Soft & Fluffy High Altitude Dinner Rolls | Easy to make
Take a bite out of these golden brown, soft, fluffy rolls. These homemade dinner rolls have a hint of sweetness and a touch of savory, which makes them perfect for Thanksgiving dinner or family meal. This easy dinner roll recipe is the best way to impress your family. Follow the make-ahead instructions for a stress free meal with warm dinner rolls.
I seriously cannot tell you enough how AMAZING and EASY these homemade rolls are. This is the BEST homemade dinner roll recipe for high altitude. I made this dinner roll recipe for friends and I got RAVE REVIEWS.
6 reasons why you will LOVE these dinner rolls:
- Simple ingredients – no special bread flour needed
- Minimal kneading – this recipe only takes 1-2 minutes of kneading
- SOFT and FLUFFY
- Best dinner rolls to serve alongside any holiday meal or family dinner
- Great for higher altitudes or sea level – I have ingredient amounts for both
- Topped with melted butter for ohhh so delicious buttery rolls
I bake these High Altitude Dinner Rolls at 8,000 feet of elevation
Check out these other high altitude bread recipes:
High Altitude No-Knead Artisan Bread
High Altitude Moist Sour Cream Banana Bread
Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chip
Recommended tools:
Large mixing bowl – your bowl needs to be big enough to hold the dough for the first rise
Measuring cup and spoons
Baking sheet – use a 15″x10″ jelly roll pan
Digital instant read thermometer – this recipe calls for warm milk and melted butter. The milk and butter need to be between 100-110 degrees F so the yeast is activated but not killed by extreme heat.
OPTIONAL: pastry scraper – I find it easiest to divide dough with a pastry scraper (or sometimes called a bench scraper)
OPTIONAL: stand mixer with dough hook attachment – this recipe requires minimal kneading so I prefer to use a large bowl and my hands so I can feel the dough, but a stand mixer will work also
Find all of my favorite kitchen tools here and check them out on Amazon.
High Altitude Dinner Rolls ingredients:
Warm milk – I prefer to use whole milk for all of my baking. The milk needs to be warmed to 100-110 degrees F for the yeast to activate.
Yeast – use rapid rise yeast or active dry yeast. To get the best fluffy rolls, make sure the yeast you use is not expired.
Butter – use unsalted melted butter. The butter needs to be cooled down to at least 110 degrees F so it does not kill the yeast. Extra melted butter is used to brush the tops of the golden brown rolls after they come out of the oven.
Large eggs – make sure your eggs are at room temperature. For quick warm up, place the eggs in warm (not hot water!) for 5-10 minutes.
White sugar – these yeast rolls have the perfect kiss of sweetness
Salt – little amounts of salt enhance flavors for the best possible taste
Flour – this recipe calls for all purpose flour
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Making these delicious dinner rolls at sea level?
These high altitude dinner rolls only require 1 ingredient change to make at lower altitudes or sea level. The air at high altitude is really dry. If you read my About Page I go further in depth about the thin air and dryness at higher elevations. But long story short, these dinner rolls don’t require as much liquid at sea level.
Only 1 change needed: 1 cup of milk
Overview – How to make homemade dinner rolls:
- Make the bread dough – see the below for the full instructions on how to make the dough
- Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes
- Cover the dough and first rise – let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until the bread dough is doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and shape into 24 rolls – divide the dough into 4 sections and form 6 rolls out of each section. See below for directions on how to form the rolls.
- Cover the rolls and second rise – place the dough balls on a baking sheet 2 inches apart or in a muffin pan. Let rise for 45 minutes or until the dough balls have doubled in size.
- Bake for 15 minutes – bake until the tops are golden brown. For extra flavor, brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter.
Knead the sticky dough for 1-2 minutes until a ball forms
Place the dough balls 1-2 inches apart and let them rise until double in size
For tear-apart dinner rolls place rolls 1-2 inches apart or for crispy edge dinner rolls place rolls 2-3 inches apart prior to second rise.
