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These soft and fluffy rosemary dinner rolls are full of fresh rosemary flavor! Easy homemade yeast rolls that are perfect for holidays or family dinners.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
These homemade rosemary dinner rolls are soft, fluffy, and have two simple ingredients that make them extra special! The first is rosemary, which adds a delicious savory flavor to every bite. You can use fresh or dried rosemary, so they’re easy to make with what you have on hand.
The second is a sprinkle of coarse salt on top before baking. The combination of fragrant rosemary and coarse salt gives these rolls amazing flavor and makes them a little more special than your everyday dinner roll. They’re perfect for holiday dinners, special occasions, or anytime you want to make a meal feel a little extra special!
Ingredients Needed
- All Purpose Flour
- Dry Active Yeast
- Milk
- Water
- Butter, salted
- Sugar
- Salt
- Rosemary
- Olive Oil
- Egg
- Sea Salt
How To Make Rosemary Dinner Rolls
- Dissolove yeast in warm water and allow to rest until yeast softens and become foamy. About 10 minutes.
- Mix together milk, butter and dry rosemary (if using fresh add it in later). Heat until butter is melted. Do not allow it to boil or get hot.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in flour, yeast mixture, sugar, salt, fresh rosemary, and milk mixture. Mix with dough hook until combined. Add in enough flour so that dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead until soft but still slightly tacky, about 5-6 minutes.
- Place dough in a clean bowl and coat the top with olive oil. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm spot until double in size, about 1 hour.
- Put dough on a lightly floured surface and shape into a one inch thick rectangle. Cut into 24 square pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Pinch the bottom seam together and place on the underside.
- Mix together egg and 1 tsp water and brush over top of each roll. Sprinkle with a coarse sea salt.
- Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 25 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake rolls for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Tips from leigh Anne
- Use fresh rosemary. Fresh rosemary gives these rolls the best flavor. Be sure to finely chop the leaves so the rosemary is evenly distributed throughout the dough and you don’t get large pieces in each bite.
- Check your yeast. If using active dry yeast, make sure your liquid is warm, about 105–110°F, but not too hot. Hot liquid can kill the yeast and prevent your rolls from rising.
- Don’t add too much flour. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky, not dry or stiff. Adding too much flour can result in dense, heavy rolls instead of soft, fluffy ones.
- Give the dough time to rise. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, rather than relying strictly on the time listed in the recipe. The temperature of your kitchen can affect how quickly the dough rises.
- Make evenly sized rolls. Use a kitchen scale to divide the dough into equal portions. This helps ensure all your rolls bake evenly.
- Brush with melted butter. For extra flavor and a beautiful finish, brush the warm rolls with melted butter right after they come out of the oven.
- Serve them warm. Rosemary dinner rolls are especially delicious fresh from the oven when they’re soft, fluffy, and warm enough to melt the butter!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use dried rosemary instead of fresh?
Yes, Fresh rosemary gives the rolls the best flavor, but dried rosemary will work too. Use about 1/3 the amount of dried rosemary as fresh rosemary. Add it in with the milk so it has time to soften and rehydrate.
Can I make rosemary dinner rolls ahead of time?
Yes! You can make the rolls a day ahead, let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Warm them in the oven before serving.
Do rosemary rolls freeze well?
Absolutely! These rolls freeze beautifully. Allow them to cool completely, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and warm in the oven before serving.
Why didn’t my dinner rolls rise?
The most common reasons are expired yeast, liquid that was too hot, or a kitchen that’s too cold. Make sure your yeast is fresh, use the correct liquid temperature, and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot.
How do I keep dinner rolls soft?
Avoid adding too much flour to the dough or overbaking the rolls. Once they’re completely cool, store them in an airtight container to keep them from drying out.
The Perfect Homemade Dinner Rolls
Whether you’re planning a holiday dinner or just want something special to serve with your favorite soup, these homemade rosemary dinner rolls are always a good idea. They’re soft, fluffy, and have just the right amount of rosemary flavor to make them a little more special than your everyday dinner roll. And really, is there anything better than a warm homemade roll with butter melting into it? I don’t think so! Give these rosemary rolls a try, and they just might become a new family favorite.
Some of my other favorite recipes:
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Rosemary Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
- 1/4 cup water warm
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dry rosemary 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp water
- coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in warm water and allow to rest until yeast softens and becomes foamy. About 10 minutes
- Mix together milk, butter and dry rosemary (if using fresh add it in later). Heat until butter is melted. Do not allow it to boil or get hot.
- Mix together 2 1/2 cups flour, yeast mixture, sugar, 1 tsp salt, fresh rosemary if using, and milk in a stand mixer. Mix with dough hook until combined. Add in enough additional flour so the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead until soft but still slightly tacky. About 5-6 minutes.
- Place dough in a clean bowl and coat with olive oi. Cover loosely with plastic or a cloth towel and allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled. About 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and shape into a one inch thick rectangle. Cut into 24 square pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Pinch the seams together and place on the underside.
- Mix together egg and 1 tsp water and brush over each roll. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 25 minutes Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutrition Facts:
Jennifer says
I make these all the time for my family – they are our favorites!
Leigh Anne says
Jennifer, I love hearing that!
ColleenB.~ Tx. says
Bake your rolls as usual — as if you were going to serve them right away. Let them cool completely, then wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. Place the foil-wrapped package in a freezer bag or storage container and freeze for up to a month, after which even well-wrapped bread starts to develop frost and freezer burn.
You can bake these frozen rolls either thawed or straight from the freezer:
To thaw the dinner rolls, remove the rolls from the freezer the night before you want to serve them. Take the foil-wrapped rolls out of the freezer bag and loosen the foil. Let thaw at room temperature overnight. Rolls can be served as soon as they’ve thawed but are even better if re-warmed (in their loose foil packing) for about 10 minutes in a 300°F oven.
Serve these rolls immediately and while still warm as they tend to become dry once cooled.
ColleenB.~ Tx. says
Oh, my, these look Delicious. Perfect item to have on one’s holiday table . . . well Anytime really.
Smell of fresh bread baking . . . Pure Heaven.
I’m thinking of adding some finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese along with dried dill weed in place of the rosemary.
Lisa says
thinking ahead… could they be frozen? before baking? or after? Have you tried it?
Leigh Anne says
Lisa, I haven’t tried it with these particular rolls but have with other rolls. I usually par bake them and then freeze them.
Polly says
These are our family’s new favorite! I freeze them after baking and my daughter microwaves one for 30 seconds each morning. A little butter and a delicious treat.