Barley Free Classic Dinner Rolls
Soft, pillowy dinner rolls made from scratch are one of those kitchen projects that feel genuinely rewarding the moment you pull the pan from the oven. These come together with a short list of everyday staples — all-purpose flour, whole milk, butter, egg, and yeast — so there's no need to hunt down specialty ingredients or stress about hidden grains sneaking into your bread basket. For anyone navigating a barley sensitivity, store-bought rolls can be a minefield of malt, malt extract, or barley flour tucked into the ingredient list, but baking your own puts you completely in control. The dough gets its tender, slightly rich crumb from softened butter worked in gradually during kneading, and the whole milk gives each roll a subtle sweetness that pairs beautifully with a slick of extra butter at the table. A double brush of melted butter — once before baking and once straight out of the oven — is the move that takes these from good to genuinely hard to stop eating. They bake up golden, pull apart in that satisfying fluffy way, and fill your kitchen with a smell that will have everyone hovering near the oven. Whether you're serving them alongside a weeknight roast or just want a safe, homemade bread option you can trust, this recipe delivers every single time.
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Learn more →Ingredients
12 servings
For the dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
For brushing
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- 1
Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until it reaches 105–110°F (40–43°C) on a kitchen thermometer — warm to the touch but not hot. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle in the yeast and 1 tbsp of the sugar, and stir briefly. Let stand for 5–10 minutes, until the surface is foamy and the mixture smells yeasty.
- 2
Add the remaining 2 tbsp sugar, the salt, and the egg to the yeast mixture. Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook and mix on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the flour all at once and mix on low until a shaggy dough forms and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes.
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