Sesame Free Soft and Buttery Dinner Rolls
Pillowy, golden, and rich with butter, these dinner rolls are the kind of thing that disappears from the table before the main course even lands. The dough comes together with whole milk, a touch of sugar, and softened butter worked in gradually — a technique that gives each roll its signature tender, pull-apart crumb. Store-bought rolls can be a minefield when you're avoiding sesame, since seeds are often used as a topping or baked right into the dough, but every ingredient here is straightforward and easy to verify. There's no tahini, no sesame oil, and no decorative seed topping to worry about — just a clean, classic recipe that delivers on every level. A generous brush of melted butter straight out of the oven and an optional pinch of flaky sea salt finish them off beautifully. Whether you're serving them alongside a holiday roast or a weeknight soup, these rolls bring serious bakery energy with surprisingly simple steps.
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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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