Dinner Rolls in a Round Pan

There’s nothing like a yeasty, freshly baked roll hot from the oven. But homemade bread might seem daunting if you’re new to baking. Not these yeast dinner rolls! They’re on the table within an hour thanks to key shortcuts, yet they taste like you spent all day kneading and proofing dough.

Adding quick-rise yeast to the other dry ingredients allows you to skip the proofing step required for active dry yeast. A stand mixer rapidly mixes the dough, which is soft enough to knead on the counter without overtiring your hands. After a quick rest period, you can shape it immediately into balls and plop them in a round pan to rise. The single-rise dough bakes quickly into airy, feathery rolls flavored with cheddar cheese and topped with honey-garlic butter. Make one batch and you won’t be able to stop baking these dinner rolls in a round pan—and other yeast roll recipes that rise to the occasion.

Ingredients for Dinner Rolls in a Round Pan

• Flour: All-purpose flour has enough protein to rapidly rise into fluffy yeast rolls. The amount of flour you use to form yeast roll dough might vary from one batch to the next, depending on humidity, temperature and other factors. Too much flour might be the reason why your bread isn’t rising, so this recipe adds the flour in stages as needed.
• Sugar: A little sugar in the dough gives yeast dinner rolls their classic flavor. It also balances the sweetness of the honey-garlic butter.
• Quick-rise yeast: This type of yeast might be labeled as instant, rapid-rise or bread machine yeast. The tiny granules don’t need to be proofed in water before use; simply mix them right into the dough with the other dry ingredients.
• Salt: A smidgen of salt in yeast dough keeps rolls from tasting dull and flat. Too much salt might inhibit the rising action of yeast, so this recipe puts garlic salt in the topping for bonus flavor.
• Warm water: Water temperature matters when baking with yeast. Too-hot water kills yeast, but too-cold water slows its rise. For this recipe, 120° to 130°F (just below the temperature of your kitchen sink’s water when you turn the tap to hot) is ideal because you’re not proofing the yeast directly in the water.
• Butter: Some butter in the dough makes yeast rolls rich and flavorful. The winners of our best butter taste tests will upgrade homemade dinner rolls.
• Cheese: This recipe calls for sharp cheddar cheese, but use extra-sharp cheddar for a stronger flavor or medium cheddar for a milder one. Whichever you choose, if you grate your own cheese, it will melt more readily into the dough as it bakes.
• Topping: To transform these dinner rolls from tasty to extraordinary, brush the tops with melted butter, honey and garlic salt. Brush the honey-garlic butter over the rolls after they’ve baked to prevent them from burning, but before you remove them from the pan to minimize mess and let excess butter sneak down the pan sides toward the bottom.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the dough

In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, the sugar, yeast and salt. Add the warm water and 2 tablespoons of melted butter, and then beat the mixture in a stand mixer at medium speed for three minutes or until it’s smooth. Stir in the shredded cheese and enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Step 2: Knead the dough

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until the dough ball becomes smooth and elastic, four to six minutes. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Shape the rolls

Divide the dough into 13 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Place the balls in a greased 9-inch round baking pan.

Step 4: Let the rolls rise

Cover the pan loosely with a damp cloth. Let the dough balls rise in a warm place until they have doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Step 5: Bake the rolls

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the rolls for 11 to 14 minutes or until they’re lightly browned.

Editor’s Tip: If the rolls start to brown too quickly, cover them loosely with aluminum foil until the end of the baking time. If they’re still pale after 14 minutes, move them closer to the oven’s top heating element and bake them a few minutes longer, watching closely to avoid burning the tops.

Step 6: Brush the rolls with butter

Combine the honey, garlic salt and remaining 4 teaspoons butter. Brush the honey-garlic butter over the hot rolls. Transfer the rolls from the pan to a wire rack.

