The softest homemade buns will shake your world. Soft on the inside, warm & buttery on the outside. Plus our tip that makes the difference to the roll.
sunday dinner was a big thing at my house when I was a little girl. I have absolutely perfect memories of my mom in her apron and Sunday dress rushing around the kitchen to get the pot roast in the oven before church, and I was on jelly duty straight away.
Do not judge me.
Jell-O Obligation
Jell-O was my thing. Not only did I love doing it, but I was the one licking the bowl clean.
While I stirred and stirred, mesmerized by the soft red waves and the slowly disappearing crystals of gelatin, Mom was busy with the rest of the dinner. As I got older I took on different jobs like peeling potatoes, searing roasts and so on. Buns though, that was intimidating.
And long.
I didn’t want to go through a boring, multi-hour process.
The softest bun recipe
And now it’s my thing. If you’ve made our famous potato buns, you know what I’m talking about.
Homemade rolls turn out much better if you learn how to feel the dough. It’s easier to form a bun and test doneness than a large loaf of bread.
This recipe doesn’t need to be kneaded for hours several times a day. As a matter of fact, The most important part is the scalded milk.
Warmed milk changes how the dough works, I’ll spare you the science lesson, but here’s what you do:
How to heat the milk for buns
- Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Look for foam bubbles on the sides and a thin layer of skin on top of the milk. You can touch the top very lightly with a wooden spoon and it will lift off.
- Now add the water and set aside to let cool. Poke your clean finger in occasionally to see if it feels like a warm bath. Once that’s the case, you’re good to go!
What ingredients are needed to make buns?
- instant yeast (Make sure it’s instant yeast and not active dry)
- milk
- Water
- Sugar
- Honey
- butter
- Fine sea salt
- vegetable oil
- condensed milk
- egg
- all purpose flour
How to make buns
We’re going to scald the milk first. Remember how I said it was the most important part? I wasn’t kidding.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the milk and cook until it just begins to foam and warm around the edges. Not cook.
- After the milk is heated, gGently add the butter, water, sugar, and honey to the pan and stir until the butter has melted, then allow to cool until lukewarm.
- Then we go to sSprinkle the yeast on top and stir. Pour this milk and yeast mixture into a stand mixer and let sit for 3-5 minutes or until fluffy.
Next:
- Add the oil, salt, condensed milk and egg to the mixture with the milk and yeast mixture and stir to combine.
- Add 8 cups of flour and, using a dough hook attachment, mix the dough until it begins to combine.
- Gently pour in an extra cup of flour until the dough gathers into a ball around the hook.
- Remove the bowl from the blender and cover with a cloth and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.
How to shape buns:
- When the dough is ready, sprinkle plenty of flour on your work surface and turn out the dough onto it.
- Turn it over so all the dough is floured and not sticky.
- Shape into balls of the same size and arrange on a baking sheet.
- Let the bun dough balls rise until they have doubled in size.
Let’s bake!
- Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy.
- Remove from the oven and gently rub everything with butter.
Homemade soft buns are THE BEST dipped in broccoli cheese soup or served alongside a plain garlic butter steak or honestly just eaten warm and loaded with all that butter! 😋
What is the difference between instant yeast and activated dry yeast?
The main difference is that active dry yeast must be dissolved in water before use, while instant yeast can be mixed directly into dry ingredients.
What can you substitute for condensed milk?
You can make your own by simmering 2 1/4 cups regular milk until it becomes 1 cup.
Or you can use a combination of half and half and whole milk.
How long do buns keep?
Buns have a shelf life of 5-7 days.
Rolls should be wrapped in plastic or stored in a plastic bag.
Can you freeze bread dough?
Bread dough can be frozen for up to 6 months. Simply wrap them tightly in plastic wrap several times to ensure they are airtight and store.
To use again, refrigerate for 24 hours to allow frozen dough to thaw. Take it out onto the counter as soon as you’re ready to rise it to allow the dough to come to room temperature and rise. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
More bread recipes
Description
Homemade Dinner Rolls will rock your world. Soft on the inside, warm & buttery on the outside. Plus our tip that makes the difference to the roll.
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In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the milk and cook until it just begins to foam and warm around the edges. Not cook.
-
Gently add the butter, water, sugar, and honey to the pan and stir until the butter has melted, then allow to cool until lukewarm.
-
Sprinkle the yeast and stir to combine. Place in a stand mixer and let sit for 3-5 minutes or until fluffy.
-
Add oil, salt, condensed milk and egg and mix.
-
Add 8 cups of flour and, using a dough hook attachment, mix the dough until it begins to combine.
-
Gently pour in an extra cup of flour until the dough gathers into a ball around the hook.
-
Remove bowl from blender and cover with a towel to prove 1 hour or until doubled in size.
-
Sprinkle plenty of flour on your work surface and turn out the dough.
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Turn it over so all the dough is floured and not sticky.
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Divide the dough and roll into 42 bun-sized balls.
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Place the buns about 1-1 1/2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.
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Let rise until doubled in size.
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Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and gently rub everything with butter.
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Store in plastic wrap or bread bags for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.
Buns can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Calories: 151kcal
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