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Yummy White Rolls Recipe

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This yummy recipe for white rolls has been a favorite for years now. It makes rolls that are soft, tender, and so flavorful!

These white rolls go with just about anything, but we love serving them with cheeseburger soup, creamy chicken soup with bacon and ranch, and homemade chicken noodle soup.

pan of yummy white rolls

This has been my favorite basic white roll recipe for almost two decades. The evaporated milk and potato flakes give them a little something extra and people are always asking for the recipe. If you are looking for a fantastic recipe for white rolls, this is it!

white rolls on a plate with a pan of rolls in the background

I am always asked to bring rolls to every family gathering. From Thanksgiving to family reunions, this is my go-to roll recipe. I’ve tried several others over the years, but I always come back to this one. The flavor of the rolls is simply amazing!

two yummy white rolls on a plate

I love my carbs, and there is nothing that beats a hot homemade roll slathered with butter. Yum!

The potato flakes give these rolls a great flavor and texture, but I’ve made them without the potato flakes, and they will still be delicious rolls!

yummy white rolls with melted butter

 

I have a KitchenAid and a Bosch, but I usually make these in a large mixing bowl. I use my hand mixer to beat the dough at first, but I just stir the remaining flour in. I find that I get a much more tender roll that way. You can definitely use your appliances, just make sure you don’t over-knead the dough!

pan of hot yummy white rolls with melted butter tops

Ninety percent of the time, I form these rolls into round balls, and they fit perfectly in my half sheet baking pan. Sometimes I roll them out into crescents, and they are fun to serve that way. You just need two pans because you need to leave more space between them.

How to make yummy white rolls:

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water. Add the rest of the ingredients and enough flour to make a soft dough that isn’t sticky.

Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes, then form the dough into rolls. Place on greased cookie sheets.

Cover the rolls and let them raise for about an hour or till doubled in size. Then bake at 350° for about 25 minutes or till golden brown. Brush tops with butter.

soft and yummy white rolls recipe collage

 

Yummy White Rolls Recipe

Yield: 3 1/2 dozen

Yummy White Roll Recipe

Yummy White Roll Recipe

Recipe for the best ever soft white rolls!

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add potato flakes, milk, oil, salt, eggs, and 2 cups of the flour. Beat till smooth.
  2. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Let rest for 10-15 minutes.
  3. Punch dough down, then form dough into balls and place on a large greased cookie sheet with sides. Let rise till doubled, about 45-60 minutes.
  4. Bake at 350° for about 25-30 minutes or till light golden brown. Brush tops with butter while still hot.

Notes

If you make crescent rolls, space them further apart, and use two cookie sheets.

© Kara

(originally published 11/1/2008, updated 10/2018)


A few more roll recipes you might like:

Soft and Chewy Pretzel Rolls
These soft pretzel rolls are absolutely incredible!

Bacon Cheese Rolls
Homemade rolls filled with bacon and cheese. These rolls are fabulous with a bowl of soup, or just all by themselves!

Oatmeal Rolls
oatmeal-bread-recipe

Cornmeal Rolls
Homemade cornmeal rolls

 


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi Kara!
    Just came across your recipe and it looks wonderful! Have you ever tried using potato “pearls” instead? The are dehydrated, but in a different form. Slightly butter flavored. I’m thinking because they aren’t as fine as the flakes, I would rehydrate them with the can of evap milk before beating together with the rest of the ingredients. What do you think? Thanks!

    Reply

    • I actually did try them once but I didn’t like the flavor they added. It’s a personal preference, so you could try them. I would definitely rehydrate them first. Let me know how they turn out for you!

  2. Don’t make the same mistake I did. I put it in my bread maker on the dough setting and it made a huge mess all inside it. But these were probably the best rolls I have ever made. Great flavor and texture. Will be making these again soon…. without the bread machine. 🙂

    Reply

  3. Hi Kara! We’ve made your rolls before and they’re absolutely delicious!

    I was wondering how far in advance you can make these? And how would you reheat them?

    Can I make them in glass baking dishes vs. cookie sheets?

    Thanks for your help!

