This post is sponsored by WonderMill, my love of this mixer, and all opinions in the post are my own.
Mom’s Dinner Rolls:
Fluffy and delicious dinner rolls that come together quickly, have a lovely golden brown exterior, and soft and pillowy interior. The perfect dinner roll for any occasion.
These rolls are a family favorite, they are light and slightly sweet, and such an easy and versatile dough. You can brush the tops with butter pre-baking and add poppy seeds, garlic seasoning, or cinnamon and sugar, etc. for a fun twist on the original. For me, my favorite version is the original. They are the perfect texture, simple to make with recognizable ingredients, and with the help of the WonderMix Revolution Mixer, they are done in no time.
Dinner rolls are a classic side dish on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, but are great all year long. Another staple of these gatherings is my favorite sweet potato casserole. I love these rolls with a pot of Ham and Bean soup or stew. I have made a lot of rolls in my life, and these are definitely my favorite. One thing to note is they do not have to be tied into the knots like I have done here, you can just do balls of dough and make round rolls. However, I love the knot because it is fun, and elevates the appearance without much effort.
More Great Roll Recipes
How do you make soft dinner rolls?
The first step to making soft dinner rolls is to use great ingredients. One of the best part of my Mom’s Dinner Rolls is they use ingredients commonly found in homes. You do not need anything special, just water, salt, eggs, shortening, honey, and yeast, besides the flour of course. One you have your ingredients together, the trick to soft dinner rolls is as follows:
- Use shortening instead of butter
- Use a quality mixer– WonderMix Revolution Mixer
- Pay attention to the rise.
Why shortening?
One of the main things to note in this recipe is the use of shortening instead of butter. Now usually I am a butter lover, but for the lightest, most tender rolls, shortening is the way to go.
Shortening is a type of solid fat typically made from vegetable oil. What it does is it shortens the gluten strands in wheat (hence the name shortening). It does this by adding fat to the strand. And because it is 100% fat content, instead of the 80% of so fat content found in butter or lard, it works better. Resulting in very tender rolls.
While most people prefer butter because it imparts some delicious flavor, it will alter the texture. For these rolls, the flavor is phenomenal and the texture even better.
Why do need a Good Mixer?
For these rolls I recommend the WonderMix Revolution Mixer with dough hook attachment.
You need a good mixer in order to knead your dough properly, without over or under kneading it.
Kneading by hand is tiresome, and a mixer takes the work out of it, and means consistent results. You have to knead to activate the gluten. If you under-knead, you dough will break down, and after baking will be flat and dense. If you over-knead, it is going to mean a tougher, chewier roll.
Kneading is crucial. Knead until the dough is no longer sticky. Kneading and how much flour go hand in hand. For this recipe I like to use about 6 cups, but if I find my dough is really sticky, a little extra flour can help. The trick is to continue kneading until the dough is smooth on the outside, springs back when pressed on with your fingers and is no longer sticky to the touch. It should slightly stick to your finger, but release as you pull your finger away.
In the WonderMix Revolution Mixer this takes about 7 minutes of kneading time.
Why I love the WonderMix Revolution Mixer:
- It is versatile. because you do not want to under or over-knead your dough, this mixer is ideal, as you have bread machine pulse and 3-speed options.
- It has a dishwasher-safe, BPA-free and high-capacity mixing bowl of 5.5 quarts. This means I can make enough rolls for the whole family, and clean up is a breeze.
- This dough kneading machine has a lifetime warranty. It is built to last, and if something should go bad, it has a limited lifetime warranty.
- It has the right tools. For these dinner rolls I used the dough hook attachment. However, along with the mixer bowl and blender attachment, Wondermix includes 4 accessories: French whips, batter whips, dough hook, and drive shaft. This makes it ideal for whatever I am making.
- Find the WonderMix Revolution Mixer on Amazon. I love the accessories that accompany it, including the grate and chop which I used all summer to make grated zucchini for zucchini bread, and to grate cheese.
How to Shape Dinner Rolls
Once you have kneaded the dough you let it rise, and then it is time to shape it into the rolls.
In order to make sure my dinner rolls are all about the same size, I start by dividing my roll dough in half, then in half again, then two more times. Once I have 32 evenly sized balls of dough, I roll them into a long breadstick, and tie them in a knot. Pictured above.
- I start by crossing the dough over.
- Then I take one end and tuck it under the dough.
- The other end I tuck up into the center.
Then place the rolls on a baking tray, and let them rise one more time. Then bake.
The end result is beautiful looking, and even better tasting homemade dinner rolls.
If you want simple rolls that are easy to make, that taste good, and make the whole family happy, this is the recipe for you. We have been making these for every family gathering I can remember for half my life. My mom is the master roll shaper. She taught each of us how to tie the knots, even my daughter. I love these rolls as much for the flavor as for the tradition and memory. And you can make them part of your family’s memories as well.
Note: This dough can be used in a number of other ways too. It is extremely versatile and forgiving. I love making it into breadsticks, and topping them with parmesan cheese and garlic salt. Or they can be made into cinnamon rolls with a thick brown sugar and cinnamon filling.
Enjoy!
Other Delicious Recipes
- Roasted Chickpeas
- Oven Roasted Greek Chicken Thighs
- Roasted Pork Crostini with Apple and Pomegranate
- Kid Friendly Shepherds Pie Cups
- Halloween: Skeleton Cupcakes
- Philly Cheesesteak Sliders
Mom’s Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 Tbs yeast
- 6-7 cups flour add enough until it doesn’t stick to your finger anymore
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the warm water, salt, and eggs.
- Add shortening, honey, and yeast.
- Let stand until bubbly and foamy
- Slowly add flour, a little at a time until the consistency is right, where it is smooth, and doesn’t stick to your finger for long when you push it.
- Turn mixer off, cover bowl with a dish towel, and let rise until double, about an hour
- Divide dough in half, so it is 2 equal pieces.
- Divide each of those in half so you have 4 pieces.
- Divide each of those 4 pieces in half so you have 8 even sized pieces
- Divide each of those 8 pieces in half so you have 16 even sized pieces
- Divide each of those 16 pieces in half so you have 32 even sized pieces
- Roll each piece on the counter into a line, and then tie into a knot
- Tips: Tuck the ends under so the knots stay pretty when baking.
- Put rolls on silpat lined baking sheet, and let rise while rolling out the other pieces.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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Amy Locurto says
I can’t wait to make these!!!
Allyson Zea says
He’s rolls look absolutely amazing! I really can’t wait to try them over Thanksgiving! I’ll let you know how it goes
Lori says
So fluffy and perfect!
Sandy says
These are so easy and good. They freeze well, too.
Sabrina says
These are so nostalgic! I can’t wait to share these with my family!
Ellen says
These look wonderful – is it possible to make them ahead of time and then either bake them on Thanksgiving or somehow reheat them on Thanksgiving. I have limited oven space and it’s always a time saver to have things done ahead of time.
Rachael says
Yes, these are great made ahead. I would say no more than 5 days ahead if you don’t plan to freeze. But they stay great if you put them in an airtight container or zip top bag!
Emily says
oh my goodness!! I just love homemade rolls. I love making them when we have people over because if I make them for just us I eat WAY too many, Thanks for the tasty recipe.
Jennifer says
Great classic recipe! Nothing like homemade.
April says
These are so good! The perfect compliment to any meal!
Yamini says
Can I use butter instead of shortening
Rachael says
It will change the consistency, I would sub half.