Citric Acid Free Classic Dinner Rolls
Soft, pillowy dinner rolls made from scratch are one of those kitchen projects that feel deeply satisfying the moment you pull the pan from the oven. For anyone avoiding citric acid, store-bought rolls can be a minefield — many commercial brands sneak in dough conditioners, preservatives, or flavor enhancers that contain it. This recipe keeps things beautifully simple: whole milk, yeast, flour, sugar, salt, egg, and butter — nothing hidden, nothing processed. The enriched dough gets its tenderness from softened butter worked in gradually, and the whole milk gives the crumb a subtle richness that's hard to beat. A double brush of melted butter — once before baking and once right out of the oven — means every roll comes out glossy, golden, and irresistible. They bake up touching each other in the pan, which keeps the sides soft and pull-apart perfect. These are the kind of rolls that disappear from the table before anything else does.
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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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