Easy Yeast Rolls for Beginners
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Light, fluffy, piping hot, no knead easy yeast rolls for beginners! Easily started in your bread machine, then finished in the oven, for perfect, hot, soft buttery yeast rolls. These are the ideal rolls for beginner bread bakers!
Thought it took someone with a PhD in baking to make these beauties? I have been making these easy yeast rolls for years, they come out perfect every time!
Browsing for more fabulous and easy bread recipes? Try these reader favorites Sweet Brown Bread Rolls, Russian Black Bread, Red Lobster Skillet Biscuits or Easy Beer Bread Popovers.
This recipe is from my dear friend and awesome cook, Julie! She is one of the kindest, gentlest, integrity filled women I know and on top of it all she makes the BEST Chinese food, actually, she makes the best of all types of foods!
What I love most about this recipe is that all of the hard work is done in your bread machine!
These go ideal with any meal, but are especially amazing with a holiday meal!
Last Christmas I started them in the afternoon and they were ready for a pat of butter by dinnertime! Who doesn’t want a piping hot, fresh buttery roll with a bowl of your favorite soup?
Easy Yeast Rolls for Beginners
Ingredients
Gather simple ingredients (plus an egg) which for some reason, isn’t shown.
HOW TO MAKE EASY YEAST ROLLS IN YOUR BREAD MACHINE
Place all ingredients in the bread machine pan in the following order:
- water
- butter, softened
- egg
- bread flour (all-purpose flour may be substituted in a pinch)
- sugar | I use all natural cane sugar, regular may be used
- kosher sea salt
- active dry yeast
TIP: Yeast is temperamental, if possible when placing it in the pan put it next to the sugar, not the salt. Yeast feeds on sugar, salt tends to kill it.
Place ingredients in your bread maker and choose the –>white, –>large, –>dough cycle; not the full bread cycle, just the dough cycle, you will finish them up after the first rise.
After the dough cycle is finished…
Punch down and plop onto a floured surface and divide into 16-24 equally shaped pieces. I love using my bench scraper to divide them, it’s quick and easy.
Next pinch into round little dumplings
Like this…
Place pinched side down on a parchment lined or greased sheet pan.
Brush tops with melted butter…
Sprinkle tops with a pinch kosher salt or fleur de sel and cover with a clean damp, tea towel and allow to rise in warm place until double.
PRO TIP | I like to set my oven to 100º, turn off, then place the rolls in to rise. Or if your oven has a “proof” setting use that. If your home is really chilly, place covered pan in oven with the lights on.
Once doubled in size, about 30-40 minutes, remove from oven and preheat oven to 375º F.
Bake until golden brown, if desired brush again with melted butter just before serving and sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt. AMAZING!
Can I make yeast rolls without a bread machine?
- Yes, simply add all ingredients to mixer, preferably with a dough hook. Mix on low until dough combined.
- Then scraping sides of bowl and bottom, continuing mixing on medium for 2-3 minutes, until dough is slightly sticky, but is stretchy and holds together.
- Place dough in medium bowl coated with a little oil, turning to cover both sides of dough, cover with damp tea towel or plastic wrap.
- Place in warm spot (oven with lights on works) for about 30 minutes until doubled.
- Once doubled in size, remove and pinch into balls, then continue with balance of recipe.
WAYS TO USE THESE EASY YEAST ROLLS RECIPE
- Check out my complete post on 26 Best Make Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes or this newer post with recipes for smaller Thanksgiving meals!
- Super tasty dunked in my most popular soup recipe.
- And you sure can’t beat sopping up a delicious Italian Spaghetti Sauce.
Recommended Equipment
- Bread Machine | I have had my bread machine for over 20 years and it’s still kicking, but if I were to buy one today, this Breville Bread Maker is the one I would purchase.
- Half Sheet Pan | This recipe makes quite a few rolls, you want a large pan, my favorite USA made pans!
- Pastry Brush | Certainly easier to brush melted butter on with a brush!
- Flaky Sea Salt | This stuff is the best, I sprinkle it on most of my cookies!
TOP TIP
“Don’t miss brushing the tops with melted butter and sprinkling with flaky or regular sea salt, it adds a fabulous softness and dimension to these easy yeast rolls.”
The Fresh Cooky
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Easy Yeast Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup water, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 3 ¼ cups bread flour, may substitute all-purpose flour end result slightly different, but still delicious!)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast or bread machine yeast
- 2-3 Tablespoons Melted butter for brushing
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Place first 7 ingredients in bread machine (*see notes for how to make without bread machine) pan in order listed.
- Try and make sure that the yeast is by the sugar, not the salt.
- Place in bread machine, start white, dough, large cycle (not the full bread).
- Once cycle is finished, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, or spray with non-stick spray.
