Carrageenan Free Soft and Buttery Dinner Rolls
Pillowy, golden, and brushed with melted butter straight out of the oven — these dinner rolls are the kind of thing that disappears from the table before anything else does. The dough comes together with whole milk, egg, flour, sugar, and softened butter worked in gradually, which is exactly what gives each roll that tender, slightly rich crumb. Many store-bought rolls and packaged bread products sneak in additives like carrageenan as a texture stabilizer, so baking from scratch with this short, straightforward ingredient list is a genuinely clean alternative. The process is satisfying too: you bloom the yeast, let the stand mixer do the kneading, and give the dough two rises so the rolls puff up beautifully and press against each other in the pan. That contact during baking is what creates those soft, pull-apart sides everyone fights over. A finish of melted butter and optional flaky sea salt takes them from simple to seriously impressive. Serve them warm alongside a roast, a bowl of soup, or honestly just on their own — no one will complain.
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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
- flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
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. Add the flour all at once. Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes.
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