Amish Dinner Rolls Recipe: Light and Fluffy (Video) (2024)

January 21, 2019 By Brandy 35 Comments

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These Amish dinner rollsare absolutely perfect and a delicious addition to any dinner. The rolls are buttery, light, and fluffy! These rolls are so delicious served with soup on a cold day. They are also the BEST thing to mop up gravy off of your Thanksgiving plate!

If you like easy bread recipes you’ll love our Amish white bread, jalapeno cheese bread and cinnamon swirl bread!If you’re looking for a show stopper recipe for holiday dinners try our knotted dinner rolls!

Watch our step by step video!

When I was a kid, homemade rolls were for special occasions. Usually Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. My aunt made the BEST rolls and I always looked forward to the holidays when she made them. I think I’ve ruined it for my kids. I make dinner rolls all the time and they don’t know what a treat they are anymore, ha!

This is my go to dinner roll recipe, although theseHomemade Pretzel Rolls are great for so many things as well! I memorized the recipe for these years ago when we started using it for making Amish white bread. They are buttery because I give them a generous brushing as soon as they come out of the oven. It soaks in and adds the perfect flavor. I also love that you don’t need to scald milk to make these. The recipe simply calls for warm water!

This recipe makes a large sheet pan of rolls. About 24, depending on how big you make your balls of dough. They also freeze well. Just store in plastic Ziploc freezer bags and thaw before serving. Scroll to the bottom for some frequently asked questions on bread making.

Amish Dinner Rolls Printable Recipe

Amish Dinner Rolls Recipe

These Amish dinner rolls are absolutely perfect and a delicious addition to any dinner. The rolls are buttery, light, and fluffy!

4.43 from 49 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 2 hours hours

Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 18 minutes minutes

Servings: 24

Calories: 144kcal

Ingredients

2 cups warm water
1/4 cup sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast 2 packets
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (I use sea salt)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
5 1/2 cups flour bread or all purpose flour
melted butter for brushing on finished rolls

Instructions

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until foamy (about 5 minutes).
Mix salt and oil into the yeast mixture.
Mix in flour one cup at a time.
Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth (or use your dough hook/paddle on your stand mixer on low speed).
Place in a well oiled large bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Allow rolls to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Shape rolls and place in a baking pan (grease the pan or spray with cooking spray). I use a half-sheet pan. Allow to rise for 30-40 minutes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Brush generously with butter while still in baking dish.
It soaks in and adds the perfect buttery flavor and smooth texture.

Notes

I preheat my oven for 60 seconds and then shut it off. It makes for the perfect warm spot for my rolls to raise.

Nutrition

Calories: 144kcal

Can I use my bread maker to make the dinner roll dough?

Absolutely! I used to do this all the time. Run the dough through the “dough” cycle, shape into rolls, then let rise a second time before baking.

What is the best kind of flour to use for bread?

I always use bread flour or all-purpose. Honestly, I can’t tell a difference between the two.

What is the best way to proof yeast?

I like putting 1/2 c. of the warm water into a small bowl with the yeast and 1 tsp. of sugar. Give it a stir. Place a small plate on top and let it sit for 5 minutes. When you go to add the rest of the ingredients make sure to subtract the 1/2 c. of water and 1 tsp. of sugar that you already used for the yeast proofing.

Where is a good place to let the dough rise?

A warm place is a perfect place for yeast to do its thing. I preheat my oven for 60 seconds then shut the heat off. I place my bowl of dough with a damp cloth covering it inside my oven.

More Bread Recipes You’ll Love

Garlic Cheddar Drop Biscuits: A family favorite, these homemade cheddar garlic drop biscuits are easy to make and are full of garlic buttery goodness!

Sausage Bread: This spicy sausage bread is a savory treat! Rolled up like cinnamon rolls, but filled with butter, sausage and mozzarella cheese. Delicious and perfect for a weekend breakfast.

Parmesan Garlic Breadsticks: Buttery and full of garlic flavor, these quick and easygarlic parmesan breadsticks come together in under an hour! The perfect weeknight dinner side dish.

Brandy

Website | + posts

Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!

