Dinner Rolls in a Cast Iron Skillet-So Buttery Soft
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Don’t waste your money on store bought rolls! You can make soft, fluffy, buttery homemade rolls right at home with this simple Dinner Rolls in a Cast Iron Skillet recipe.
You’ll Love this Recipe
There is no resisting these soft, dinner rolls, especially when they are hot out of the oven.
- Easy Side Dish Recipe-these dinner rolls are easy enough for even the beginner baker. Just a few steps and a little time to make these perfect, little rolls. Serve with your favorite creamy soup for an easy meal. Don’t forget the honey butter or homemade jam!
- Made Using Basic Ingredients-nothing extra in this recipe, just milk, butter, flour, yeast, egg, and salt.
Why I Recommend Baking in a Cast Iron Skillet
- I love using my cast iron skillet to make a quick dinner, you’ll also find me baking everything in it like this Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake.
- Cast iron is known for its even heat distribution which makes a perfect outer roll with a soft center.
- Cast iron has a non-stick surface that makes clean up a breeze! Who doesn’t love that?!
Ingredients
- milk– I prefer anything but skim milk when baking or making rolls, it just gives a creamier texture from the extra fat content in the milk.
- yeast– instant yeast is used for this recipe (I like the saf-instant brand) making it quick to rise and no need for blooming the yeast.
- butter– unsalted butter is my go to, if you are using salted butter you might consider adjusting the amount of salt added in the recipe to 1/2 teaspoon
- honey– used to add sweetness but can be substituted with sugar
- flour– all purpose flour or bread flour will work in this dinner roll recipe.
- egg-used in the roll dough as well as for an egg was on the rolls before baking
⭐️ Full ingredient measurements and recipe instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make Soft Homemade Dinner Rolls
Make The Dough
- Add in the wet ingredients-In the same measure cup, mix together the milk and yeast. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer then add in the honey, melted butter, and sugar. Whisk together with a whisk or a fork until combined.
- Add in the flour-add in 2 cups of the flour and using the dough hook of a stand mixer, start stirring the dough. Just as it starts to mix together, add in the additional 2 cups of flour.
- Knead the dough-continue mixing the dough with the dough hook for an additional 5 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is soft to the touch. It might still be a little sticky at this point.
- Rest– cover the mixing bowl and rest the dough for 10 minutes. When using instant yeast it is not necessary to have 2 full rising sessions.
- Roll out the rolls-section the dough into 12-15 equal-ish pieces. You can use a kitchen scale to make them perfect (mine were 2.6-3.0 ounces), or just eyeball the size if you don’t own a kitchen scale.
- Rise-place rolls into your prepared 12 inch cast iron skillet, cover and set in a warm place or proofing oven for 45 minutes-1 hour, until doubled in size.
- Bake-brush the rolls with a simple egg wash and bake in a 375º F oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on top and no longer dough in the center. Brush with melted butter after baking if desired.
Storage and Freezing
- Storage-place leftover rolls into a zip top bag or airtight container and store on the countertop for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven for 30 seconds for that fresh out of the oven hot roll experience!
- Freezing after baking– to freeze the rolls after baking, place in an airtight freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter for 3 hours or in the refrigerator overnight.
- To reheat-wrap in foil and bake in a 350ºF oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Freezing before baking-place shaped rolls onto a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes-1 hour. Place into an airtight freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on a baking sheet in the refrigerator overnight, then let rise for one hour before baking as directed, don’t forget to keep the rolls covered while thawing and rising.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
If you don’t own a cast iron skillet, these can be made in any 12 inch oven safe skillet or in a 9 x 12 inch baking dish.
If you want to be precise, an instant read thermometer can be used to measure the temperature, it will be 190-200º F. Otherwise, the rolls will be golden brown and firm to the touch.
It could be a few things, either the milk was too hot and killed the yeast or the place that you are rising the dough is not warm enough. This always happens in my house in the winter, so I place to pan into my oven with the proof setting turned on.
You can absolutely make this recipe without a stand mixer, it will just take a little more work.
To make without a stand mixer, combine the ingredients as instructed in the recipe. Then to knead, place the dough on a clean, floured surface. Knead the dough by pushing away from you while pushing the dough down, fold over and repeat for 7-10 minutes until a soft dough has formed. Then follow the rest of the recipe as listed.
If you feel your rolls are getting too brown, simply place a piece of aluminum foil over the rolls as they continue to bake to stop the browning.
If you don’t like the crisp top an egg wash puts on your rolls, you can just eliminate it from the recipe and just brush the rolls with melted butter after baking.
Other Cast Iron Bread Recipes to Try:
Dinner Rolls in a Cast Iron Skillet-So Buttery Soft
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk warm (110º F)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 3 tablespoons honey/sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups flour
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- In a measuring glass combine the 1 cup milk and 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the 1 egg, 4 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons honey/sugar. Pour in the yeast mixture and whisk with a fork or whisk to combine.
- Add in 2 cups of the flour and 1 teaspoon salt stir to combine. Add in the remaining flour and mix with the dough hook for 5 minutes until a soft dough has formed and the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl, it will still feel slightly sticky to the touch.
- Cover and let rest for 10 minutes
- Remove from the bowl to a lightly floured surface. Form into 12-14 equal rolls (about 2.4-3 ounces each) by measuring with a kitchen scale or just eyeball the size. Fold the edges of the dough to the center of each piece, then roll into a ball and place into a parchment lined or oiled 12 inch cast iron skillet.
- Cover and let rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
- Brush with an egg wash (1 egg and 1 teaspoon water) before baking for a golden top.
- Heat the oven to 375 and bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch. Brush with melted butter after baking if desired.
Notes
- Nutrition facts are just an estimate of the ingredients listed and are provided as a courtesy.
- Measure the internal temperature of the rolls with an instant read thermometer to check doneness if needed. The temperature should read 190-200ºF.
