Easy Yeast Rolls
These easy dinner rolls are about to become your new best friend! Make an easy single-rise dough, slap it in a muffin tin, and bake. No kneading, no rolling, no shaping. By the time the rest of your meal is finishing up, these buttery beauties are coming out of the oven. The edges that pop out of the tin are delightfully crispy (it's a feature, not a bug) They take just over an hour from start to finish. Originally published October 29, 2012.
Servings: 12 rolls
Calories: 116kcal
Equipment
- nonstick spray
- plastic wrap
- muffin tin
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 cup warm milk
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons shortening* (I like Butter Flavored Crisco)
- 1 large egg
- 2 & 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, dissolve 1 tablespoon yeast in 1/4 cup warm water (it should be around 105 degrees F. Warm tap water is usually perfect.)
- Heat 1 cup milk in the microwave until it is warm but not hot, like a baby's bath. (If you wouldn't dunk a baby in this milk, let it cool down. About 105 F.) Add the warm milk to the water and yeast.
- Add 3 tablespoon granulated sugar and stir.
- Let sit for 2 minutes until you can see bubbles forming from the yeast. (If the mixture is completely flat and there are no bubbles, game over! You killed your yeast with too-hot water. Start over! Better to realize now than later when your rolls don't rise!)
- Add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 3 tablespoons shortening, and 1 egg.
- Add only 1 cup of the flour called for. Beat all this together (using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, or use a hand mixer) until smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add the remaining flour (1 and 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons). Beat this mixture until smooth, scraping sides. Beat for another 2 minutes. The dough will be very sticky. Do not add more flour!! This is not a normal dinner roll recipe, we want this dough very loose.
- Cover the bowl and let rise 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Coat a muffin tin with nonstick spray or butter, all over the flat top of the tin, and making sure to grease well in each cavity of the pan. Do NOT be skimpy here folks! You need a decent layer of fat between the dough and the tin, or those rolls are not popping out!
- Scoop the dough: Spray a 1/4 cup measuring cup all over with nonstick spray, or grease with butter. Scoop a portion of the dough with the measuring cup. Carefully drop it into the first muffin spot, coating your hands with oil if necessary.
- Continue spooning the dough into the muffin tins until they are equally filled. If you want them to look nice on top, take a moment to turn each roll over so the tops are smooth. Use a spoon or your fingers to smooth over the top. See photos.
- Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with nonstick spray. Cover the rolls with the greased plastic.
- Let rise 20 minutes in a warm spot, on top of the fridge is good. You can let them rise a little longer if you have time, to make them extra puffy. The rolls should rise up over the edge of the pan, but will not quite double in size.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 13-15 minutes, or until they start turning golden on top. Lift the edge of one muffin to see if the bottom is turning golden. Don't take the pan out until the bottoms are starting to brown.**
- Remove the rolls from the pan as soon as they come out of the oven, and let cool on a wire rack so the bottoms don't get soggy.
- Serve right away with butter and jam!
- Storage: Rolls can be stored in a Tupperware or ziplock on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: If you’d like to freeze these rolls, just make sure they’ve cooled completely before you put them in the freezer in a tightly sealed container or bag. They’ll last for about 3 months there, where you can pull them out on a busy day and still win at dinner!
Notes
Source: My mother-in-law-Kris
*Shortening: You can replace the shortening with butter if you want. Your rolls won't be quiiiite as soft and pillowy, but they will still be delicious! Shortening is 100% fat. Butter is about 80% fat. More fat = more fluffy puffy softness.
**If the bottoms of the muffins are not brown but the tops are getting TOO brown, cover the muffins with a sheet of foil to slow browning.
Nutrition
Serving: 1roll | Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Potassium: 34mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 103IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