Reader Interactions

Comments

Kiersten says
November 23, 2014 at 9:44 pm
This is very similar to my mom’s recipe. And my mother-in-law does the butter on top thing. They’re always a huge hit. I’m actually kind of disappointed that I wasn’t asked to bring them this year.
Reply
- Brandy says
  November 23, 2014 at 11:56 pm
  I’ve brought rolls to the past couple of dinners we’ve had at your parents house and I always feel about 10′ tall when your mom loves them. I’m excited that she is making them for Thanksgiving this year and that we were invited to join them! 🙂
  Reply
- Jason L dove says
  March 19, 2022 at 8:20 am
  Hi,when icame to shape my rolls I found the dough to be quite sticky altho I stook to the original recipe amounts .had to add slightly more flour to be able to work the dough into rolls ?
  Reply
  - Brandy says
    March 19, 2022 at 8:51 am
    Humidity and other factors can come into play. It’s better to have the dough be a little wet and have to add a bit of flour than for the dough to be too dry so you did exactly what you should have done! Hope they were tasty!
    Reply
- Tim says
  November 22, 2022 at 2:49 pm
  
  Everytime I make these they are just amazing flavor, texture, and appearance. They are so simple and yet sooo good!
  Reply
  - Brandy says
    November 22, 2022 at 5:11 pm
    I love hearing this! 🙂
    Reply
    - Patsy says
      June 20, 2023 at 6:58 pm
      
      I love baking Bread! I started about 30 years ago, I thought how hard can it be? My first 2 loaves were basic white bread! I was so excited they turned out! My family loves it! After that, I started making all kinds of Breads, Challah, and Dinner Rolls! You name it! I’m still baking and loving it! Thanks for this recipe I’m doing this next time!
      Reply
      - Brandy says
        June 21, 2023 at 8:48 am
        Love hearing this!
Janette Stone says
December 21, 2014 at 7:51 am
Can I freeze them before baking? At what stage?
Reply
- Brandy says
  December 21, 2014 at 1:58 pm
  See Also
  Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe and History
  Hi Janette! You can freeze them after forming the rolls. I share more info on how I freeze them on this post that I shared a couple of weeks after I posted this one. Hope that helps! https://gluesticksblog.com/2014/12/make-freeze-baked-goods-the-spray-mop-to-deal-with-the-mess.html
  Reply
  - Janette says
    December 21, 2014 at 3:23 pm
    Thank you. Plan on making many to have on hand for Christmas!!
    I have read that using cake yeast instead of powder gives a ore yeasty taste which I like. Would you recommend this and if so how to I convert the measurement?
    Reply
    - Brandy says
      December 21, 2014 at 3:46 pm
      I haven’t heard of cake yeast before. I usually just use powdered. I’ll have to look into that sometime! 🙂
      Reply
      - Janette says
        December 21, 2014 at 4:33 pm
        Cake might be the wrong term. Solid yeast? Would that be?
      - Brandy says
        December 21, 2014 at 6:38 pm
        I think so! I haven’t tried it before. Do you know if it works differently?
      - Janette says
        December 21, 2014 at 6:43 pm
        Yes. It has a different flavor. I am going to try making ur rolls with it. Will let you know…
      - Brandy says
        December 21, 2014 at 10:16 pm
        Sounds good, thanks!
Janette says
December 23, 2014 at 10:46 pm
What am I doing wrong? After the first rise, made balls, let rise. They flatten out in oven!!
Reply
- Brandy says
  December 24, 2014 at 2:07 pm
  Hi Janette, I’m not sure since it sounds like you did everything right! The first raise, then shape into balls, then let raise another 30-40 minutes. Should be good. Did you try the different yeast you mentioned or stick with the dry one?
  Reply
Orysia jakowiw says
May 23, 2020 at 11:29 am
Do you have to use bread flour or can I use regular flour
Reply
- Brandy says
  May 23, 2020 at 7:16 pm
  You can use all purpose flour, no problem! Either works great.
  Reply
Vicki says
November 17, 2020 at 12:18 pm
Can I split recipe in half and still get the same result?
Reply
- Brandy says
  November 17, 2020 at 2:50 pm
  Hi Vicki! Yes. This recipe is enough to make a big batch of rolls or 2 loaves of bread. You can make a half batch, no problem.
  Reply
  - Tim says
    October 11, 2022 at 6:19 pm
    
