Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

If you want to make the perfect dinner roll, look no further. Buttermilk dinner rolls are soft, buttery, light and luscious.

Brush the warm rolls with melted butter for a luscious finish

This recipe was created all because we’d bought a couple of salmon burgers at the farmer’s market  one Saturday. I decided to make my own burger buns because I wanted the perfect, soft bun for the delicate burgers. It was early enough in the day that I had time to put the dough together for dinner that night.

Use Buttermilk for the perfect soft roll!

I had some buttermilk (one of my favorite ingredients!) in the refrigerator and used that as the base for the buns. When I want bread with a softer texture I use milk instead of water as the base for the dough (as I did for my white sandwich bread recipe.)

The butterfat in the milk interferes with the development of gluten in the dough for a softer texture and the fat also makes a richer dough. Acidic buttermilk softens the gluten in the bread even more for an extra tender crumb and great flavor. One egg contributes a nice flavor and color.

I used a portion of the dough to make a couple of salmon-burger buns, and the remaining was turned into a sandwich loaf.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving. I’d already baked a few dozen biscuits to bring along to my sister’s house, but I decided to make dinner rolls as well. Because, well, you know, enough is never enough…

I started with the same recipe as the burger buns but wanted an even richer dough. A pinch of sugar added just a whisper of sweetness and a little butter upped the richness and flavor. Melted butter brushed onto the rolls before baking keeps the tops soft and a little more brushed on as soon as they come out of the oven is the perfect finishing touch.

The recipe makes 16-24 rolls depending on the size you want. You could also bake the dough in a loaf pan for a tasty sandwich bread.

Enjoy!

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4.58 from 7 reviews

Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

By: Eileen Gray

If you want to make the perfect dinner roll, look no further. Buttermilk dinner rolls are soft, buttery, light and luscious.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Bake Time10 minutes mins

Rise Time2 hours hrs

Total Time2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

24 rolls

US CustomaryMetric

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 16 oz buttermilk (2 cups, room temperature)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast
• ½ oz granulated sugar (1 tablespoon)
• 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
• 1 large egg (room temperature)
• 20 oz bread flour (4 cups)
• 2 oz butter (softened)
• 2 oz butter (melted for brushing)

Instructions

• Combine 16 oz buttermilk, 2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast, ½ oz granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons table salt and 1 large egg in a mixing bowl. Mix on low speed to combine the ingredients. Add ½ of bread flour and mix to combine. Switch to the dough hook if mixing on a stand mixer.
• Add the remaining bread flour until the dough gathers on the hook and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Knead on medium for 3 minutes then reduce the speed to low. If mixing by hand stir in as much flour as you can with a wooden spoon, then knead the remaining flour in by hand.
• With the mixer running on low, toss in the softened butter a tablespoon at a time. If working by hand, knead in the butter.
• Mix on medium for 3 minutes, if the dough is still very sticky add a little flour. The dough will stick to the bottom of the bowl but should gather on the hook. Dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead to form a smooth ball. The dough should be soft and smooth.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning once to coat the surface, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1½ - 2 hours.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll the dough to form a long log shape. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper cut the dough into 24 even pieces.
• Roll each piece of dough under your cupped hand to form a smooth ball. Place the rolls onto a parchment lined baking sheet and brush the tops with melted butter. Set aside in a warm spot to rise until nearly doubled in size and the dough springs back slowly when poked (about 1 hour).
• Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Bake the rolls until they are golden brown and feel light when picked up. About 10-15 minutes.
• As soon as the roll come out of the oven brush the tops with the melted butter. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Equipment

My Book

Kitchen Scale

KA Stand Mixer

Half Sheet Pans

Parchment Sheets

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Notes

To work ahead the dough balls can be frozen on a sheet pan then packed into freezer bags. Allow the dough balls to defrost and then rise before baking. The baked rolls can also be frozen.

Nutrition

Serving: 1roll | Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 199mg | Potassium: 56mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Vitamin C: 0.001mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!

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