finger, too. If it slowly bounces again, it’s able to rise.

What Is a Windowpane Take a look at?

After kneading, tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out till it’s skinny sufficient for gentle to go by it. Maintain it as much as a window or gentle. Does gentle go by the stretched dough with out the dough tearing first? In that case, your dough has been kneaded lengthy sufficient and is able to rise. If not, maintain kneading.

Pictured on the left beneath is the dough after kneading. It’s clean and stretchy, and able to rise. Place the dough in a big greased bowl, flip the dough to coat it within the oil, after which cowl it and set it apart. It can double in dimension in about 1–2 hours, pictured on the correct.

dough after kneading and shown again after rising.

Shaping the Rolls

Punch down the risen dough to launch the air, after which divide the dough into 15 items, roughly equal in dimension (about 2 ounces/60g every, however they don’t need to be actual!). Take a bit and stretch the highest of the dough whereas pinching and sealing the underside. Be certain the rolls are clean on prime and sealed on the underside. I form sizzling cross buns the identical actual means.

Prepare them in a greased baking pan, loosely cowl, and let the formed rolls rise for one more hour earlier than baking.

dough divided into pieces and shown again shaped into balls in glass pan.

I didn’t snap an image of the rolls after rising, however they puff up fairly a bit. Then, bake till golden brown.


Honey Butter Topping

Spreading on a candy and creamy honey butter is the right completion to the nice and cozy honey butter rolls. You want 2 components for the honey butter topping. Are you able to guess what they’re? LOL.

Be certain your butter is tremendous mushy, so you may simply combine it with the honey. I simply use a fork to do that, however you would use an electrical mixer if you happen to’d choose. As quickly as they’re out of the oven, unfold the honey butter on prime of the nice and cozy rolls. (Simply use a knife, or an icing spatula additionally works nice for this.)

You’ll have further honey butter to serve alongside the rolls.


How Are These Completely different?

My well-liked mushy dinner rolls are flaky, mushy, and buttery. And so are as we speak’s honeyed model. However as we speak’s recipe produces barely sweeter and richer-tasting rolls, kind of like these “Hawaiian rolls” you should buy on the retailer. They’re an actual deal with!

Complete wheat model: Strive my honey entire wheat dinner rolls.

close-up photo of the top of honey butter rolls.
close-up photo of honey butter rolls with flaky sides.

The make-ahead/in a single day choice detailed within the Notes beneath is very useful if you’d like fresh-baked honey butter rolls for an enormous vacation meal, corresponding to Easter brunch or Thanksgiving dinner. Or, you recognize, Tuesday. 😉

Print

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dinner rolls with honey butter topping in pink ceramic pie dish.

Honey Butter Rolls


  • Creator:
    Sally

  • Prep Time:
    3 hours, 25 minutes

  • Cook dinner Time:
    22 minutes

  • Complete Time:
    3 hours, 45 minutes

  • Yield:
    15 rolls

  • Class:
    Bread

  • Methodology:
    Baking

  • Delicacies:
    American


Description

You want simply 7 components to make these further mushy and flaky honey butter rolls. See recipe Notes for freezing and in a single day directions. You can even reference my Baking with Yeast Information for solutions to frequent yeast FAQs.



