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Leigh Anne Wilkes

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Home / Latest Posts / Recipes / Course / Bread / Small Batch Dinner Rolls

Small Batch Dinner Rolls

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By: Leigh Anne WilkesPosted: 9/08/20Updated: 11/10/20

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small batch rolls in a pan

These light and fluffy small batch dinner rolls are the perfect addition to any meal and you only need to make four rolls instead of two dozen!

We love a good roll at our house and some of our other favorite recipes include these 30 Minute Rolls, yes only 30 minutes!  My mom always makes these classic Crescent Rolls and these Orange Rolls for Two recipe is a favorite.

four dinner rolls on a cooling rack

Dinner Rolls for Two

Being able to make only four rolls at a time is life changing, I make them so much more often because I don’t end up with dozens of leftover rolls!  As an empty nester, a traditional roll recipe that makes two dozen rolls is just way too many.  I end up with too many leftover rolls and I eat too many rolls!

Thanks to this recipe I no longer have to reserve roll making to a big holiday dinner with friends and family.  I can enjoy homemade rolls with any weeknight meal.  They are perfect with a plate of pasta or a bowl of soup, or just about anything.

four dinner rolls on a rack

You don’t have to be an empty nester to enjoy this recipe though.  The recipe makes four large rolls but you can easily make 6 smaller rolls if you are needing to feed more people.

It takes under an hour to make these dinner rolls.  Just start them at the beginning of dinner prep and by the time dinner is ready, your rolls will be too

dinner rolls in a pan

How to Make Small Batch Yeast Rolls

I usually make these rolls with milk but you can use water if you prefer.  Heat your liquid to 105-115 degrees F. before adding in your yeast.

Add your honey and olive oil into the yeast mixture and let it sit for about 10 minutes until it is nice and foamy and bubbly.  Cover the top of your bowl or cup of yeast with a plate to create a nice warm environment for the yeast to proof.  If you have questions about working with yeast be sure and check out my post with all my best tips and tricks.

how to proof yeast

After the yeast has proofed, mix together your flour, salt and yeast mixture.  Knead until smooth and soft.  I use my stand mixer with the dough hook but this can also be done by hand.  Place the dough in a greased bowl and allow to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

dough rising in a bowl

Helping Dough Rise

To create a nice warm place for my dough to rise in turn your  oven onto it’s lowest temperature, 100-150 degrees F.  Once the oven preheats, turn the oven off.  Place your covered bowl of dough into the oven and let it rise.

Once the dough has doubled, divide it into four equal size pieces

four pieces of roll dough

Roll each piece of dough into a ball and placed into a greased pan (use butter or non stick baking spray).  I use a 6 inch cake pan.  You can also use a muffin tin.

roll dough in a pan

Cover and let the dough rise for 20 minutes.  Preheat your oven to  400 degrees F.

Before baking I like to brush the rolls with an egg wash to give the rolls a deeper golden color.  This is purely aesthetic.

brushing rolls with an egg wash

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until rolls are golden brown and cooked through.  Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes and then remove.

overhead shot of small batch dinner rolls

I’m a firm believer that a homemade dinner roll should be eaten warm out of the oven and slathered in butter!

dinner roll with butter on it.

Check out some of my favorite recipes that you can serve with homemade rolls:

  • Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
  • Pasta e Fagioli Soup
  • Tomato Basil Soup
  • Sunday Pot Roast

For all of my other favorite kitchen products and tools visit my Amazon Store. 

Did you know I wrote a cookbook?  Check out the Holiday Slow Cooker Cookbook for 100 delicious recipes.

Small Batch Dinner Roll Recipe

5 from 8 votes

Small Batch Dinner Rolls

Recipe From: Leigh Anne Wilkes
These light and fluffy small batch dinner rolls are the perfect addition to any meal and you only need to make four rolls instead of two dozen!
serves: 4 rolls
Prep:45 minutes
Cook:12 minutes
Total:57 minutes
Rate Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup warm milk 105-115 degrees f
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 egg beaten, for egg wash

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Add oil, honey, and yeast into warm milk. Stir and let rest for 15 minutes until it begins to bubble and get foamy.
  • Add in salt and flour to yeast mixture and put in a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, mix until the dough comes together and is slightly sticky but not sticking to the sides of the bowl.
    If the dough is too sticky add some additional flour a Tablespoon at a time. Knead for 5 minutes until soft and smooth
  • Cover and let rise for 20 minutes
  • Divide dough into four pieces and form into balls. Place into a greased pan (I use a 6 inch cake pan) and cover. Let rise for 15 minutes.
  • Brush rolls with beaten egg for an egg wash.
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes or until rolls are golden brown and baked through.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 269kcal (13%) Carbohydrates: 41g (14%) Protein: 7g (14%) Fat: 9g (14%) Saturated Fat: 1g (6%) Cholesterol: 41mg (14%) Sodium: 308mg (13%) Potassium: 80mg (2%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 4g (4%) Vitamin A: 59IU (1%) Calcium: 13mg (1%) Iron: 2mg (11%)
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.
Course:Bread
Cuisine:American
Keyword:small batch dinner rolls
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small batch rolls in a pan

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  1. Debbie says

    Posted on 2/15 at 3:01 pm

    Super easy, great flavor!
    I made 6 cloverleaf rolls. Cut the dough into six pieces and then divided each piece into three balls and baked in a muffin pan.

    Reply
  2. Annette says

    Posted on 1/29 at 6:50 pm

    Perfect great tasting, easy to make, love it thank you

    Reply
  3. Carol says

    Posted on 11/26 at 1:20 pm

    This was absolutely perfect for our 2-person COVID Thanksgiving dinner! It didn’t need the entire 5 minutes to knead in my KitchenAid stand mixer, maybe 2-2 1/2 minutes. This recipe is a keeper!

    Reply
  4. Karen Harper says

    Posted on 11/9 at 7:44 am

    I made these to go with soup and they were delicious! But even though there’s just 2 of us, four rolls weren’t enough for the leftover soup the next day! I haven’t been able to find a medium-batch recipe so I wonder if I could successfully double this recipe? 8 rolls would be great. 12-16 is just too many!!

    Reply
    • Leigh Anne says

      Posted on 11/9 at 8:20 am

      So glad you enjoyed the recipe it should double just fine.

      Reply
      • Karen Harper says

        Posted on 11/9 at 12:11 pm

        Thanks, Leigh Anne. I’m going to give it a try. I’m not sure about doubling the yeast, though. That would be a whole tbsp. of yeast and that sounds like a lot. It will probably take some tweaking to get it right but it’ll be worth it. 🙂

        Reply
  5. Denise Cottrell says

    Posted on 9/16 at 3:56 pm

    Just made these today to pair with our creamy, cheesy broccoli soup. They a wonderful. Thanks so much for an easy and delicious recipe.

    Reply
    • Leigh Anne says

      Posted on 9/16 at 4:32 pm

      Sounds like a delicious dinner – so glad you loved them!

      Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 9/16 at 5:15 pm

      they ARE wonderful !!

      Reply
      • JK says

        Posted on 2/28 at 3:09 pm

        Leigh Anne, this recipe would be perfect for me. Can I substitute sugar for honey in this recipe? Thank you.

        Reply
        • Leigh Anne Wilkes says

          Posted on 2/28 at 3:38 pm

          That should work just fine!

          Reply
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