- Remove dough from bread pan and punch down, separate pieces into 16-24 equal dough balls.
- Pinch together bottoms of dough to form little dumpling sized dough balls.
- Place upside down on cookie sheet.
- Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with a little kosher salt.
- Cover with clean, damp tea towel and let rise in warm location* for 30-40 minutes until doubled.
- Once doubled, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
- Brush tops again with melted butter, if desired and sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt.
✱ Kathleen’s Tips
- Simply add all ingredients to mixer, preferably with a dough hook. Mix on low until dough combined.
- Then scraping sides of bowl and bottom, continuing mixing on medium for 2-3 minutes, until dough is slightly sticky, but is stretchy and holds together.
- Place dough in medium bowl coated with a little oil, turning to cover both sides of dough, cover with damp tea towel or plastic wrap.
- Place in warm spot (oven with lights on works) for about 30 minutes until doubled.
- Once doubled in size, remove and pinch into balls, then continue with balance of recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Fresh Cooky is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
About Kathleen Pope
Recipe Innovator | Food Photographer | Food Writer
Hi, I’m Kathleen Pope. Here at The Fresh Cooky you will find easy, mostly from-scratch, trusted recipes for all occasions. From speedy dinners to tasty desserts, with easy step-by-step instructions. I am here to help teach you how to make mouthwatering recipes without spending hours in the kitchen. Read more about Kathleen here.
These were the easiest yeast rolls I have ever made and the best they are awesome.
So glad you loved them so much Vicky!
Once I make these for someone they are requested over and over. They come out so delicious and are easy to make. Thank you so much for the recipe. Making again today to take to dinner with friends. ❤️
Thank you so much Mary Ann for taking the time to write a kind comment! So glad you love them, we do too!
Hi there! I didn’t leave any stars yet because I’m making this recipe as I’m typing the comment. I previously tried a different one before finding this one and it turned out terribly! I wanted to say beforehand, THANK YOU for putting the helpful suggestion about putting the yeast close to the sugar. I’ve never made yeast rolls and this is great recipe for people like me who are scared of yeast lol. Thankfully I do have a bread machine though! So far the dough is rising and so what it’s supposed to in the machine on the dough cycle. It’s almost done. 🤞 fingers crossed they turn out great! I’ll post another comment as well as my thoughts and stars as soon as I’m completely finished! Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to post this bc it’s helped me tremendously!!
Thank you Tracy and I hope they turn out beautifully!! I’ve had so many say they are successful- me included!! Excited to hear!
Ty so so so so much!! They turned out BEAUTIFULLY!! I’m beyond ecstatic!! Thank you so much for such an easy recipe and sooooo good!! I’m making these for Thanksgiving AND Christmas this year! 🙂 probably never use another recipe for them! Again, THANK YOU so much, I appreciate it more than you will ever know!! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!❤️
Thank you so much Tracy!! So glad they worked out so well! Thanks for making my day-month too!! Happy Thanksgiving!!
Can this be left as a loaf and completed in the bread machine instead of making rolls?
I’ve never tried it Shontell, but it’s a basic bread dough, so I’d give it a try — let me know how it turns out.
It turned out FANTASTIC!
Wahoo! So glad to hear that Shontell!
Love! Have made these rolls several times for the family and they’re always a huge hit.
Thank you so much Jenny, so appreciate your kind words! Glad they are a hit, happy baking!
Really liking the rolls! 🙂
Even a pro like you can make them Bob!
Can the dough be kept in the refrigerator and made out as needed?
It will actually continue to slowly rise in the refrigerator, so I haven’t tried that over days. I have tried freezing the dough balls, thawing like you would a Rhodes frozen roll, they turned out okay, but not great. Let me know if you try doing this!
This is very similar to a recipe that I have been making for at least 40 years. I only use AP flour with no problems. It is the one thing that I have to make and bring to family dinners.
I love it and so glad that you have no issues using AP flour!
Wow, these were so great!! Our family ate them all!!! Recommended
Love hearing this Susan! Thanks so much! So glad you loved them!
These are RIDICULOUS!!! My husband, who does t really eat that much bread, ate 4 in one sitting and asked me to hide the rest. Said they were the best rolls he ever had. My kids wholeheartedly agreed! Thank you!!!
LOL, you are very welcome Elizabeth! Thank you so much for your kind words!! Happy hiding of the rolls! 🙂
This has been my go-to recipe since I found it. My husband and in laws absolutely love these rolls. Thank you for sharing!
These are easily the best rolls over ever made. So quick and easy to make. So flavorful! Only adjustment I made was to double the salt. I also brush generously with butter before and after cooking. They come out perfect every time!
Judy’s favorite meal!!!!!!!
Not quite like the Sam’s Club yeast rolls, but equally as yummy I think Bob!