Nitrate & Nitrite 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 anyone has a chance to sit down. Every ingredient here is clean and straightforward: whole milk, flour, egg, butter, yeast, sugar, and salt. There are no cured meats, processed additives, or preservatives hiding anywhere in the recipe, which makes it a genuinely worry-free bake for anyone avoiding nitrates and nitrites. The enriched dough gets its incredible softness from both the milk and the slow addition of softened butter during kneading, a technique that builds a tender, feathery crumb without shortcuts. Two rises give the rolls their puffy, pull-apart texture, and a generous brush of melted butter at the end adds that irresistible glossy finish. A pinch of flaky sea salt on top is optional but highly recommended — it turns something already wonderful into something you'll be making every single week.
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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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