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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.

Easy Flaky Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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.

Easy Flaky Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Easy Flaky Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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.

Easy Flaky Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Easy Flaky Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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.

Easy Flaky Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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 | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Easy Flaky Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Easy Flaky Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
resting time 2 hours
Total Time 40 minutes
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

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.
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Easy Flaky Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

All good cooks test their recipes before Thanksgiving day. Just sayin’

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made these today to pair with some veggie soup, they were everything I wanted. Truly simple, flaky, buttery, satisfying. My family loved them, I’ll be making them regularly.

  2. 5 stars
    I made a total of 5 batches of these over Thanksgiving and Christmas and they were devoured every time. They will also be a staple to keep in my freezer. Thank you for this recipe!!

    1. You should use between 3 to 4 cups of flour. Start with 3 cups, and add addition flour has needed to help bring the dough together. Make sense? Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?

    1. HI! Yes, it doubles really well. I did it for thanksgiving! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan

  3. I know this is like really last minute, but in the hopes that you see this before tomorrow… I’m going to be making the dough tonight, then refrigerating once placed in the pan. In the morning I’ll need to drive 30 min with the dough, then won’t be baking the rolls for another hour or so after that. Do I leave the rolls out? Put them back in the fridge after the drive? Will that kill the yeast? I’m excited to make these! Just trying to time it right. Thank you so much!

    1. Hi there! So sorry I missed your comment. How did it go? Hope the rolls where a huge hit with all! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks so much!! xTieghan

  4. 5 stars
    My daughter and I baked these,as a practice round,this weekend. They were so soft and amazing! We enjoyed them but our family is use to a sweeter rolls. Could we add more honey or do you suggest adding sugar? Also, could we prepare on Tuesday for Thursday?

    1. Hey Lori! I think adding additional honey sounds delicious. try using an addition 2-3 tablespoons. You could also use sugar, so do what you think your family will enjoy best! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan

  5. Do you have an approximate size for the “large rectangle” referenced in step 4? I don’t have time to do a test run before Thanksgiving so I don’t want to mess up! 🙂

    1. Hey Erin! I don’t have the approximate measurement, but anything around a 10×14 inch rectangle will be just fine! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan

  6. Hi! Would you consider adding resting time at the top of the recipe (maybe as ‘passive time’?) . It would be really useful for planning (the recipe can literally not be made in 40 min – it’s at least 2 hours more) ?

  7. Do you think these would do well on a large cookie sheet? I was going to double and let rise overnight and then bake them on a cookie sheet while warming the precut and plated turkey in the same oven.

    1. HI! Yes, I think a large cookie sheet (one with sides) will work great. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan

    1. Hey Vanessa! Yes you can double the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan

  8. 5 stars
    I did a test run of this recipe in preparation for Thanksgiving and they were AWESOME! They were also very easy to make. Cannot wait to make these for my family next week!

  9. Do you think it would mess the recipe up to half it? I practiced one batch- they turned out great. Just was hoping to half it. YOU’RE THE BEST.

    1. Hey Kailey!! You can definitely halve the recipe. That works great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan

  10. Hey Tieghan! Your recipe looks awesome, I might try it for the Thanksgiving I am hosting in my home of Paris 🙂
    I used to live in NYC right by the Clinton Street Baking Company and I highly recommend it. They are known for their pancakes and scones but I have to say that their friend chicken and vanilla bean Belgian waffles with maple butter is AMAZING. Never would you think that you need to dip an already fried piece of chicken into mapple butter but it is life-changing (NB: If you go, they do not take reservations and it is best for brunch). I also heard that Maman is good, a little French bakery that collaborates with Sézane (French version of Madewell, but bette– if you know it, definitely go for some shopping!). Also François Payard is nice as well as Lady M for their awesome crêpe cakes (definitely worth the hype). Otherwise I’m sure you know Milkbar already but worth the visit, and Big Gay Ice Cream is awesome too 🙂
    Have a great visit and a Happy Thanksgiving, thanks for all of your work and keep it up!

    1. I will have to check these places out! Thank you so much for sharing this with me, Julie! I hope you try this recipe and have an amazing Thanksgiving!

  11. 4 stars
    Sadly these did not work for me 🙁 everything was going well until I put them in the fridge to proof overnight. They deflated terribly and when baked turned so hard! I’ll try again for Christmas but not proof in the fridge overnight.

    1. Hey Jess, sorry for the trouble. Did you change anything in the recipe? any info you can give will help me problem solve for you. Thanks!