    Reply

    • So glad you love the rolls! The longest they have ever lasted at my house is two days, and we just heat them up individually in the microwave. If you want to make them ahead and heat the whole pan, I’d undercook them a bit, then when ready to serve, cover the pan with foil and heat in the oven at a low heat. Maybe 250°? And yes, you can definitely bake them in glass pans instead. I’ve baked them in glass 9×13″ pans and it works just fine!

  5. The picture looks SO good I had to try it.. never made a roll you don’t knead. I added about 8 cups of flour before I could even handle the dough… just had a terrible, runny mess all over my counter!!????
    Finally got enough flour to shape them. Didn’t have any idea how many to divide it into.. would have been nice to put in the recipe.
    Hope they taste good… too much work for me to ever do again, and I’ve baked bread for years!!

    Reply

  7. I have looked all over for the potatoe flakes but can’t find any. What kind do I get and what brand. Would love to make some.

    Reply

    • Any potato flakes that aren’t seasoned should work. I’ve updated the post with a link to Bob’s Red Mill potato flakes on amazon if you can’t find them locally. I have seen them at my local Walmart.

  11. Girlfriend, you hit a home run with this recipe! I’ve been baking “stuff” for many, many years and this recipe is a real winner. My husband said: “Don’t lose this recipe”.

    Reply

  12. It’s thanksgiving morning and I’m making the rolls. Im a complete newbie with yeast and am always timid to make them. Your instructions were not as detailed as I would have liked. You said to add the yeast and sugar to warm water but then when adding the rest of the ingredients you said sugar again. Is there more than 1/2c? After it rests for 10-15 min do I kneed it at all? Help!!!!

    Reply

    • I’m making these for the 1st time also – I bake bread regularly. I would not add any more sugar! 1/2 C more than enough. I use Bobs Red Mill flour. Takes a lot more than pillsbury etc flour

    • I switched to dough hook on Kitchen aide when adding flour. I had to add tons more of flour – no need to hand knead

    • So sorry, Kimm, there was a typo in the instructions. You don’t need to add any more sugar. And no need to knead the dough a second time. I’ve updated the recipe, thanks for pointing out my mistake. 🙂

  13. Oh My Gosh, these really are THE BEST! And they couldn’t be easier to make. I’ve been making various yeast products for many years and am always on the lookout for better (easier) recipes. Look no further………..these are winners.

    Reply

  14. I made the white rolls Thursday for our Thanksgiving celebration that we were having on Saturday a week earlier BUT, I ran into a problem because on Friday night I realize the family was enjoying the rolls prior to Saturday BECAUSE THEY WERE SO GOOD!!! so Saturday morning I needed more rolls to feed our 25guest.
    You got that I was trying to say I’ll never use another recipie when I need to make rolls????????

    Reply

  16. Dear Kara,
    Love your white roll recipe. I own a Bosch and make all my breads with it, including my wheat bread. Do I knead the dough in the Bosch or on counter by hand.
    Lived in Utah for ten and miss it.

    Reply

  17. if I wanted to make the rolls ahead of time (a day or two) can I freeze them prior to baking? Freeze once in the cookie tray but before the final rising?

    Reply

    • I have frozen the dough balls before, and I don’t think they turn out quite as amazing, but they are still really tasty. (No one else in my family can tell the difference.) To freeze them, you need to place the dough balls at least 2″ apart on greased cookie sheets. Cover and freeze for about 2 hours, then take the frozen balls and place them in ziplock bags. Store in the freezer. When you want to make them, place all the dough balls flat side down on your cookie sheet (or other pan), and let them rise till doubled. Then bake just like you normally would.

    • I sometimes make them large, sometimes small, depending on the number of rolls I need. As a general guide, I usually make them about 2-2 1/2″ wide. If you want to be exact, you can cut the dough into 36-42 equal pieces. As long as you let them raise till doubled their size, any size of rolls will turn out. Good luck!

    • No, you don’t need self rising flour for yeast breads. I use all purpose flour for all my recipes. I prefer unbleached, but that is just a matter of preference. 🙂

    • Just keep adding flour a little bit at a time till your dough isn’t sticky anymore. With yeast breads, the flour is never an exact measurement, so it’s fine to add more or less than the recipe states. Good luck!

  23. On your Yummy white rolls, how much evaporated milk do you use. Another question is that I use yeast from a jar. (Quick rising) Should I reduce the amount of yeast to 1 T. 1/2 t. for this?

    Reply

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