Directions

  1. Put together the dough: Whisk the nice and cozy milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon honey collectively within the bowl of your stand mixer. Loosely cowl and permit to sit down for five–10 minutes till foamy and frothy on prime. *If you don’t personal a stand mixer, you are able to do this in a big mixing bowl and within the subsequent step, combine the dough along with a big picket spoon/rubber spatula. It can take a little bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, however the sticky dough repeatedly will get caught within the beaters. Mixing by hand with a picket spoon or rubber spatula is a more sensible choice.*
  2. With the stand mixer operating on low velocity, add the remaining honey, egg, egg yolk, melted butter, salt, and three cups of flour. Beat on low velocity for 1 minute, then add remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Beat on low velocity for 1 minute because it all combines. The dough ought to be thick, but mushy, and simply barely sticky. It ought to draw back from the edges of the bowl because it mixes. When it does, it is able to knead. If, nonetheless, the dough is simply too sticky to deal with, add extra flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time. Ensure you don’t add an excessive amount of further flour; you desire a mushy, barely sticky dough.
  3. Knead the dough: Hold the dough within the mixer and beat with the dough hook on low velocity for an extra 8–10 minutes, or knead by hand on a flippantly floured floor for 8–10 minutes. After kneading, the dough ought to nonetheless really feel a little bit mushy. Poke it together with your finger—if it slowly bounces again, your dough is able to rise. You can even do a “windowpane check” to see in case your dough has been kneaded lengthy sufficient: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out till it’s skinny sufficient for gentle to go by it. Maintain it as much as a window or gentle. Does gentle go by the stretched dough with out the dough tearing first? In that case, your dough has been kneaded lengthy sufficient and is able to rise. If not, maintain kneading.
  4. 1st rise: Flippantly grease a big bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough within the bowl, turning it to coat all sides within the oil. Cowl the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clear kitchen towel. Permit the dough to rise in a comparatively heat atmosphere for 1–2 hours or till double in dimension. (For a tiny discount in rise time, see my reply to The place Ought to Dough Rise? in my Baking With Yeast Information.)
  5. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan or two 9-inch sq. or spherical baking pans. You can even bake the rolls in a forged iron skillet or on a lined baking sheet.*
  6. Form the rolls: When the dough is prepared, punch it all the way down to launch the air. Divide the dough into 15 items, roughly 2 ounces or 60g every. (Simply eyeball it—doesn’t need to be good!) A bench scraper is at all times useful for chopping dough. Form every bit right into a clean ball. Prepare in ready baking pan.
  7. 2nd rise: Loosely cowl with plastic wrap and permit to rise till doubled in dimension and puffy, about 1 hour.
  8. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Bake the rolls for 20–25 minutes or till golden brown on prime, rotating the pan midway by. Should you discover the tops browning too shortly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil.
  9. Make the honey butter topping: Whereas the rolls bake, combine the topping components collectively to make a creamy honey butter. Take away the rolls from the oven when they’re accomplished and unfold a beneficiant quantity of honey butter onto every heat roll. Serve with any remaining honey butter. 
  10. Cowl leftovers and maintain within the fridge for as much as 1 week or freeze for as much as 3 months, then thaw in a single day within the fridge. Heat up in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes.


Notes

  1. Freezing Dough Directions: Put together recipe by step 6. Place formed rolls in a greased baking pan, cowl tightly, and freeze for as much as 3 months. As soon as frozen, the dough balls received’t stick collectively anymore and you’ll place them in a freezer bag if wanted. On the day you serve them, organize the dough balls in a greased baking pan, cowl tightly, then allow them to thaw and rise for about 4–5 hours. Bake as directed. You can even freeze the baked dinner rolls. Permit them to chill utterly, then freeze for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge or at room temperature, then reheat as desired. If reheating the entire pan, flippantly cowl and reheat in a 300°F (149°C) oven for about 10 minutes or till heat.
  2. In a single day Dough Directions: Put together the recipe by step 6. Cowl the formed rolls tightly and refrigerate for as much as about 15 hours. Not less than 3 hours earlier than you want them the following day, take away the rolls from the fridge, maintain lined, and permit to rise on the counter for about 1–2 hours earlier than baking. Alternatively, you may let the dough have its 1st rise within the fridge in a single day. Cowl the dough tightly and place within the fridge for as much as about 15 hours. Take away from the fridge and permit the dough to totally rise for two extra hours. Proceed with step 5.
  3. Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Stand Mixer9×13-inch Glass Baking Pan | Bench Scraper
  4. Baking Pan: I choose baking the rolls in a glass 9×13-inch baking pan as a result of I discover they brown a little bit too shortly in a metallic pan. However so long as you bake the rolls on a decrease oven rack and maintain your eye on them, any pan is nice. You can even bake these rolls in a big forged iron skillet, or two 9-inch spherical or sq. baking pans. Bake time stays the identical.
  5. Milk: Complete milk and even buttermilk are perfect for the very best, richest taste and texture. Protecting that in thoughts, be happy to substitute with a lower-fat or nondairy milk.
  6. Yeast: Platinum Yeast from Crimson Star is an immediate yeast. You need to use Crimson Star Yeast energetic dry yeast as a substitute. Rise occasions might be barely longer utilizing energetic dry yeast. Reference my Baking with Yeast Information for solutions to frequent yeast FAQs.
  7. Flour: For further chewy rolls, I like to make use of bread flour. You need to use all-purpose flour or bread flour. All-purpose flour is handy for many, however bread flour produces a chewier texture. The rolls are nonetheless mushy and fluffy irrespective of which you employ. Both flour is okay and there aren’t any different adjustments to the recipe if you happen to use one or the opposite.
  8. Can I Use Complete Wheat Flour? I don’t suggest it for this recipe, however you may exchange as much as 1 cup (about 120–130g) of flour with entire wheat flour. Count on a denser roll. Or strive my honey entire wheat dinner rolls recipe as a substitute.

Key phrases: honey butter rolls