These Refrigerator Butter-Rich Dinner Rolls are my favorite dinner roll recipe to use for holiday dinners, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Very easy to make ahead and bake at the last minutes.
Check out Linda’s Bread Making Hints: Secrets to using the bread machine, About yeast in bread making, Sourdough Starter, and Quick Breads.
More great Bread Recipes, Sourdough Bread Recipes, and Quick Bread Recipe for all your bread making.
- 1 cup milk (110 degrees F.)
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups bread flour*
- 3 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 egg white, beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
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Lightly grease baking pans, baking sheet, or muffin pans; set aside.
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Bread Machine Instructions:
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Place all ingredient (in order given), except Egg Glaze, in bread pan of your bread machine. Process according to manufacturer's instructions for a dough setting. Do not be afraid to open the lid and check the dough. It should form a nice elastic ball. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same is true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water (a tablespoon at a time).
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If you can not judge your dough by looking, stick your finger in and feel the dough. It should be slightly tacky to the touch. When the bread machine has completed the dough cycle, remove the dough from the pan to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough several times and form the dough into an oval; cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
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Stand Up Mixer Instructions:
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In a large bowl or in the bowl of a 5 quart stand mixer, combine all the ingredients in the order given except the Egg Glaze. Using a dough hook, mix all the ingredients together into a uniform dough. It should form a nice elastic ball. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same is true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water (a tablespoon at a time).
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Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until elastic, about 15 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
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Shaping Rolls: After dough has rested, shape the dough as desired. Shape pieces of dough into balls and place in two greased 8-inch cake pans or large baking pan. The easiest way to get rolls the same size, is to weight the dough:
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For 16 small rolls - weigh dough into 2-ounce pieces.
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For 13 large rolls - weigh dough into 3-ounce pieces.
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As you roll the dough balls, keep the rest of the dough balls covered with plastic wrap so they do not dry out. After shaping, place the dough balls, evenly spaced, onto the prepared greased pan; cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, until double in bulk, about 1 hour.
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Makes approximately 13 to 16 rolls (depending on size).
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In a small bowl, combine (whisk together) egg white and water. Just before baking, brush the top of the rolls with the Egg Glaze.
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Place dough into a large well-greased bowl, turning dough to grease top. Cover bowl (with the dough in it) with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 5 days.
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When ready to bake, remove dough from the refrigerator and shape into desired type of rolls and place onto prepared baking pan.
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Cover the baking pan with the prepared rolls with plastic wrap and let rise in a warn place (85 degrees F.), free from drafts, until double in bulk, approximately 1 hour.
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush rolls with Egg Glaze. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until they are a light golden brown.
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After dough has rested, shape the dough as desired.
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At this point, the rolls can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight (I have actually made them two days in advance) or frozen for 1 month. Before baking, allow rolls to thaw completely and rise in a warm place if frozen. I have found that I have to take the unbaked frozen rolls out of the freezer 3 to 4 hours before planning to bake. I just put the frozen rolls (container and rolls) on my counter (not in the refrigerator) and let thaw and rise.
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You can also freeze shaped dinner rolls on a cookie sheet, and once frozen transfer to a plastic bag. this way you can bake up just the quantity you desire for dinner and not the entire batch.
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If refrigerated, they can be either baked upon removing from the refrigerator or let come to a room temperature (I have done both ways). They do a slow rise overnight and it is not necessary to let them come to room temperature before baking.
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush rolls with Egg Glaze. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until they are a light golden brown.
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After dough has rested, shape the dough as desired.
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Cover rolls and let rise in a warm place for approximately 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size (after rising, rolls should be touching each other and the sides of the pan). After rising and before baking, brush rolls with Egg Glaze.
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Convection Oven - Preheat convection oven to 350 degrees F. Bake in a convection oven approximately 15 to 20 minutes until they are a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Regular Oven - Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake in a regular oven approximately 20 to 25 minutes in a regular oven or until they are a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Makes approximately 13 to 16 rolls (depending on size).
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NOTE: This recipe is also excellent to use for sandwich or hamburger buns. If using a 1-pound bread machine, cut the recipe in half.
Types Of Dinner Rolls – How To Make Different Styles of Dinner Rolls:
CLOVERLEAF DINNER ROLLS – Form dough into one-inch balls. Place three balls into each greased muffin cup. Brush with melted butter.
CRESCENT-SHAPED DINNER ROLLS – Roll dough into a twelve-inch circle, about one-fourth-inch thick. Spread with melted butter. Cut into sixteen wedges. Roll up, beginning at rounded edge. Place rolls, with point underneath, onto greased baking sheet, curving slightly. Brush with butter.
PARKER HOUSE DINNER ROLLS – Roll dough into an oblong shape, about one-fourth inch thick. Cut into three-inch circles and brush with melted butter. Make a crease across each circle; fold so top half overlaps slightly. Press edges together. Place close together onto greased baking pan. Brush with butter.
ROUND ROLLS – After resting, shape the dough into 24 tight balls between the palm of your hands. NOTE: To make uniform rolls, weigh the dough into 2 ounces each. As you shape the rolls, stretch the top of the dough ball while simultaneously sealing the bottom. T his stretching helps the dough hold up to the expansion that occurs in the oven, and the sealing prevents the roll from opening up while baking. As you make each roll, transfer the roll to a non-sticking baking sheet (sealed side down).
4 Responses to “Refrigerator Butter Rolls Recipe”
Joni Anderson
I want to make this for Thanksgiving, however, it is quite cold in my house and the butter is not really “soft.” There is a difference between “soft” and “melted” butter. If I warm/melt the butter with the milk and add it, will that yield the same result? I fear as solid as the butter is now I will have pie crust and not bread dough! Please advise, thank you!
Whats Cooking America
Melted butter will not produce the same result and softened butter when baking. I trick I use to soften butter quickly is to microwave for only 10 seconds. If it’s still too hard try additional 5 second increments in the microwave.
Mr T
Measure out your butter the package it comes in is usually marked from quarters to half to cup. You don’t want the butter totally melted . If you have a microwave heat it at 5 minute intervals if over heat low heat until it looks like soft margin. The amounts of butter does not need to be exact as you will need to grease the dough to prevent it from sticking to the plastic cover. If you’re home is drafty place on top of a warm stove, increase the heat in the house before baking . I have made dough while camping to reduce draft I would cover it with a box or large plastic container place in the sun
Vickie Butterfield
I have been using this recipe since 2008 (according to the date of my printed well used recipe). It is always requested at every holiday get together. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe full of great memories over the years.
Have a very blessed 2021.
Vickie