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No Thanksgiving table would be complete without rolls, and these Easy Flaky Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls are my go-to this year.
If there’s one thing that absolutely has to be on every holiday table, it’s got to be rolls. Or at least that’s the case in my house (ok a few of the brothers would definitely say turkey over rolls). However, not one family member, not even the pickiest, would ever decline a roll. In fact, the rolls are probably the very first item to completely disappear.
Everyone loves them.
Over the years, I’ve made a few different varieties of dinner rolls. My favorites are these easier homemade crescent rolls, but I always love making those for Christmas dinner. For Thanksgiving, I love something a little more doughy. Enter these super easy, super flakey, extra buttery dinner rolls.
Oh man, does my family love these. Even after having been served these rolls about four times over the last month (they took a bit of testing to get just right). Each time they were gone in minutes…seriously my family loves rolls.
Here’s the thing, I know bread baking intimidates a lot of people, and I get it. When you read a recipe that requires kneading the dough for ten minutes, has a rising time of four hours, and a crazy complicated rolling/shaping process, that’s not only scary, but daunting too.
Whenever I set out to bake bread, I always try to find the easiest and simplest way. Bread does not have to be hard to be delicious, and this recipe is an example of that.
The dough is made up of a few simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now. Mix up the ingredients in one bowl, let the dough rise, roll it out, spread on some butter, cut into squares, let it rise one more time and then bake. Nothing fancy or complicated, and the best part?
These rolls are delicious.
Again, soft, buttery, and extra flakey. Aka, what every dinner roll should aspire to be.
So what’s the secret that makes these rolls so good?
Umm? Can you guess?
A layer of butter…
Obviously.
When working on this recipe, I first baked up a roll that was more dense than I wanted. I’m not real big on dense rolls and what I really wanted with these rolls was more of that flakey layer, like what you get from the Pillsbury canned biscuits. Yes, I did just write Pillsbury canned biscuits. My mom used to buy them for family parties and even though I have not had them since I was probably ten or twelve, I remember them being delicious. Come on, you know you loved them too.
So, I did some thinking and ended up using my favorite technique from my crescent recipe and smeared a layer of butter (salted, because it’s my favorite) over the dough, then folded it up like a letter and cut into squares. The layer of butter ripples through the rolls creating three flakey, doughy layers. It’s what makes these pull-apart rolls better than any other.
Because let’s be real, who does not lover, buttery, doughy layers?!
They are the best.
And now you guys see why you need these rolls in your life. Especially come Thanksgiving Day.
They are the perfect rolls for soaking up all that gravy and then eating for breakfast the next morning. Trust me on this, you have to give these rolls a try. There’s nothing not to love.
And guys? Speaking of rolls, my mom and I are in NYC this week and I really want to take her to a great bakery for croissants and pastries since they are her all time favorite. From your guys recommendations so far, I need to go to Levin Bakery, any other hidden secrets I need to know about? Let us know!
In the meantime, start plotting out your Thanksgiving rolls and then give these a testing this week…
Easy Flaky Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls
Servings: 12 rolls
Calories Per Serving: 240 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm whole milk
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 large eggs
- 3-4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature, plus melted butter for brushing
- flaky sea salt, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, yeast, honey, eggs, flour, and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons butter and mix until combined, about 2-3 minutes more. 2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.3. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter.
4. Punch the dough down and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle that’s about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the remaining 4 tablespoons of softened butter all over dough, being careful not to break through the dough with butter.5. Fold one half of the rectangle towards the center and fold the other half over the top of the first layer so you have three dough layers. Cut the dough into 12 equal squares. Arrange in the prepared baking dish. Cover the pan, and let the rolls rise for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until they're puffy. Alternately, you can place the pan in the fridge to rise overnight. 6. reheat the oven to 350. Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're golden brown on top.7. Remove them from the oven, and brush with the melted butter, sprinkle with salt, of desired. Pull them apart to serve warm.
All good cooks test their recipes before Thanksgiving day. Just sayin’
I made these (again!) yesterday for Easter dinner. I felt it necessary to email you to share (again) the comments ranging from “wow” to “these-are-the-best-rolls-I’ve-ever-eaten”! Between these and the no knead cheater sourdough bread, I’m rapidly becoming famous (in a small circle of acquaintances.) Thanks for these great recipes and Happy Spring!
Thank you so much Dean! I am so glad you enjoyed these rolls and hope you had an amazing Easter!
You please clarify if these recipes are good at 7000 ft altitude or do they need to be adjusted? Also for the other bread and baking recipes in your cookbook, thanks!
Hi my recipes here on the blog as well as in the cookbook will be great at an elevation. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
This bread was amazing and such a hit for Christmas! I’ve never made bread before and it really was easy. I brushed the top with homemade rosemary olive oil instead of butter, which paired very well with the flavour and texture of the bread.
Yum!! Thank you Holly!
I made these and they were delicious! But I took a few liberties with the recipe based on what I had available to me, so I thought I’d list the changes I made in case that could help someone else in the future. I know I always look at comments to be like, “but can you make this in this kind of pan?!” So hopefully this will help someone.