How to shape dinner rolls:
Take each divided section and press the middle, from the bottom, upward. Pull the sides of the dough down, pressing and sealing the edges on the bottom. Make sure the rolls are smooth on the top.
How to make yeast rolls ahead of time:
Homemade yeast rolls require 3 hours of preparing the dough. If you don’t have 3 hours to devote to making homemade rolls, don’t worry! There are 2 options to make the yeast rolls ahead of time:
- Refrigerate overnight
- Freeze the dough balls and thaw later
How to refrigerate dinner roll dough:
Prepare the dough, let it rise, and shape the rolls. Place the rolls on a baking sheet and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 16 hours. Remove the rolls from the refrigerator at least 2 hours before baking. Allow the rolls to double in size before baking.
How to freeze dinner roll dough:
Prepare the dough, let it rise, and shape the rolls. Place the rolls on a baking sheet without touching. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the dough balls are frozen. Place the frozen dough balls in a freezer Ziploc bag. Take the dough balls out 3-5 hours before you need them. Allow the rolls to double in size before baking.
TIP: Thaw and rise time will depend on the temperature in your kitchen
Check out these delicious High Altitude desserts:
High Altitude Cutout Sugar Cookie with Icing Recipe
High Altitude Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Best High Altitude Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Strawberry Fluff Recipe with Jell-O and Cool Whip
Rich and Fudgy Chocolate Espresso Brownies
Flaky Pie Crust – 4 Ingredients
Easy Strawberry Shortcake – Perfect for High Altitude
Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Sugar Topping
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Soft & Fluffy High Altitude Dinner Rolls | Easy to Make
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup milk warmed to 100-110 degrees F
- 3 tablespoons yeast
- ½ cup butter melted & cooled to 110 degrees F
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 6 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- Make the dough: Warm the milk to 100-110 degrees and combine with the yeast in a large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Combine the melted butter, eggs, sugar, and salt with yeast mixture. TIP: make sure the melted butter is cooled to minimum of 110 degrees F
- Add 4 cups of flour to the mixture. Slowly add flour 1/2 cup at a time. The bread dough should be sticky but workable. TIP: the amount of flour needed will depend on the humidity and temperature in your kitchen
- Knead the dough: Knead the sticky dough for 1-2 minutes on a lightly floured surface until the dough is no longer sticky and easily forms a smooth ball.
- First rise: Clean your mixing bowl and grease it with softened butter or spray with cooking spray. Place a dough ball in the prepared mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until the bread dough is doubled in size.
- Form the rolls: Punch down the dough and dump onto a clean surface. Divide the dough into 4 sections. Form 6 rolls out of each section. To shape the rolls, push the middle of the dough up, stretch the edges of the dough while pinching and sealing them on the bottom.
- Second rise: Place the dough balls on a baking sheet 2 inches apart or in a muffin pan. Cover with plastic and let rise for 45 minutes or until the dough balls have doubled in size.
- Bake: Adjust the oven rack to the middle to prevent the tops and bottoms of the rolls from burning. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the rolls for 15 minutes or until the tops of the dinner rolls are a beautiful golden brown. For extra flavor, brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter.
- For extra flavor, brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter.
Notes
Make ahead instructions:
Refrigerate overnight – Prepare the dough, let it rise, and shape the rolls. Place the rolls on a baking sheet and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 16 hours. Remove the rolls from the refrigerator at least 2 hours before baking. Allow the rolls to double in size before baking. Freeze the dough balls and thaw later – Prepare the dough, let it rise, and shape the rolls. Place the rolls on a baking sheet without touching. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the dough balls are frozen. Place the frozen dough balls in a freezer Ziploc bag. Take the dough balls out 3-5 hours before you need them. Allow the rolls to double in size before baking. Tip: thaw and rise time will depend on the temperature in your kitchenIf you make these delicious High Altitude Dinner Rolls, leave a comment below and let me know how they turned out. If you have any questions, post them below and I would love to help you out.
