Since March I have been sharing quite some bread recipes on my Instagram stories. Such as oil-free Focaccias, dinner rolls, loafs of whole grain bread, banana bread and applesauce bread. Many of you wanted me to share all of these recipes! Yay! Today I’m sharing the recipe for these delicious, easy and simple homemade dinner rolls.
We eat these dinner rolls with simple week night meals. They are also delicious as a burger! But also the sweet version with jam is irresistible.
Dinner Rolls in the US and in the Netherlands
Bread recipes seem to have different names throughout the world, but did you know they are also served differently in different cultures?
From what I understood soft fluffy dinner rolls are very much appreciated in the US during Thanksgiving. But in the Netherlands (and probably also in Germany and France), dinner rolls are mostly eaten for breakfast. In the Netherlands they are called ‘’bolletjes’’ which loosely translates to something like ”little furry balls” or ”witte puntjes” which means little dots. Isn’t that cute?
They are quite popular in the Netherlands for lunch/breakfast, especially with butter and cheese.
I think in the US dinner rolls are served more like a side dish next to a filling main meal with for example vegetables, a good sauce and mashed potatoes.
For me personally, these fluffy dinner rolls remind me of my childhood. Do you recognize this or do you have a different view on the culture of dinner rolls? I would love to read that in the comment section below.
How To Make Simple Dinner Rolls
I have never really been a fanatic “baker”, but the last few months, where most of us have been at home, things have changed somewhat. In these months I have tested quite a few different bread recipes and ended up making these dinner rolls regularly.
I totally understand you if you think making these rolls from scratch is intimidating, but making these rolls is a really simple almost meditative process.
With just 5 basic ingredients and an easy to follow method you will soon be enjoying these rolls too!
You don’t need a fancy kitchen appliance, there are no complicated instructions or crazy kneading techniques. You know me, I like my recipes simple.
Step 1.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a fork, just to get the water and flour combined.
Step 2.
Transfer the dough to a clean surface with a bit of flour and start kneading. Keep folding the bread to the middle as you turn it.
Step 3.
Cover and let proof for 45 minutes.
Step 4.
Cut the dough in eight equally sized parts and knead little bread rolls. Again, fold inside and rotate.
Step 5.
Cover and let proof again for 45 minutes.
Step 6.
Bake and enjoy.
Why you will love these dinner rolls
✓ If you are careful with not using too much flour (stick to the recipe) they are fluffy! If you end up using a bit too much flour when making these rolls, they become a bit less fluffy.
✓ They are tender and simple to make.
✓ These dinner rolls are great for savory and sweet dishes. They are great with heavier meals or as a side, but also make a great (sweet) breakfast with jam, vegan cheese or peanut butter.
✓ These rolls are super soft in the center.
✓ Overall these rolls are amazing for burgers and for scooping up sauces and dips!
If you give these simple dinner rolls a try, I’d love to know! Leave a comment below, share it on Facebook or take a picture and tag it #thegreencreator on Instagram! I’d love to see how your rolls came out!
How To Make Simple Dinner Rolls
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 dinner rolls 1x
- Category: side, breakfast
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: bread, vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Description
5-ingredient vegan dinner rolls that are simple to make, light and fluffy. Perfect for dinner, breakfast, sides and holiday meals.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (500 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour (plus more for kneading)*
- 2 tablespoons organic coconut sugar (I have also successfully used maple syrup instead)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 7 grams (2 ¼ teaspoons) instant/dry/ rapid-rise yeast
- 325 ml (1 1/3 cup + 2 tsp) lukewarm water**
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl add the flour.
In a separate mug or mixing bowl add in the lukewarm water*** and stir in the yeast, salt and coconut sugar. Stir until well combined.
When I use only water and no milk I use my kettle and set it to 40 Celsius degrees. I wait a few seconds and use that water as my lukewarm water.
If you are using (part) plant-based milk then add the milk to a separate mixing bowl (or small saucepan over medium heat) until warm. If it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and with a fork combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface.
Knead until smooth and compact. Simply fold the batter to the middle, creating a ball of dough. Start with little pressure and end with more pressure by using the palms of your hand.
Add only more flour to make a soft dough and to prevent a sticky dough.
Cover with a clean towel and let proof/rest for 45 minutes at room temperature.
Flour the dough lightly and divide into 8 pieces. I find the easiest to do that with a knife.
Create little buns by folding the dough to the middle (same technique as before). You want to create little balls.
Score the rolls gently with a knife. Scoring is the technique term for cutting bread dough before baking. It creates weak spots in the crust, allowing for expansion instead of burst seams.
Place on a lined baking sheet.
Cover and let proof until doubled in size – about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
Bake for about 20 minutes on the top tray, or until fluffy and light golden brown. Keep an eye on it as times may vary depending on your oven.
Serve immediately or store them loosely covered with a kitchen towel for up to 3 days on the counter.
Notes
* you can substitute the white flour with about 1/3 whole-wheat pastry flour
** for a more milky bun you an sub this with a plant-based milk such as soy milk. But again this needs to be lukewarm. Another option is lukewarm water and 1/3 lukewarm plant-based milk.
*** lukewarm generally means about 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit/38.5 Celsius.
You could freeze these rolls for up to a month. For freezing pre-bake the rolls, then when ready to serve, let the rolls thaw, rise for about 30 minutes, and then bake.
