American · Side · All year
Soft Dinner Rolls
4.6 community
30m
Prep
20m
Cook
Easy
Level
190
kcal
The tangzhong method (a cooked flour paste) makes these rolls shockingly soft and keeps them that way for days. Holiday-table currency.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
12
320 g
🌾 Flour
plus 25 g for the tangzhong
120 ml
🥛 Milk
plus 75 ml for the tangzhong
1
🥚 Eggs
40 g
🧈 Butter
soft, plus more to brush
30 g
🍬 Sugar
2 tsp
🍞 Instant Yeast
1 tsp
🧂 Kosher Salt
Add all to shopping list
Mise en place
Before you start
30m
Prep
20m
Cook
50m
Total
Serves
Yield: A dozen pull-apart rolls
Equipment
Sheet pan
Chef's knife
Prep checklist
Flourplus 25 g for the tangzhong
Milkplus 75 ml for the tangzhong
Buttersoft, plus more to brush
4 steps
Method
1
Tangzhong: whisk 25 g flour with 75 ml milk over medium heat until pudding-thick, 2 minutes. Cool.
💡
The cooked paste locks in moisture — it's why Asian-bakery bread stays cloud-soft for days.
2
Knead everything (tangzhong included) to a smooth, tacky dough, 8 minutes. Rise 1 hour until doubled.
3
Divide into 12, roll into taut balls, and nestle in a buttered pan. Proof 45 minutes until pillowy-touching.
4
Bake at 180°C to golden, 18–20 minutes; brush with butter the moment they emerge.
From the chef
Notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Freezing
Depends on the vegetable — roasted things reheat better than they freeze.
Reheating
Roasted vegetables re-crisp in a 200°C oven for 6–8 minutes; mashes loosen with a splash of warm milk over low heat.
Make ahead
Blanch or par-roast ahead, then finish with high heat just before serving.
Wine pairing
Follows the main.
Beer pairing
Follows the main.
On the plate
Serve it with
Sides
·
This is the side — pick a main.
Garnish
Fresh herbs
A knob of butter
Toasted nuts or seeds
Taste map
Flavor profile
Sweet
Salty
Sour
Bitter
Umami
Heat
Per serving
Nutrition
190
kcal
5g
protein
30g
carbs
6g
fat
3g
fiber
520mg
sodium
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My notes
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