These dinner rolls are soft, golden, and subtly sweet from honey, with a hint of richness from extra virgin olive oil. These are the perfect tender, pull-apart rolls for accompanying family dinners and holiday meals.
Growing up, no holiday or special occasion was complete without a pan of homemade dinner rolls. Always served warm from the oven, the pillowy, pull-apart rolls were perfect for soaking up gravy at Thanksgiving or dipping in the pan juices from a holiday roast. They’d even show up for summer barbecues and lobster bakes.
But this classic side dish needs more attention. Dinner rolls deserve to be extra flavorful and more wholesome. So, for this dinner roll recipe, I skip the butter in favor of fruity extra virgin olive oil, sweeten them lightly with floral honey rather than flavorless white sugar, and mix in some nutty whole wheat flour.
These olive oil dinner rolls are just as fluffy as the butter and white flour dinner rolls I grew up with, but they outshine them in flavor and hearty ingredients. They don’t take any extra time or effort, and you can even prep them a day in advance if you want to free up some time before dinner.
Dinner Roll Ingredients
A blend of flours ensures these homemade rolls are both flavorful and soft. Instead of the usual butter, extra virgin olive oil enriches the dough and adds a mild, fruity flavor. Here’s what else you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour: With its moderate gluten content, all-purpose flour makes softer, more tender dinner rolls than bread flour.
- Whole wheat flour: Including some whole wheat flour gives these rolls a nutty flavor and a heartier texture.
- Instant yeast: I prefer Saf Red Instant Yeast because it doesn’t need to be activated before mixing the dough. You may substitute it with the same amount of active dry yeast. More on this below.
- Salt enhances the flavor of the rolls.
- Milk: Whole milk makes these rolls irresistibly soft and fluffy. You can substitute reduced-fat milk or plant milk, but they won’t turn out quite as soft.
- Extra virgin olive oil adds a fruity flavor and keeps these dinner rolls soft and tender. I like a mild, buttery olive oil for these rolls, such as Arbequina.
- Honey: Honey adds a touch of sweetness to the rolls, while feeding the yeast and tenderizing the dough.
- Eggs: A couple of eggs add structure and richness to the rolls.
How to Make Dinner Rolls
The dough is quite sticky at first, so I prefer to knead it in my stand mixer rather than by hand. You’ll need to allow about 3 hours of rising, but all of that time is hands-off. Here’s how to bake homemade dinner rolls:
- Mix the dough. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment or a large mixing bowl, add 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (113g) whole wheat flour, 2 teaspoons instant yeast, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 cup (240ml) warm milk, 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons honey, and 2 large eggs. Mix on low speed until no dry streaks of flour remain.
- Knead the dough. Knead the dough on medium speed (speed 2 on a KitchenAid mixer) until it becomes elastic and somewhat smooth, about 8 minutes. If kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. It will be very sticky at the beginning, but avoid adding too much flour, as it will make the rolls tough. If the dough sticks to your hands and the countertop, just keep kneading and reincorporate it into the dough as it loses some of its stickiness.
- First rise. Shape the dough into a taut ball. Grease a clean bowl lightly with olive oil, then place the dough ball seam-side down in the bowl. Cover and leave it in a warm spot to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Divide and shape. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan lightly with olive oil. Punch the dough down to deflate. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces, about 62g each.
- Shape the rolls. To shape each piece of dough, flatten it using the palm of your hand. Pull the edges up and over the center, all around. Pinch the edges together to seal the seam and flip the dough over so the smooth side is facing up. Arrange in the prepared baking pan.
- Proof the dough. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 hour. They will have risen to touch each other and almost doubled in size. Towards the end of the rising time, arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
- Bake the rolls. Bake the rolls in the preheated oven until they’re golden brown on top, 22 to 26 minutes. If the tops of the rolls are browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. If you have a digital thermometer, the rolls are done when the interior of one of the middle rolls reaches 190°F.
- Cool and serve. Allow the rolls to cool slightly in the pan. Serve warm.
How to Substitute Active Dry Yeast
Whenever I bake bread, I use Saf Red Instant Yeast, since I don’t need to activate it before mixing the dough. If you prefer active dry yeast instead, here’s how to substitute it:
- Use the same amount of active dry yeast as listed.
- Dissolve the active dry yeast in about 1/3 cup of the warm milk, and let it bloom for about 5 minutes until frothy.
- Add the remaining dough ingredients and continue with step 1 of the recipe.
- Active dry yeast ferments a bit slower than instant yeast, so add an extra 15 to 20 minutes to the rising and proof times.
Make Ahead of Time
If you want to free up some time on the day of your holiday dinner, you can make these olive oil dinner rolls ahead of time.
- Prepare the dough the day before, following all the steps up to and including shaping the rolls.
- Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate the rolls overnight.
- At least 3 hours before you plan to serve them, remove the pan from the fridge and let the rolls rise for 1 to 2 hours before baking.
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Olive Oil Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (113g)
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (240ml)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (60ml)
- 3 tablespoons honey (63g)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
- Mix the dough. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment or a large mixing bowl, add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, salt, milk, olive oil, honey, and eggs. Mix on low speed until no dry streaks of flour remain.
- Knead the dough. Knead the dough on medium speed (speed 2 on a KitchenAid mixer) until it becomes elastic and somewhat smooth, about 8 minutes. If kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. It will be very sticky at the beginning, but avoid adding too much flour, as it will make the rolls tough. If the dough sticks to your hands and the countertop, just keep kneading and reincorporate it into the dough as it loses some of its stickiness.
- First rise. Shape the dough into a taut ball. Grease a clean bowl lightly with olive oil, then place the dough ball seam-side down in the bowl. Cover and leave it in a warm spot to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Divide and shape. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan lightly with olive oil. Punch the dough down to deflate. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces, about 62g each. To shape each piece of dough, flatten it with the palm of your hand. Pull the edges up and over the center, all around. Pinch the edges together to seal the seam and flip the dough over so the smooth side is facing up. Arrange in the prepared baking pan.
- Proof the dough. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 hour. They will have risen to touch each other and almost doubled in size. Towards the end of the rising time, arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
- Bake the rolls. Bake the rolls in the preheated oven until they’re golden brown on top, 22 to 26 minutes. If the tops of the rolls are browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. If you have a digital thermometer, the rolls are done when the interior of one of the middle rolls reaches 190°F.
- Cool and serve. Allow the rolls to cool slightly in the pan. Serve warm. Store leftovers in a zip-top bag or an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and honey used in this recipe.
- For Active Dry Yeast: Use the same amount of active dry yeast as listed. Dissolve the active dry yeast in about 1/3 cup of the warm milk, and let it bloom for about 5 minutes until frothy. Add the remaining dough ingredients and continue with step 1 of the recipe. Active dry yeast ferments a bit slower than instant yeast, so add an extra 15 to 20 minutes to the rising and proof times.
- Make Ahead: Prepare the dough the day before, following all the steps up to and including shaping the rolls. Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate the rolls overnight. At least 3 hours before you plan to serve them, remove the pan from the fridge and let the rolls rise for 1 to 2 hours before baking.
- Storage: Store leftovers in a zip-top bag or an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Honey from The Mediterranean!
Indulge in the delicate sweetness of Italian Organic Acacia Honey, sourced from the lush acacia woods of the Pre-Alps and other regions of the Italian peninsula.
