My mother has made these yeast rolls at least once a week for as long as I can remember. She also makes them for the monthly potluck dinners at her church. She has made them numerous times for bereaved families or just to help out the neighbors. She celebrated 86 years on her birthday this year, so I can’t begin to guess how many pans of these yeast rolls she has made.
I like to try different recipes and experiment with new dishes. Not Mother. She’s happy cooking what she has always cooked. This is the same recipe that she has always used throughout all her years of baking bread. You know, maybe that’s her secret – keep doing the same thing over and over until you have perfected it.
Yeast Rolls
In a small bowl, mix together:
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 package yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
Let this stand until yeast bubbles up.
In a separate large mixing bowl, mix together:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup warm water
Combine yeast mixture with the oil mixture. Add about 6 cups all purpose flour, gradually stirring in 1 cup at a time. Knead well, then place dough in a large greased bowl to rise. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until double in size (about 2 1/2 – 3 hours). Knead again, and form dough into rolls. Place in a greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Let rise again until rolls touch top of pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until browned.
One cup of warm water (not hot), 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 packet of yeast. I buy yeast in these larger packages, because I bake so much, then I measure it out. One regular yeast packet = 2 1/4 teaspoons.
This is how the yeast looks after it bubbles up.
Mix the oil, sugar, salt and water. The mixture does not resemble bread at this stage.
This is my mother’s flour brand. She seriously won’t buy anything else. Does the flour make a difference? Yes, it really does. I know there are many good brands of flour, so use the brand you have good results with. I promise that you will be able to tell a difference in the bread when you change to different brands, though. I have made this same recipe with different kinds of flour, and the bread is changed when the flour is changed. My mother likes her bread to be white and light, so she uses a flour that suits that purpose.
As the ingredients are all mixed, the dough will go through different stages. It needs a lots of mixing or stirring.
The flour should be added only one cup at a time.
By the time the last cup of flour has been worked in, the dough will pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl. If the dough does not pull away, add a little more flour in 1/4 cup increments until it reaches this consistency.
Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and work into a ball.
Place dough in a large greased bowl, turn dough over so that top is coated with oil.
Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until double in size (about 2 1/2 – 3 hours).
After the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to push all the air out by folding over several times.
Now the dough is ready to make into rolls. My mother would just start pinching off pieces of dough to put into a greased pan, but I can’t do it that way. Maybe after I’ve done this long enough, I’ll be able to make my bread that way, too, but for now to ensure that everything comes out even, I have to divide my dough.
Divide the dough in half.
Then divide in half again. Each piece of dough will become 5 rolls.
The 9 x 13-inch pan will hold 4 rows of 5 rolls in each row.
As you place each roll in the pan, turn it to grease the top of the roll.
When all the rows are filled there will be 20 rolls.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until rolls are to the top of the pan.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes or until browned.
Remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter.
Then see if you can eat just one.
I love yeast rolls–they're so bready and soft. Your looks delicious!
This looks yummy! Would you come by my Cast Party Wednesday Link Party tomorrow and share some of your recipes with us?
Thanks,
I hope to see you there!
Well yum. My mouth was watering just looking at the picture. Come over and visit us. We have a really great grilled fruit recipe and tomorrow a wonderful recipe for a picnic.
Yum! These look so good! I wish I could eat some right now! Definitely saving this recipe for when it cools off. 🙂
http://www.sugarandspiceandallthingsiced.com/
I am such a sucker for a good roll. Especially one you don't have to roll out! Yummy. I'm a new follower – check out my blog and follow back if you're interested http://eatcakefordinner.blogspot.com/
They look completely amazing! Nothing like a recipe that gets passed down from generation to generation.
Guess whose been featured at Cast Party Wednesday this week? YOU!!! Woohoo!!! Come by the party tomorrow and grab your featured button. CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Our roll recipes are very similar, great minds think alike! Dropping by from Everyday Sisters to check out your Thanksgiving contribution. These are a winner. 🙂
I just followed your recipe word for word and the dough was WAY too wet. I couldn't do anything with it. Maybe next time I'll add another cup of flour… but tonight I don't have another three hours for them to proof.
Sweet Mother of baking! Just finished baking one hundred of these rolls! This recipe has been much easier than mine and great rolls! Thank you and bless your mother's wonderful abilities!
I looked for this flour in our local Walmart but unable to get it. I live in Oklahoma. May be due to a large mill just a few miles from me is carried in those stores.
Thanks again~ Susan'sStyle Pinterest
Anita,
I've never made rolls from scratch like this before and I recently bought some yeast to give it a try. So glad I came across your family recipe! They look so good!
Just made these! They are awesome! It was my first time making rolls from scratch! Thanks for the recipe!!
I made these and they were fabulous. My aunt brags about them all the time. She says they are the best dinner rolls she has ever had. The funny thing is, I'm not really a good cook. I can follow a recipe, though. If I find a great recipe, then i can be a good cook, and this one is spot on! Wondering if they can be refrigerated a day or two before cooking. I want to make them for Thanksgiving, but want to do all my prepping ahead of time so all I have to do on T-Day is put things in the oven.
Hi Alysa, I'm so glad you had success with mother's recipe! She would be very happy. When I want to make them ahead, I let them rise the first time, make them into rolls, cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. Then the next day take them out ahead of time for the second rise. This has worked great for me in the past. There is never enough time to prepare everything on Thanksgiving, so anything that can be prepped ahead is a lifesaver. Good luck with your meal!
