Homemade Pull Apart Dinner Rolls

Warm, soft, homemade pull apart dinner rolls smeared with melted butter are the perfect side for all types of dinner recipes. This no-knead dinner roll recipe will become a staple in your house!

Why this recipe works

If you need a roll recipe that you can make in about an hour or so that requires no kneading, this is it. Look no further. These homemade pull apart dinner rolls are always requested at every holiday and family gathering.

My family insists that I make a double batch of these rolls every Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. They also make a great side for crockpot roast beef, sirloin pork roast, or basically any meal you see fit to serve them with.

separating a Homemade Pull Apart Dinner Roll

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

ingredients for Homemade Pull Apart Dinner Rolls

YEAST – Quick-acting dry yeast is the way to go with these rolls. I use SAF Instant Yeast, but any brand of quick rise or instant will work fine. Quick-acting yeast absorbs water quicker than regular yeast, making the rise time faster. This is also known as rapid-rise, quick-rise, and fast-rise yeast.

FLOUR – We use all-purpose flour here, if you want to use whole wheat flour use half wheat flour and half all-purpose. Your rolls could be too dense if you substitute all of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour. When measuring flour, be sure to use the scoop and sweep method. It’s amazing the variation in weight between scooping with your measuring cup and scooping into your measuring cup. Too much flour can result in dry, crumbly rolls.

How to Make Homemade Pull Apart Dinner Rolls

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

Dissolve yeast in warm milk with sugar in an electric mixer bowl. Stir in 1 cup flour, oil, and salt. Beat until smooth.

EXPERT TIP– Use an instant thermometer to test the temperature of your milk. If it’s too hot it will kill the yeast and could cause the dough to be too sticky as well.
Stir in remaining flour, scraping dough from side of bowl, until soft dough forms.
Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 45 minutes.

EXPERT TIP– Make sure that you cover the dough bowl with a towel when you set it aside to rise in a draft-free place.
Heat oven 400 degrees F. Punch down dough in center and fold over a few times. Prep a 12 cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Pinch off 1 inch balls of dough and quickly roll in palm of hands. Put 3 balls into one muffin cup, brush with melted butter; sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake until crust is light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Immediately remove from pan. Store loosely covered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use regular active dry yeast?

Yes, you can use active dry yeast instead of instant, just make sure you proof the yeast by following the instructions.

Can I use bread flour?

Yes you can use bread flour, simply substitute equal amounts of bread flour as you would all purpose.

Can I make these ahead of time?

Anytime you do not bake bread right away it continues to rise. Even by putting it in the refrigerator which will slow the rise considerably, it will not stop it. The more a yeast dough rises, the more it changes the final texture.

Why is my dough sticky?

The dough should be a bit sticky when you set it aside to rise. However, you should be able to handle it without it being a complete mess. A trick I use is to spray my hands with non-stick cooking spray. As a last resort, you can sprinkle the dough with a bit of flour and fold it over a few times. Use caution though, too much additional flour will dry out the dough.

How do I store dinner rolls?

To store these rolls, first wrap them in aluminum foil and place inside a sealed ziplock bag or air-tight container. Keep at room temperature for up to 4 days.

butter on a Homemade Pull Apart Dinner Roll

This recipe makes 12 piping hot soft rolls just begging for butter. Gently pull them apart and watch the steam come out.

More Roll and Biscuit Recipes

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Big thanks go out to Jill of Simple Daily Recipes for sharing this recipe.

This recipe originally appeared here on Dec 27, 2008 and has since been updated with new photos and expert tips.

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Amanda Davis

President at Amanda's Creative Studio, Inc.

Amanda Davis is the entrepreneurial mom of four grown children and four step children. She and her husband, Chef Antoine, love to cook together creating recipes for this blog. Amanda also make kid's crafts and creates decorative items for her home. She is a crafting expert and guru in the kitchen and has appeared online and in print publications many times over the years. She is also a craft book author five times over and product developer as well as the owner of FunFamilyCrafts.com. You can find her on social media by using the buttons to the left!