Why we love this Honey Butter Rolls Recipe
I hope y’all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine was great! We got to spend it at my mom’s house in New Mexico this year which meant we only had to travel to one location, rather than 2-3 as it usually is. It made it a lot easier on us with the dog and all of our stuff. I actually enjoyed being able to do a lot of the cooking. Is there something you always make for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner? Something maybe that you bring to every gathering? I told my mom ahead of time that I didn’t want her to buy rolls this year and I wanted to make them. I’m glad I did! They turned out great! Everyone loved them and the guys even packed some for lunch on their hunting trips after Thanksgiving.
I know that for people who haven’t made bread with yeast before, it can seem a little intimidating and daunting at first, but I promise, just try it! You’ll find out that its actually more waiting around for it to rise than actual work. I was a little worried my first time making bread with yeast and not a typical quick bread but I’m happy I did!
If you decide to double or triple this batch, make them separately. Make each batch separate, let each batch rise in their own bowl, and bake them in their own dish. I’ve tried doubling and tripling this recipe and because of the rising and kneeding, I end up breaking it up to make it easier anyway.
These dinner rolls are just the right amount of sweet. They aren’t too sweet or rich, but just sweet enough to eat them alone or you can even add honey butter to the rolls!
Note – You can always freeze these rolls and pull them out as needed!
Honey Rolls ingredients
- Water – you’re going to need water warmed up to the temperature recommended on your yeast package. I often use Red Platinum yeast so I warm mine to 120ºF. You can check the temperature using an instant-read thermometer.
- Instant Dry Yeast – it’s really important that you use yeast that is not expired. Your bread will not rise if the yeast is expired. When you combine the yeast with the water, it should foam. If it does not, you’ll want to start over with different yeast.
- Egg – you’ll need one whole large egg for this recipe. I do not recommend using any sort of egg replacement.
- Canola Oil – if you don’t have canola oil on hand, you can also use any other neutral flavor oil. Both vegetable oil and avocado oil work well
- Honey – use your favorite honey. A little will go into the dough and a little will go into the honey butter.
- Salt – I like to use coarse kosher salt, but sea salt works great as well
- Bread flour – It’s important to use bread flour in this recipe and not all-purpose flour. Bread flour has more protein which helps it rise higher. Higher-rising dough means fluffier rolls for you.
- Butter – don’t skimp on the butter. You want it to be flavorful so use your favorite butter.
How to make this Butter Rolls Recipe
- Start by warming the water in the microwave or on the stove until it reaches the correct temperature instructed by your yeast brand. I use Red Platinum yeast, so I warm mine to 120ºF.
- Once the water is at the right temperature, add it to the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle in the instant dry yeast. With the paddle attachment, turn the mixer on low for a couple of seconds just to mix the yeast with the water. Let the yeast and water stand for about 10 minutes.
- Next, add in the egg, canola oil, 1/4 cup of honey, and salt to the mixing bowl. Continue to mix on low speed.
- Once combined, add in 3 cups of bread flour. Continue to mix until well combined. You will most likely need to increase your speed to medium.
- Once the dough has started to come together, remove the paddle attachment and put on the dough hook. Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly add in the remaining 1/2 cup of bread flour. You’ll want the dough to no longer be sticky. You can keep adding more flour if needed until it is no longer sticky, but your bread will be dense with the more flour you add. I find that 1/2 cup is plenty for my rolls.
- Let the mixer run at low speed with the dough hook for 9 minutes.
- Spray a large glass bowl with non-stick spray and put the dough into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise at room temperature for 2 hours. It should double in size.
- Once the dough has risen, place it onto a floured work surface. You can also use a silicone mat.
- Roll the dough with your hands into a long tube about 2 inches in diameter.
- Cut the dough into 16 equal pieces.
- Take each piece and roll it into a ball. For smoother rolls, you’ll then want to take the dough ball and basically turn it inside out, exposing the smooth surface.
- Place the dough balls into a 9×13 casserole dish lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and allow the rolls to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Remove the plastic wrap and bake the rolls in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Keep a close eye on them to prevent burning.
- Place 3 tablespoons of honey with 3 tablespoons of butter into a microwave-safe dish and melt it in the microwave. You can also melt them on the stove.
- Stir the butter and honey together and brush the tops of the rolls with the mixture.
- Allow the rolls to cool in the pan before removing and enjoy!
What to serve with Honey Butter Bread rolls
I love serving honey dinner rolls with savory, comfort food dishes. Some great options include:
- Fried Pork Chops with Gravy
- Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing
- Shepherd’s Pie
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy
How to store and reheat this Honey Roll Recipe
Honey Rolls are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh for a couple of days, but will become dry and dense with time.
To reheat honey rolls, I suggest popping them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
Honey Butter Rolls FAQs
The yeast will need to be activated with warm water according to the brand, but the honey will help feed the yeast.
I recommend brushing rolls with butter after baking. If you brush the rolls with honey butter prior to baking, it can cause the rolls to get a little bit too thick and tacky on top. Brushing afterwards gives the best results.
There are several reasons your rolls might not be light and fluffy. First, it could be that you did not let it rise long enough or that the yeast was bad/expired. Another reason they may not be light and fluffy is the method you used to roll them. When the dough is put into dense rolls, it’s difficult for them to rise properly when baked.
Yes, you can make the rolls ahead of time. I’d recommend leaving them in the pan you baked them in without the honey butter brushed on top. When ready to serve, pop them in the oven for a few minutes to warm them up and then brush them with the honey butter.
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Honey Butter Bread Roll Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup water warmed to the temperature advised on the yeast package
- 1 – ¼ ounce packet instant dry yeast
- 1 large egg
- 3 TBSP canola oil
- ¼ cup honey + 3TBSP
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 ½ cups bread flour
- 3 TBSP butter
Instructions
- Warm the water in the microwave or on the stove until it reaches the right temperature.
- Once the water is at the right temperature, add it to the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle in the instant dry yeast. With the paddle attachment, turn the mixer on low for a couple of seconds just to mix the yeast with the water. Let the yeast and water stand for about 10 minutes.
- Add in the egg, canola oil, ¼ cup of honey, and salt to the bowl. Continue to mix on low speed. Once combined, add in 3 cups of bread flour. Continue to mix until well combined. You will most likely need to increase your speed to medium. Once the dough has started to come together, remove the paddle attachment and put on the dough hook. Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly add in the remaining ½ cup of bread flour. You’ll want the dough to no longer be sticky. You can keep adding more flour if needed until it is no longer sticky, but your bread will be more dense with the more flour you add. I find that ½ cup is plenty for my rolls. Let the mixer run on low speed with the dough hook for 9 minutes.
- Spray a large glass bowl with Pam non-stick spray and put the dough into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for 2 hours. It should double in size.
- Once it has risen, put dough out onto a floured work surface or sil pat. Roll the dough with your hands into a long tube about 2 inches in diameter. Cut the dough into 16 even pieces. Take each piece and roll into a ball. For “pretty” rolls, you’ll then want to take the dough ball and basically turn it inside out, exposing a smooth surface. Place the dough balls into a 9×13 casserole dish lined with foil and sprayed with Pam non-stick spray. Preheat the oven to 400F. Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and allow the rolls to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Place 3TBSP of honey with 3TBSP of butter into a microwave safe dish and melt in the microwave. Stir together and brush the tops of the rolls with the honey butter mixture. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Keep a close eye on them to prevent burning. Allow the rolls to cool in the pan before removing.
Notes
- Note – You can always freeze these rolls and pull them out as needed!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
