Soft Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls
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Fifteen soft rolls, baked shoulder to shoulder and brushed with butter the second they leave the oven. Set a timer, because the rolls are always the thing forgotten once the carving argument starts.
The short version
Cook 3 tablespoons of flour with ½ cup of milk into a paste, mix it into a milk, egg, sugar and butter dough, knead, rise an hour, shape 15 balls in a 9×13 pan, rise again, bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, brush with butter. Don't add extra flour; the dough should be soft and tacky.
What makes ours better
why ours wins the argument at dinner
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Make a tangzhong. Cooking a little of the flour and milk into a paste gelatinizes the starch so it holds more water. The dough is easier to handle, the rolls bake up moister, and they stay soft for days instead of hours.
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More butter, a little more sugar. The old-school roll dough is lean and a bit plain. Four tablespoons of butter and three of sugar give a tender, faintly sweet crumb without turning them into brioche.
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Bake them touching, in one pan. Rolls crowded into a 9×13 rise up instead of out, and the sides stay soft where they meet. Spaced out on a sheet pan they crust all the way around.
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Brush with butter the moment they come out. Melted butter on hot rolls soaks into the crust and keeps it soft and shiny. A pinch of flaky salt on top if you like.
What you need
the stars of the show
- All-purpose flour3 tablespoons
- Whole milk½ cup
- Instant yeast2¼ teaspoons
- Granulated sugar3 tablespoons
- Egg1 large
- Unsalted butter4 tablespoons
Tangzhong
Dough
read it twice. buy it once.
Steps
go slow. the good part can’t be rushed.
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Cook the tangzhong
Whisk the 3 tablespoons of flour and ½ cup of milk in a small saucepan until there are no lumps. Set over medium heat and whisk constantly. In 2 to 4 minutes it will thicken to a paste the texture of thick pudding, and the whisk will leave lines on the bottom of the pan. Scrape it into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) and let it cool until just warm, about 10 minutes.
About 10 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Mix the dough
Add the warm milk, yeast, sugar, egg and salt to the tangzhong and whisk until the paste loosens and blends in. Add the flour and the softened butter. Mix with the dough hook on low until no dry flour remains and a shaggy, sticky dough forms, 1 to 2 minutes.
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Knead
Knead on medium-low for 8 to 10 minutes (10 to 12 by hand on a barely floured counter), until the dough is smooth, springy and tacky but pulls cleanly off your finger. Stretch a piece thin; if it goes translucent before it tears, you're done.
Resist adding flour. A dough that sticks to you a little bakes into soft rolls; a stiff, dry dough bakes into dry ones.
About 9 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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First rise
Shape the dough into a ball, put it in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a plate or plastic wrap and leave it somewhere warm until doubled, 1 to 1½ hours. Poke it; a finger dent that fills back slowly means it's ready.
About 60 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Shape 15 rolls
Grease a 9×13-inch metal pan. Press the air out of the dough, turn it out and cut it into 15 equal pieces (a little over 50 g each, if you have a scale). For each piece, fold the edges into the center, flip it seam-side down and roll it under a cupped hand on an unfloured spot until it tightens into a smooth ball. Arrange them 3 across and 5 down in the pan.
Keep the shaped rolls loosely covered while you work so the first ones don't dry out.
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Second rise
Cover the pan loosely and let the rolls rise until puffy and touching each other, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Heat the oven to 350°F during the last 20 minutes.
About 45 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Bake
Bake on the lower-middle rack until the tops are deep golden and a thermometer pushed into the center of a middle roll reads 190°F, 20 to 25 minutes. If they're browning fast at 15 minutes, lay a sheet of foil over the pan.
Pale rolls are underbaked rolls. The color should be a real golden brown, not blond.
About 20 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Butter and serve
Brush the hot rolls with the melted butter and sprinkle with flaky salt if you like. Let them sit in the pan for 10 minutes, then serve warm, pulled apart at the table.
About 10 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
Good to know
read this before somebody asks for seconds
- Make ahead. After shaping, cover the pan tightly and refrigerate up to 16 hours. Take it out 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking, until the rolls look puffy, then bake as written.
- Bread flour gives slightly taller, chewier rolls; all-purpose gives softer ones. Both work with the same amounts.
- Active dry yeast works too. Use the same amount, but stir it into the warm milk with a pinch of the sugar and wait 5 minutes for it to foam before adding it to the bowl.
- For a glossy top, brush the risen rolls with an egg beaten with a tablespoon of water right before they go in the oven. You can still butter them after.
- Storage. Airtight at room temperature, 3 days. Freeze baked, cooled rolls in a zip-top bag for 3 months; reheat wrapped in foil at 300°F for 10 to 12 minutes, or microwave one for 15 seconds.
Questions, answered
asked and answered at the kitchen counter
What is tangzhong, and can I skip it?
It's a paste made by cooking a bit of the flour with some of the liquid, which lets the dough hold more moisture. You can skip it and just add that flour and milk to the dough directly; the rolls will be soft on day one and noticeably drier on day two.
Can I make dinner rolls ahead of time?
Yes. Shape them, cover the pan tightly and refrigerate up to 16 hours, then let them sit at room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour before baking. Or bake them a day ahead, cool, wrap in foil and rewarm at 300°F for 10 minutes.
Why are my rolls dense?
Too much flour is the usual reason; the dough should feel soft and tacky, not firm. Underproofing is the other; give the first rise the full doubling and the second rise until the rolls are touching. Old yeast and a cold kitchen slow everything down, so go by how the dough looks, not the clock.
Can I knead the dough by hand?
Yes, 10 to 12 minutes. It's sticky for the first few minutes; use a bench scraper to lift it instead of flouring the counter heavily. It smooths out as the gluten develops.
How do I know when the rolls are done?
Deep golden tops and 190°F in the center of a middle roll on an instant-read thermometer. Without a thermometer, go by color and the time range; the middle rolls finish last.
Can I double the recipe?
Yes. Make it in two batches if your mixer is small, or double everything in a large mixer and bake in two 9×13 pans. Don't crowd 30 rolls into one pan; the middle won't bake through.
From the table
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Published October 26, 2026.