Soft Buttermilk Dinner Rolls
Soft, buttery buttermilk dinner rolls made with active dry yeast and baked close together on a quarter sheet pan, so they pull apart with tender sides and deep golden, glossy tops. This recipe makes 14 large rolls, or more if you shape them smaller, and goes from mixing bowl to table in under four hours, or faster with your oven's proof setting.
Servings: 14 dinner rolls
Calories: 220kcal
Equipment
- - Stand mixer with dough hook
- Digital Kitchen Scale
- Instant read thermometer
- bench scraper
- Quarter sheet pan or half sheet pan
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush or paper towel
Ingredients
Yeast Bloom
- 50 g warm water 105 to 110°F, for blooming the yeast (3 tbsp plus 1 tsp)
- 7 g active dry yeast 2¼ tsp, 1 packet
- Pinch of the granulated sugar for blooming the yeast
Dough
- 228 g buttermilk room temperature (¾ cup plus 3 tbsp)
- 30 g granulated sugar minus the pinch used for blooming (2 tbsp plus 1¼ tsp)
- 2 large eggs room temperature (about 95g)
- 582 g all purpose flour 4¾ cups plus 1½ tbsp
- 10 g fine salt 1¾ tsp
- 50 g unsalted butter softened (3½ tbsp)
For Finishing
- 1 large egg whisked with 1 tsp water for the egg wash
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling over the egg wash (optional)
- 28 g melted butter for brushing the baked rolls (2 tbsp)
Instructions
- Set the eggs and butter out on the counter to take the chill off. If your buttermilk is cold, set the measured buttermilk in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes until it reaches room temperature.
- Stir the active dry yeast and a pinch of the sugar into the warm water and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until foamy. If it does not foam, your yeast may be old, so start over with fresh yeast.
- Add the yeast mixture, buttermilk, remaining sugar, 2 eggs, flour, salt, and softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- Mix on low until no dry flour remains, then knead on medium for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pulling away from the sides of the bowl. By hand, knead for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until roughly doubled, about 1½ hours at room temperature, or about 45 minutes in an oven set to its 100°F proof setting.
- Turn the dough out onto an unfloured counter and divide it into 14 pieces of about 75g each, or see the notes for smaller sizes.
- Shape each piece into a tight ball by folding the edges into the center, flipping it seam side down, and rolling it in small circles under a cupped hand to build surface tension.
- Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment and arrange 12 rolls in 4 rows of 3, leaving a little space between them so they rise into each other. Bake the last 2 in a small parchment lined pan, or bake all 14 together on a half sheet pan.
- Cover loosely and proof for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until puffy and touching, and a gentle poke springs back slowly. If you proof in the oven, take the pan out before preheating.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Whisk the egg with 1 tsp water and gently dab it over the tops of the rolls. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using.
- Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, until deep golden brown and an instant read thermometer in the center roll reads about 190°F.
- Brush the hot rolls with melted butter right away and let them cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Blooming the Yeast
Blooming the active dry yeast in a little warm water lets you see that it is alive before anything else goes in the bowl, and it means the buttermilk only needs to come to room temperature instead of being heated. Keep the water between 105 and 110°F, since water that is too hot can kill the yeast.
Using Instant Yeast
If you have instant yeast, use the same 7g packet and add it straight to the bowl with the water, buttermilk, and everything else, with no need to bloom it first. The rise may move a little faster, so go by how the dough looks.
Oven Proof Setting
An oven proof setting around 100°F brings the first rise down to about 45 minutes. Keep the bowl covered, check early, and always take the rolls out before you preheat. Using the oven light: My oven light actually gets hotter than the proof setting so, i wouldn't recommend that unless your kitchen is extremely cold and keep a close eye on the temprature.
Roll Sizes
The dough weighs about 1051g. Divide it into 14 large rolls at about 75g each, 18 medium rolls at about 58g each, 20 small rolls at about 52g each, or 9 burger buns at about 117g each. Bake the smaller sizes on a half sheet pan and start checking about 5 minutes early, since these rolls were tested at the large size.
Egg Wash
Dab the egg wash on gently with a pastry brush or a folded paper towel so you do not deflate the proofed rolls, and add a pinch of flaky sea salt over the top if you like.
Storage
Store cooled rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat frozen rolls wrapped in foil at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes.
Calories
Calories are approximate, calculated per roll with the egg wash and melted butter finish, based on 14 large rolls and reduced fat buttermilk.
