Fluffy Homemade Honey Butter Rolls
These soft, fluffy Honey Butter Dinner Rolls are a lovely way to finish off your holiday feast!
- Prep
- 20 mins
- Cook
- 25 mins
- Rise Time
- 2 hrs 30 mins
- Total
- 3 hrs 15 mins
- Makes
- 12 servings
These soft, fluffy Honey Butter Dinner Rolls are a lovely way to finish off your holiday feast! You need only seven simple ingredients, and you probably have most of them in your pantry already!
Why You Will Love These Homemade Honey Butter Dinner Rolls!
- Soft and fluffy in texture.
- A mild honey butter taste.
- Best served warm, with a little more honey butter brushed on top!
- Only seven ingredients are required.
- They are made with my favorite mixer from Ankarsrum!
- The dough can be made ahead of time and reheated for an easy dinner.
What Is an Ankarsrum Mixer?
Made in Sweden, the Ankarsrum Assistent Original® (yes, the word assistent is spelled with an “e”) is a uniquely designed, top-quality mixer known for its versatility, outstanding quality, and innovation.
It comes with a 7-liter stainless steel bowl, a dough roller, a dough hook, a scraper spatula, a dust cover, a 3.5-liter mixing bowl with two different whisk attachments, and a removable power cord. It is much lighter than mixers from other brands, the motor sits at the bottom instead of the top, it comes in many colors, and it has a 7-year warranty!
Gather Your Ingredients!
To make these easy honey butter dinner rolls, you will need the following pantry staples.
- Whole Milk. Whole milk gives these honey butter dinner rolls the best texture and flavor. You can substitute 2% or 1%, but the rolls won't be quite as soft and fluffy.
- Instant Yeast. I have not tested this recipe with active dry yeast, but it can be substituted. Rise times may run a bit longer.
- Granulated Sugar. Adds a touch of sweetness, along with the honey.
- Unsalted Butter. To knead properly with the other ingredients, the butter should be softened to room temperature. You will also need two more tablespoons of softened unsalted butter for the honey butter topping.
- Honey. 3 tablespoons give these homemade dinner rolls just the right amount of sweetness. You will need one more tablespoon for the honey butter topping.
- Salt. Helps round out the flavors of the dough. Only 1/2 teaspoon is needed.
- All-Purpose Flour. Bread flour can be used in place of it, or a mix of the two, but the rolls will have a chewier texture, like my homemade soft pretzel recipe. To avoid adding extra flour, which can make the rolls dense, weigh your flour on a food scale. Without a scale, spoon the flour into the cup and level it off.
Which Baking Tools Do You Need?
Here are the recommended baking tools for this recipe.
Let's Make These Honey Butter Dinner Rolls!
Here is a quick overview of how to make this homemade honey butter dinner roll recipe. For the full detailed recipe, see the recipe card below.
- Add the warm milk, yeast, and 1/2 of the sugar to the Ankarsrum stainless steel mixing bowl. Whisk, cover, and let it sit for 6-8 minutes. It should look foamy when it's ready.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Knead with your Ankarsrum mixer using the dough roller and scraper attachments for 5-7 minutes, until smooth. The dough should pull away from the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Take out the dough and spray the bowl with baking spray. Olive oil spray also works. Return the dough to the bowl, spray its top with more baking spray, and cover it with the Ankarsrum lid. Let it rise for 1-2 hours, or until doubled (mine took 2 hours), then punch it down.
- Roll out and divide the dough. Roll it into an approximately 8-inch by 12-inch rectangle. Cut it into 12 pieces, using a 3-column by 4-row cut.
- Shape the pieces and let them rise again. Form the pieces into 12 roughly equal rolls. Place them on a quarter-sheet baking pan sprayed with baking spray. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let them rise for 30-45 minutes, until doubled.
- Apply egg wash and bake. Bake for 25-28 minutes at 350ºF. The tops should be a nice golden brown. Let them cool slightly, then brush the tops with a little honey butter.
Recipe FAQs
What size baking sheet do I need to make these dinner rolls?I used a quarter-sheet pan from Nordic Ware. You can also use two 1/8-size baking sheets, two 8-inch round cake pans, or a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
Why are my dinner rolls dense?This is most likely caused by adding too much flour to the dough. Overkneading can also be the culprit. Weigh your flour and other ingredients on a food scale, and knead only until the dough is soft and smooth.
Can I use bread flour in place of all-purpose flour?Yes. You can even combine all-purpose and bread flour, but keep in mind that the rolls will have a chewier texture.
More Delicious Recipes to Try!
Fluffy Homemade Honey Butter Rolls
These soft, fluffy Honey Butter Dinner Rolls are a lovely way to finish off your Thanksgiving feast! They're made with 7 simple ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your pantry!
- Prep
- 20 mins
- Cook
- 25 mins
- Rise Time
- 2 hrs 30 mins
- Total
- 3 hrs 15 mins
- Makes
- 12 servings
Ingredients
honey butter dinner rolls
- 1 cup Whole Milk, warmed to 100ºF-110ºF
- 2 1/4 tsp Instant Yeast
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar, divided
- 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 3 tbsp Honey
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3 cups + 1 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
egg wash
- 1 large Egg
- 1 tbsp Water
honey butter topping (optional)
- 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1 tbsp Honey
Method
- In the stainless steel bowl of your Ankarsrum mixer, whisk together the warmed whole milk (100ºF-100ºF), 1 tbsp of granulated sugar, and instant yeast. Cover with the Ankarsrum bowl lid and let it sit for 6-8 minutes, until foamy.
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp of granulated sugar, the unsalted butter, honey, salt, and all-purpose flour.
- Attach the dough roller and dough scraper to your Ankarsrum mixer, then knead on low speed until the dough is soft and smooth (about 5-7 minutes).
- Take the dough out and set it aside while you spray the inside of the stainless steel bowl with either baking spray or cooking spray (I prefer baking spray). Return the dough ball to the bowl, then spray its top with baking spray.
- Cover with the Ankarsrum bowl lid again and let the dough rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size. In my testing, the dough took about 2 hours to double.
- Deflate the dough by gently punching it down in the center. Move it to a clean, lightly floured surface and roll it into a rectangle about 8" x 12". Cut it into 12 roughly equal pieces, or weigh each piece if you prefer. I cut mine on a 3-column by 4-row grid.
- Take one piece and fold the sides and ends underneath, pinching them closed. Turn it over, seam side down, onto a clean surface, and shape it into a ball by moving your cupped hand in a clockwise circle.
- Transfer the rolls to a greased quarter-sheet baking pan (I used baking spray, but olive oil spray works too). Cover again with a clean kitchen towel and let them rise at room temperature for another 30-45 minutes, until doubled in size.
- When ready, preheat the oven to 350ºF. My rolls baked best on the 2nd rack position in my oven, just above the middle.
- Brush the tops of the rolls generously with the egg wash, then bake for 25-28 minutes at 350ºF.
- Take them out of the oven and, if you like, brush the tops with some honey butter.
Baker’s notes
- Warming the milk. Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. This takes about 1-2 minutes at most, and a cooking thermometer is the best way to check it.
- Storing. Keep the rolls in a sealed bag or container for 2-3 days at room temperature, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Reheating. To reheat rolls from the refrigerator, I use my toaster oven on its toast setting (usually 6-7 minutes on a low setting), but you can also bake them for 8-10 minutes at 350ºF.
