Turkey Free Classic Dinner Rolls

Total time2 hr 15 min

Prep time25 min

Cook time20 min

4.7

(20)

Soft, pillowy, and golden on top with a glossy butter finish — these dinner rolls are the kind of thing that disappears from the table before anything else does. The dough comes together with whole milk, a touch of sugar, and real unsalted butter worked in piece by piece, which is what gives each roll that tender, slightly rich crumb. There's no poultry of any kind in sight, so if you're navigating a holiday spread or a weeknight dinner where turkey is off the menu, this is a completely safe and satisfying centerpiece for the bread basket. The stand mixer does the heavy lifting during the knead, and two rises — one long, one short — build the kind of airy structure that makes these rolls pull apart beautifully. Brushing with melted butter twice, once before baking and once straight out of the oven, is a small step that makes a genuinely big difference in flavor and shine. Bake them until the tops are deep golden and they sound hollow when tapped, and you'll have a batch that tastes like they came from a serious bakery. Serve them warm and watch them vanish.

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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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