    These were excellent, the best rolls I’ve ever made. So far of all the dinner rolls I’ve worked, this was best.
    Reply
    - Brandy says
      October 11, 2022 at 7:58 pm
      So glad to hear!
      Reply
Jilly B says
June 2, 2021 at 8:05 am
Can I substitute some whole wheat flour instead of all white flour?
Reply
- Brandy says
  June 3, 2021 at 1:00 pm
  Absolutely!
  Reply
Taylor O'Neal says
October 27, 2022 at 12:15 pm
Can I substitute melted butter instead of oil?
I used to make amish bread as kid with my mom but I can’t remember her recipe exactly. This recipe sounds similar but I feel like we used butter. Thank you!
p.s. I was one of 5 kids and we had a black lab mix named Toby!
Reply
- Brandy says
  October 27, 2022 at 12:43 pm
  Oh, I love that! Toby is just the perfect dog name! Yes, butter can absolutely be used in place of oil!
  Reply
Mandy says
November 19, 2022 at 1:36 pm
I don’t need to add dry milk to get airy rolls?
Reply
- Brandy says
  November 19, 2022 at 3:42 pm
  I don’t add any to these and they are delicious.
  Reply
Rhonda Mahoney says
April 10, 2023 at 6:15 pm
My family just loves these rolls! I’ve taken them to pot luck as well! They are so fluffy! Best ever ❤
Reply
- Brandy says
  April 11, 2023 at 11:12 pm
  So glad to hear!
  Reply
Kerri says
March 10, 2024 at 4:26 pm
Do I punch the dough down after the first rise? VA girl here too!!
Reply
- Brandy says
  March 10, 2024 at 4:46 pm
  Hi! 🙂 Yes! You can punch it down before shaping the rolls.
  Reply

Trackbacks

[…] 3-5 hours depending on the temp in your kitchen). Bake as you normally would. My favorite rolls are these buttery dinner rolls that I shared last […]
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Amish Dinner Rolls Recipe: Light and Fluffy (Video) (2024)

FAQs

Why are my dinner rolls not light and fluffy? ›

Too much flour, or not the right kind, could be to blame. Dough made only from flour with a high or even average amount of protein (like bread flour or all-purpose flour) can become tough from overmixing. Protein gives bread structure in the form of gluten—the more you mix and move the dough, the more gluten you get.

Why are my homemade dinner rolls dry? ›

Either, you added too much flour or you possibly used all bread flour. Alternately, not giving your dinner rolls enough time to proof and get puffy before baking could yield dense rolls.

Get More Info Here ›

What makes dinner rolls shiny? ›

Egg wash often appears in pastry and bread recipes and can be used to create a shiny, brown crust or act as an edible glue. An egg wash is a simple mixture of egg and a little water, milk, or heavy cream. You can adjust the egg wash so your baked goods come out as crisp, soft, or shiny as you want them.

Find Out More ›

How do you make store bought dinner rolls taste better? ›

3 steps to making supermarket dinner rolls taste like homemade

Step 1: Warm the rolls. The most important thing to remember is that warm rolls will almost always taste better than cold rolls. ...
Step 2: Use a brush to coat the rolls in butter. ...
Step 3: Garnish.

Show Me More ›

What ingredient makes bread light and fluffy? ›

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Show Me More ›

How can I make my bread fluffier instead of dense? ›

Potato Flakes or Potato Water

Starch helps the dough by trapping the gas from the yeast in the dough and makes the bubbles stronger. This helps the bread to rise and be lighter and fluffier. If you are boiling potatoes, you can use the unsalted water in place of the water in your bread recipe to help out the yeast.

How to amp up dinner rolls? ›

3 Tiny Steps to Make Store-Bought Dinner Rolls Taste Amazing

Brush with melted butter. Before warming the store-bought rolls in the oven, brush them generously with melted butter. ...
Sprinkle with fresh herbs. ...
Finish with flaky salt.

May 1, 2019

Get More Info ›

Why did my dinner rolls turn out dense? ›

Make sure the shaped bread doesn't rise too long before baking – it should only double in size. If it rises too much, the dough will collapse on itself during baking and the bread will have a dense, coarse or dry texture.