-I used unsalted butter because that’s what I had-definitely not an okay substitution, it really needs the salted butter for flavor! Or if you don’t have any, be generous with the salt when making the dough. It turned out fine because we used them mostly to sop up the rich sauce from the short ribs braised in red wine (also delicious).
-My 9×13 wasn’t clean so I used a round 8 or 9 inch dark metal cake pan. This worked great, but I would start checking them at like 17 or 18 minutes next time-i baked for 20 and they were perfectly done, almost on the verge of overbaked. I tend to like my baked goods a little underdone.
-When I rolled out the dough it was so springy that I couldn’t get it thin enough to make 12, so I ended up making 8 massive rolls in one cake pan. (I’m 39 weeks pregnant so I get impatient/give up way more easily than usual). Since I was cooking only for 2 this was fine. They turned out great.
Finally, don’t assume re: the other comments that you’ll need a ton of flour. I made this in a dry climate at a low altitude and 3 cups of flour was perfect.
Overall, delicious and stood up well to my cutting corners! Thanks Tieghan!
I am so glad you enjoyed these dinner rolls, Sara! Thank you!
Made these for Thanksgiving and had a request to make them again for Christmas. Last time I used my mixer that had a bread kneading hook but this time will has to be all by hand. Should still be good just hope I knead it long enough and dont wear out before It is properly kneaded,
So happy to hear that! Thank you Pamela!
Made them! Love them! Thanks for the simple, yummy recipe! And merry Christmas from Denmark!
Thank you! Merry Christmas to you and your family Maria!
I have never made bread before, and just made this recipe! However what is the trick in not making the end product taste like flour? and how do you roll the flour when it’s sticky? Thanks!
HI! Your rolls tasted like flour? It’s so hard to say what might help since I am not sure how you made the rolls. Can you provide me with a little more info? Did you use a lot of flour to roll out the dough? Hope I can help with your questions!
These are still warm from the oven and I’ve already devoured 3. Wow! Thank you so much for the recipe. I had a question about presentation. After folding the dough, I kinda flipped it over into the pan so the folded sides (seam kinda if there was one) were down. Then I cut it into 12. As they baked, the top layer pulled towards the outside of the pan, leaving the second layer exposed down the middle. Is there any way to avoid this so my rolls are as pretty as yours?
HI! So glad you love these! Sadly, I am having a hard time picturing/understanding how you folded these. The seam should be on edge of the dough (think if you opened up a book, the edge of the book is the seam), then cut. Let me know how I can help to advise more.
I tried the recipe, they turned out really dense and not really flakey. I did let them rise for the second time in the fridge over night would that have made a difference? Any suggestions? I am a novice bread baker and welcome any pointers. Thank you!
HI! It’s really hard to say what might have happened since I don’t know exactly how you made these. Did you let them rise at all before you put them in the fridge. So sorry they didn’t turn out as you had hoped. Please let me know if you have other questions. Thanks! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I usually don’t have luck with yeast breads, but I made these (with fingers crossed) for Thanksgiving yesterday and my family said they are the only rolls we can ever have at holidays from here on out! Success 🙂
Woo! So happy your family loved these rolls! Thank you Jacqueline!
Hi!! Do you have any advice as to why my rolls didn’t double in size when I let them sit out for an hour or so? I am going to bake them tomorrow so I hope they rise more in the fridge overnight.
Mine did the same thing and are super crumbly! I think I used too much flour? Ahhh good luck with yours! I think mine may be a lost cause!
Oh no! Crumbly? I have never had that happen before. Was the dough very sticky or no? The dough should be sticky. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Please let me know if you have other questions. Thanks! 🙂
HI! So sorry for the delay. Did they end up rising? Sometimes it just takes a little more time. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
How would these be with olive oil? Trying to substitute for vegan family members 😛
HI! I am not sure, I think that’s a lot of olive oil for a roll. What about a vegan butter? Please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Thanksgiving! ?
I made these just last night. A great dinner roll! So quick to whip up (other than rise time) and very simple to prepare. The only problem I had was that my layers sort of slid and my rolls were sloppy looking with the middle layer puffing out and the top layer slid over. I’m guessing it’s because the butter and maybe my dough wasn’t rolled out enough? Did anyone else have this issue? I would also like a little more yeast flavor would refrigerating the dough over night increase the flavor?
HI! So I am not sure why you rolls slumped over. Did you layer them tightly or where the layers a little loose? Yes, for more of a yeast flavor, just let them rise overnight in the fridge. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
yeah i did loosely layer them partly because my butter was melty and sliding around. Thankfully it was a test run! Thanks for your help. It’s a great recipe!
I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you Samantha!
Can this recipe doubled for more rolls, or do I need to make separate batches.
Hi! You can double it, but make 2 pans. I am doing the same for Thanksgiving. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
The recipe doubled fine & the dough was a dream to work with. They came out perfect & I’ll probably have to triple the recipe next time!! ? They were gobbled up. Thank you again.
I am so happy to hear that Glenda! Thank you!!
so quick question on the measurements for the cups of flour, 3 or 4 cups?
It’s 3-4 cups flour. Start with 3 cups flour, then add more, 1/4 at a time as needed until the dough comes together. I like to keep the dough sticky and normally only use about 3 cups flour, but I live in a dry climate. Deepening on the climate you live in, you may need more flour to bring your dough together. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! ?