Brown and Serve Rolls Recipe

closeup of brown and serve rolls with butter

4.57 from 60 votes

Serve fresh rolls at short notice with this Homemade Brown and Serve Rolls recipe. They're soft and fluffy with a golden brown top.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Rise Time1 30

Total Time2 10

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Keyword: homemade rolls, thanksgiving dinner

Servings:

Calories: 132kcal

Author: Julie Clark

Ingredients

1 package active dry yeast 7 grams
1/4 cup warm water 2 ounces
1 tablespoon granulated sugar 12 grams
1 1/2 cups 2% milk 12 ounces
5 tablespoons granulated sugar 60 grams
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened) 84 grams
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 7 grams
4 1/2 cups bread flour (or all purpose flour)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for 5-7 minutes until the yeast is frothy and activated. 1 package active dry yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Heat the milk in the microwave for about 1 and a half minutes, until it is hot. Add the sugar and butter and allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes until it is 110-115º Fahrenheit). Add this to the yeast mixture. 1 1/2 cups 2% milk, 5 tablespoons granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Add 2 cups of flour and mix until it makes a very soft batter. Cover and allow this to rise for 1 hour in a warm place. 4 1/2 cups bread flour
Add the salt and another 2 1/2 cups of flour so that it makes a soft dough. Knead for 5-7 minutes by hand or 5 minutes using the dough hook on your stand mixer. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover it. Allow it to rise in a warm place until nearly double, about 30 minutes.
Punch dough down and divide it into 24 equal portions. Roll into smooth balls. Place the rolls in a greased pan and allow them to rise until nearly double, about another 20-30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 275ºF. Bake for 20 minutes. The rolls should not be browned but will be fully cooked through. Allow the rolls to cool, then freeze them in zippered bags in the amounts that you'd like.
When you are ready to bake the rolls, allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for 45 minutes. Bake the rolls at 400º Fahrenheit for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of the rolls. Brush the tops with melted butter to soften them, if desired.
If you'd like, you can bake these rolls immediately instead of freezing them. If you'd like to do this, just bake them at 375º Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes.

Notes

Add herbs if you'd like. Garlic, rosemary, a touch of poultry seasoning all would make great variations.
Instead of traditional dough balls, make cloverleaf rolls. For this shape, each roll will be 3 small dough balls, risen together in muffins tins, then baked, so that they easily tear apart.

The calories shown are based on the recipe making 24 rolls, with 1 serving being 1 roll. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition