Perfect for Thanksgiving dinner, these pillow-soft dinner rolls chill overnight in the refrigerator for easy baking the next day and their homemade flavor is unbeatable!—you won’t be able to have just one!
Let’s talk about pillows. No, not the kind that we caress our heads in every night. Not the ones that we never want to leave in the wee hours of morning. The EDIBLE ones.
Did you know such a thing existed? You’re looking at ’em. These dinner rolls = Legit texture of PILLOWS, you guys!!
You might want to cancel your other dinner plans tomorrow tonight and seriously consider making your dinner solely these dinner rolls.
Chances are you’re gonna end up doing that anyway. 😉
Move over Pillsbury dinner rolls!
These pillow-soft rolls have quickly become a favorite around here. The past few weeks, I’ve been making them every Thursday night for Friday-night dinner, and my family quickly decided that this must become a tradition.
They kinda ignore their roast chicken and mashed potatoes and instead load up on the dinner rolls like they’re worried it’s their last meal or something…
Okay, so my brother Daniel would kill me if he saw me writing about him, but I’m not worried—he doesn’t read my blog, so here we go.
It’s kinda hilarious watching him load up on these buns. He’ll start off with like two. Butter ’em up and devour them. Then go back for another…and another.
And I’m just like looking at him and wistfully thinking: “Really? Why can’t that be me??”
Oh, to have the metabolism of a man.
But I guess a guy does need his bread if he’s gonna make it through all those crazy workouts that they do.
I take this dinner-roll-pig-out as a compliment though. I LOVEEE it when the menfolk love my cooking (they’re all uber-picky)
These rolls took only THREE times to get perfect. The first time they didn’t have enough salt in them. (blech, too sweet) The second time they ended up overbaked (crunchy dinner rolls? pass!) The third time? Pillow-y soft. Perfectly flavorful. Perfectly-perfect. (and so on)
The fourth and the fifth time? Even better. ♥
And I kinda expect they’re just gonna keep exceeding my expectations every time I make them.
Because I’m kinda in LURVE with these things.
It’s kinda mind-boggling to me how flipping SIMPLE these rolls are to make—I mean, they taste like you slaved over them all day! Nobody has to know that you were actually sleeping while they did their magic in the fridge overnight.
If you’ve ever been afraid to try yeast breads, this is definitely the recipe to start with!!
These rolls can rise in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, so feel free to just leave them in the fridge until right before dinnertime. Then bake ’em up and serve ’em warm.
With the butter, um of course.
The last time I made these rolls I asked the fam if I could get their approval to make these rolls for Thanksgiving. Their response?
You must.
Ookay, then! That was easier than I expected.
I’m kinda telling you the same thing now. YOU MUST make these dinner rolls for your own Thanksgiving feast. Must.
My mom told me I should plan on TRIPLING these dinner rolls for T-Day and I gotta say that’s probably a smart idea—This batch alone only makes 20, and something tells me 60 dinner rolls on Thanksgiving aren’t gonna last very long.
And we all know how important T-day leftovers are. To me anyway.
I mean, Thanksgiving Round #2 on Black Friday is possibly even better than the first, because you’re starving from shopping all day and your stomach is still stretched from the day before….
Ouch. The way I just said that was kinda depressing.
But trust me here, guys: Two (or ten) of these rolls is so worth an hour on the treadmill.
P.S. I’ve got something epic coming tomorrow that is going to go SO utterly perfect with these dinner rolls.
So amazing I may cry from bliss. ♥
See y’all tomorrow. 😀
Overnight Dinner Rolls
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 pkg active dry yeast 2-1/4 teaspoons
- 1-1/4 cups warm water 110F
- 1/3 cup xylitol or sugar
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1-3/4 teaspoons salt
- 4 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 egg white beaten
Instructions
- In a large stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand 5 minutes, then mix in xylitol (or sugar) oil, egg, and salt.
- With mixer running on low, add flour. Increase speed to medium and keep mixing until dough pulls away from sides of bowl (if dough seems too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until dough pulls away from sides)
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a large greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Once dough is doubled, punch down and divide into 20 pieces. Roll each portion into a ball and place balls in a greased 9x13 baking pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and chill overnight. (or up to 15 hours)
- Remove dinner rolls from refrigerator and brush with beaten egg white. Bake dinner rolls at 375F 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before serving warm.
Notes
Joanne says
Dinner roll pillows might just be the best kind of pillows! THey can make or break a meal is all I’m saying. these are in the “make” category.
Heather @ Shards of Lavender says
Yeah, I frequently wish for the metabolism of a man. Or a teenager(where do all those calories go?)… Loving how you compared these rolls to pillows because they do look so soft! A definite must make for our Thanksgiving meal:) Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
Sarah says
Right?! I don’t get why women got the short end of the stick in the metabolism department. LOL. Thanks Heather!
Shashi at runninsrilankan says
Oh heavens – these are gorgeous – so so “pillowy” wow! I NEED these! Thanks so much for sharing!
Sarah says
Thanks so much Shashi!
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen says
Yummy! These look and sound fantastic Sarah (pillow-y dinner rolls #FTW)!! And that is a funny story about your brother – you always know if a recipe is good if they go back for more!! Pinned 🙂
Sarah says
Haha! Totally true, Ceara. 😉 Thanks for pinning, girl!
Jen @ Baked by an Introvert says
Your rolls are perfect! They are so fluffy and soft looking. I wish my metabolism was that of my younger self so I could enjoy loads of carby foods without having to worry about developing “pillows” on my backside.
Sarah says
LOL. I don’t want my own personal “pillows” either, but I think these rolls are worth it. 😀
marcie says
That’s so funny about your brother, and I’d love to have the metabolism of a man! haha These rolls are very timely, because I plan to make my own this Thanksgiving (barring I don’t have too many people). They look so soft and delicious! Pinning. 🙂
Sarah says
Good luck with your own dinner rolls this TG, Marcie! And thanks for the pin. Have a good Friday!
Chelsea+@chelseasmessyapron says
Rolls for thanksgiving are my FAVORITE! I always eat the most of rolls than anything else 🙂 And these look absolutely fantastic!!
Sarah says
Haha! Same deal with me! I don’t know why it is, but dinner rolls just seem to taste better on Thanksgiving. 😉 Thanks Chelsea!!
Annie @Maebells says
Oh man these look good! I love a good yeast roll right out of the oven!
Sarah says
Thanks Annie!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
There is no better feeling that when boys like your cooking. Because they are the real critics, and if they don’t like it, they’ll let you know. But when they like it? They eat it all up! These rolls look so perfect Sarah! Definitely making them the next time I need some good rolls. I love using them to make little sandwiches out of my dinner. Ha!
Sarah says
Um, EXACTLY! Menfolk are like the toughest critics ever. 😉
LMK what you think of these rolls, Natalie!
Levan @ MyWifeMakes.com says
Yup, dinner plans cancelled! These rolls look so darn fluffy and irresistible I can almost taste them through the Internet! Thanks for the recipe share. 🙂 Glad I came here cause I know what I wanna have for next week.
P.S. I’m the only male who commented on this page! I feel so outnumbered, haha I kid. 🙂
Sarah says
Haha! Well, thank you Levan! Definitely let me know if you try these dinner rolls!
Kelly // The Pretty Bee: Cooking & Creating says
These look so delicious! I just love nice warm bread at holiday meals. Pinned!
Sarah says
Nothing beats homemade bread around the holidays, right?! 🙂 Thanks for the pin, Kelly!
Manali @ CookWithManali says
haha I wish I had the metabolism of a man too especially my man! He eats all the junk and is thin like a stick lol! The dinner rolls look incredible Sarah, so soft and fluffy, wow! I love the 2nd shot, that’s a very beautiful picture! Pinned.
Sarah says
Where does it all go with men?! I don’t get it. 😉
Thanks for the sweet photography compliments Manali and for pinning! Have an awesome Friday. 😀
Renee @ Two in the Kitchen says
So funny about your brother!! I wish I had that kind of metabolism!! These pictures are just gorgeous!! I very much need to make these for Turkey day!! 🙂
Sarah says
Haha I too wish for his metabolism. Unfair. 😉 And thanks for the compliments on my photos! You definitely need to try these rolls on T-day, Renee. 🙂
Isadora says
I love that you make your own bread and rolls!! These pillowy rolls look awesome and delicious and I wish I could go to sleep on one of them tonight! I am lazy and always go for the canned rolls for the holidays, but I think that tradition is going to end this year with these delicious rolls!
Sarah says
Hahaha! I kinda lol’d at the thought of sleeping on one of these rolls. They’re soft enough, though so why not?! 😉
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
Wow, these rolls look perfectly soft and pillowy! I am a sucker for rolls and would lose all self control with these babies too! They look absolutely incredible!
Sarah says
Thanks Kelly!! Yeaaa…self-control definitely goes right out the window with these rolls around. Fact. 😀
Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says
These look AWESOME! I’m totally addicted to all breads (carbs!)
Sarah says
Haha! You and me both, girl! 😀