Yeast Dinner Rolls Variations

• Use different flours: All-purpose flour makes tasty dinner rolls, but other types of flour can be just as effective. Bread flour has a higher protein content than AP flour and creates even loftier, fluffier rolls. Replace some white flour with whole wheat flour for extra fiber and flavor. When swapping in other flours for flavor or texture, like rye flour, potato flour or cornmeal, start with just 1/4 cup to see how it affects the dough.
• Mix in other flavors: Experiment with various herbs in yeast roll dough, adding one to three teaspoons of finely chopped fresh basil, rosemary, chives or thyme with the cheese. Or try up to 1/2 teaspoon of spices, like smoked paprika, cumin or curry powder. Mince a couple of cloves of roasted garlic or well-drained pickled jalapenos and knead them into the dough; both flavors play well with the cheddar cheese.
• Change the topping: Skip the buttery topping altogether, or brush the rolls with plain melted butter, perhaps sprinkled with flaky salt, poppy seeds, grated garlic or everything bagel seasoning. Instead of honey butter, lightly coat the rolls with egg wash before baking for a shiny surface. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of homemade pumpkin pie spice into the cheesy dough, then give the warm baked rolls a sweet cider glaze.
• Bake other rolls in a round pan: Keep your 9-inch baking pan in regular use with other round-pan dinner rolls. Oatmeal dinner rolls rise well and have a slightly chewier texture. Cheddar pan rolls move the cheese to the top of the rolls, where it melts and browns. Stir plain mashed potatoes into the dough to make ultra-soft potato rolls. Mashed winter squash has a similar effect but also adds flavor to butternut squash rolls.

How to Store Yeast Dinner Rolls

Yeast dinner rolls should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. It’s better to keep them on the counter than in the fridge, where the cold, low-moisture air will dry them out quickly.

How long do yeast rolls last?

Yeast rolls last for three to five days at room temperature. They taste best when freshly baked and warm, especially with the honey-garlic butter topping, and lose some of their light, fluffy texture the longer they sit.

Can you freeze yeast rolls?

You can freeze yeast rolls for longer storage. Once the baked rolls have cooled completely, wrap them in airtight packaging. They keep well in the freezer for up to three months. For the best flavor, freeze the rolls without the buttery topping and brush it on after you reheat them. Our Test Kitchen experts have more tips on how to freeze bread (and keep it fresh longer).

Can you make yeast dinner rolls ahead of time?

You can mix, knead and shape the dough for yeast dinner rolls ahead of time and store the covered round pan of dough balls in the refrigerator overnight. Fridge temperatures slow the yeast’s action, but don’t halt it, so the dough will rise slowly. Leaving it in the fridge longer might cause the dough to overproof and develop a sour taste. Remove the covering, let the rolls return to room temperature and then let them rise as needed before you bake them.

You can also freeze yeast dinner roll dough, but the fat in the cheese might change texture of the rolls after freezing, thawing and baking, so consider leaving it out. For these rolls, freeze the yeast dough after you mix, knead and shape the rolls, and seal the round pan of rolls completely in airtight packaging. Freeze the dough for up to four weeks, thaw it in the fridge overnight and then let it rise before baking the rolls.

Dinner Rolls in a Round Pan Tips

Can you make these dinner rolls in another type of pan?

Instead of a round cake pan, bake these dinner rolls in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or a 9-inch springform pan. Arrange the dough balls in an 8-inch square pan for square rolls. A double batch of this dough fits into a 13×9-inch baking pan.

How do you get the dinner rolls evenly sized?

The best way to ensure dinner rolls are evenly sized is to use a kitchen scale. Weigh the entire dough and divide that weight by the number of rolls. Then, when you divide the dough, weigh each portion: Dough balls of the same weight will bake into rolls of the same size. A bench scraper makes dividing kneaded yeast dough into even pieces easy.

As you shape each dough portion into a roll, make the ball as perfectly round as possible. When you arrange the dough balls in the pan, space them equally so that they fill in the gaps similarly as they rise and bake.