Butterhorn Dinner Rolls

No knead overnight Butterhorn Dinner Rolls are buttery, flaky and a great all purpose roll. Perfect for sandwiches or paired with the main meal at holiday dinners.

One of my favorite parts of a holiday dinner is homemade rolls. For 20+years we’ve made our family’s favorite dinner rolls for many family gatherings. And they are best when served fresh from the oven.

But there are times when I need something just a little bit different. I don’t have time to make the rolls from start to finish on the day of the family dinner. And that’s where this Butterhorn Dinner Rolls recipe comes to the rescue. No knead. Overnight rise. Soft, warm rolls without so much to do on party day.

A special thank you to Challenge Butter for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• 100% from scratch.
• Save your arms…no kneading required!
• Overnight rise for great flavor and fluffy texture.
• Buttered before and after baking for extra buttery flavor.
• One batch of dough makes 24 rolls so there are plenty to go around.

What are butterhorns?

Some people think of butterhorns as cookies. And that can be true as there are many recipes for rolled butterhorn cookies. Butterhorns can also be a cross between a cookie and a pastry, filled with fruit jams or nut fillings or even topped with icing. The dough for these butterhorns are very similar to this recipe.

But butterhorns can be dinner rolls by simply rolling them like a crescent roll or croissant. No fillings needed. Just deliciously rich butter double basted over the outside.  I used Challenge Butter salted butter in the dough itself and for brushing over the butterhorns. Challenge Butter is churned fresh daily with fresh milk and cream from family-owned dairies. Challenge Butter is also perfect for everything from frying chicken and baking cookies and cakes.

Make Ahead Butterhorns

What I love about this recipe is that you mix the dough the night before you want to bake them. Although you can make them all in one day (see below), they are best when you let them rise slowly in the fridge overnight.

Then the next morning the dough will be ready to roll, shape and bake.

How to Make Butterhorn Dinner Rolls

Mix the dough.

• In a large glass mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, yeast and beaten eggs. Add the water, butter and salt to the yeast mixture. Mix again.
• Add 2 cups of flour. Stir by hand until smooth. It’s easy to mix with just a wooden spoon, so no stand mixer is needed. If you want to use an electric mixer anyway, set it on low speed.
• Add the remaining flour ½ cup at a time to form a soft dough. The dough should be very sticky, almost like a thick batter instead of a kneadable dough. Don’t be tempted to add more flour. It will make your rolls too dry.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. Often recipes recommend you move the dough to another greased bowl for the rise. That’s not necessary with this recipe.

Shape the dough.

• The next morning, remove the dough from the bowl, divide dough into two equal portions and place it on a floured surface.
• Flour the top of the dough balls, your hands and the rolling pin. (I use no more than ⅓ cup of flour for flouring the surface and dough. Try not to add too much flour at this stage or your rolls will be dry.)
• Roll each dough ball into a 12 inch circle.
• Use a pizza cutter to cut 12 triangles. You’ll have a total of 24 rolls.
• Roll up each wedge starting at the wide end and rolling towards the narrow end.
• Place 2-3” apart on parchment or silicone lined cookie sheets.
• Allow the rolls to rise until nearly double, about 2-3 hours.

Bake the rolls.

• Preheat the oven to 400º Fahrenheit.
• Brush the top of each roll with the melted butter.
• Bake for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown.
• After the rolls come out of the oven, immediately brush them with butter again.

Can I freeze butterhorn rolls?

Yes. You can fully bake the rolls and freeze them for up to 2 weeks. Wrap them in plastic wrap, then again in a zippered bag or another airtight container.

You can also freeze the rolls after you shape them. Freeze them on the baking sheets first, then once they are frozen you can store them all in zippered bags (double bagged) and pull them out as you need them.

The day you want to bake the rolls, remove them from the freezer and put them on a baking sheet. Allow them to thaw and rise for 3-4 hours. Then brush with butter and bake. I don’t recommend freezing for longer than 2-3 weeks as they can lose some of their “fluffiness” if frozen too long.

Storage

The rolls are best served warm, but if you have any leftovers, seal them in an airtight container and store at room temperature.

Serving Ideas

These no knead rolls would be perfect for Thanksgiving dinner alongside a potato dish, turkey and green beans. They are also delicious with soups such as potato soup and corn chowder.

Shape the rolls a little bigger (cutting in 8 wedges instead of 12) and use them as sandwich buns.

Watch us make the dinner rolls: