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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
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.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
All good cooks test their recipes before Thanksgiving day. Just sayin’
Is there an amount of time that’s too long to let rise on the first round? I’d like to mix ahead of a day of work/travel.
Hey Ashley,
Nope, that should be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Hi Tieghan!
Can I substitute the instant yeast for active sourdough yeast/starter?
Thanks!
Hey Riley,
You bet, you would just need to let that proof in the warm milk and honey before starting the recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I’ve made these before and they always turn out great! This time I want to make them without honey so that my 9 month old can have some. Would you suggest agave as a substitution?
Hi Ali,
You could use maple syrup in place of the honey. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Are they okay to freeze for maybe a week or two before thanksgiving ?
Hi Katie,
Totally, you can freeze after step 5! Let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
Made these tonight with 2tsp of sugar in addition to the honey because I like my bread on the sweeter side. These were so good. The bottom was nice and crunchy and then the top and middle were nice and fluffy!
Hey Alyssa,
Happy Friday!!🌼🐰 I really appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
If I make these using gluten free flour should I still use 3-4 cups? And should I make any other changes to the recipe?
If I make half the recipe, do I need to modify the bake time? Thank you!
Hey Jenny,
I would use an equal amount of gluten free flour and keep the recipe as written. I would just keep an eye on the rolls towards the end, I don’t know that you would totally need to cut the bake time in half! I hope you love this recipe! xx
So delicious! I made them for Thanksgiving and they were requested for Christmas. Turned out perfectly both times.
Hey Sonia,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas! 🎁🎄
is there a method to make ahead and freeze? Thank you!
Hey Anna,
You can go ahead and freeze after step 5. Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Would oat milk or coconut milk work? Looking to accommodate a dairy allergy
Hi Stephanie,
Sure, any other milk that you enjoy will work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
If I raise overnight do I bake from cold or do they need to sit on counter and come to room temp? Can you add instructions for the overnight method pls.
Hey Joyce,
You’ll want to let them come to room temp first. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I made these for Thanksgiving and they were a hit! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfect. I doubled it so that we would have leftovers for sandwiches the next day. They were so good and I will definitely be making them for Christmas! Thank you 🙂
Hey Kat,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
Notes from a VERY amateur baker who’s made this recipe 3 times in a row.
– time management !!!! you have to let the dough rest for at least 2 hours so don’t start making the rolls an hour before dinner
– 3-4 cups gives me anxiety so 3 1/2 has never failed me
– warm the milk like your making hot chocolate for a toddler
– always double the recipe cause the rolls are always the first to go
AMAZING recipe tieghan !!! will always be coming back for it
Hey Sunny,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thanks for sharing your tips! xx
Happy TG! Looks like you did this a little different in the video on IG. You sliced strips and rolled them up. Here you are suggesting to fold dough in thirds and then cut (if I understood). Which worked better for you pls? Thanks sooo much!!
Hey Debra,
You can do either way, they both work well:) I hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! xx
Thanks you too!!!
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN TO ADD MORE THAN THREE CUPS OF FLOUR OR NOT?
Hi Madeline,
Start with 3 cups, if your dough is super sticky you can slowly add more:) I hope this recipe turns out well for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Can this recipe be doubled?
Hi Chelsea,
For best results, I would probably make two batches:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I doubled it and it came out great!!!
Awesome!!