Thanks, Anita. I am doing a practice run today, so I think I will try that. Half in the fridge and the other half for lunch.
Okay! This is my 3rd time attempting this recipe. I am making it my mission to make my yeast rolls look like yours. The taste is there, but I just have to master getting them to look as tasty as yours. Thanks for the recipe… Signed, New to Baking Yeast Rolls.
Dee, just keep practicing, no one can make them like mother at first. She would tell me they were so easy to make, but that was after years of practice for her. I'll bet your family thinks taste is more important than looks anyway! Thank you for visiting!
This is my favorite roll recipe ever!!! Come out amazing every time.
This is my favorite roll recipe ever!!! Come out amazing every time.
This will be my first time making yeast rolls and the dough is rising and I think they are going to turn out yummy!
Hi Constance, I have every confidence that your rolls will be fantastic! Mother would be proud to know yours turned out great on your first try! I'll be making these tomorrow. We couldn't have a holiday without them.
These rolls are amazing!! I'm trying your tip on making them tonight and baking them tomorrow..how long do you think it takes for them to rise after you take them out of the refrigerator before you bake them? I'm trying to make my schedule. C:
Hi Katlyn, after refrigeration I would allow about 2 hours to rise, then 30 minutes to bake. Hope all goes well!
My rolls were hard and tough to chew. I did refrigerate after the first rise. Advice?
Hi Sharon, I'm so sorry the rolls didn't turn out! My mother was the bread expert, and sadly she has passed away. With my experience though, I don't let them rise before refrigeration. I have let them do the first rise, then made them into rolls and immediately covered them and put them in the refrigerator, then take them out for the second rise. I'm guessing yours must have fallen and were too dense. Don't give up though. I hope you'll try them again.
I am so sorry to hear about your mother. I just wanted to let you know, these are absolutely amazing. They were posted on a local food groups facebook page sometime around 2 Thanksgivings ago. I snatched it up quickly, and it is now one of our go tos for entertaining. We are ALWAYS asked for the recipe, and people just melt for them. Thank you so much for sharing her recipe, and please know she sounds like an absolutely wonderful woman <3
Thank you for your sweet words. Mother is missed not only by me, but by many others. She never could cook a small amount, she cooked for a crowd and invited them in. Her rolls were always the first thing to go, especially at her church dinners. I'm so glad to know others are enjoying this recipe. She would be happy to know that, too. I made rolls with this recipe today, and they were (almost) as good as hers.
Love these rolls. I have made them several times. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I have made yeast rolls in the past but they were bland and didn't have that great yeasty flavor. Do these rolls have a yeasty flavor?
HI Donna, These have some flavor of yeast, however, it's not a lot. It may not be as much as you're looking for. They are good rolls, though! If you find a recipe you love I'd be happy to try it out, just email me.
Making these tonight with my 14 year old daughter for Thanksgiving tomorrow. They were super esy.
I bought the wrong yeast!! Not the instant, can I still use it?
Yes, your yeast will be fine.
I hope your family enjoys them as much as mine does. I have two batches rising right now!
I have NEVER been able to make good yeast rolls. EVER. UNTIL today when I tried your recipe! Now part of this could be that I now have a KitchenAid mixer but I think your pictures and instructions REALLY helped me to know what each step SHOULD look like. They came out wonderful!! I couldn't believe it – I'll be sharing this on my blog in the near future and of course, linking to your blog and giving you credit for this wonderful recipe.
Thank you for letting me know how well the recipe worked for you! Mother made these for years, and I'm happy to have the recipe. She was so well known for making them, someone actually asked me at her funeral if she left her recipe.
Tried to make yesterday trial run for tomorrow dough was dry we live at high altitude less flour
Omg I made these rolls yesterday and I am making them again today. They are most delicious. A huge hit at my house. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
I don’t have any experience baking at high altitudes, however, I found this article that might be useful to you: https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/baking-yeast-breads-at-high-altitudes/
is there anything different I need to do since I’m at higher elevation? I’m in Denver, CO so I’m over 5000 ft.
After reading more comments though I think I need to let my separated balls rise for much longer.
Also, I weighed them to make sure I had similar weight rolls how big do you think they should be to get the right consistency/fluffy ness of the rolls?
I tried with milk and they were just as good.
Thank you for your comment! I made these rolls today, too.
I made these a few weeks ago because I realized by go-to frozen yeast rolls were hard to find. I was so happy to realize I could make these on my own. Recipe is wonderful. I am ready to put this together for Thanksgiving tomorrow and Christmas next month. Thanks for posting!!
These are the best yeast rolls and the easiest recipe to follow! Thank you so much for sharing! Reading the comments from over the years while baking was so fun!
Hi Terra, As far as I know you could, but you would have to warm it to activate the yeast. Let me know if you try it, that would be interesting to know.
Can you use milk instead of water?
Thank you so much! It’s an old recipe, and I’ve used it a lot.
Absolutely THE BEST YEAST ROLL RECIPE ON THE PLANET. I MIXED THEM BY HAND. DIVINE.
Mother didn’t use a mixer. She stirred by hand, and that’s much harder. I’m thankful to have the mixer. I use it for cookies, too.
Did your mother use a stand mixer for these? I don't have one and it is always more of a challenge to make them by hand.
Thank you for your comment! I’m glad these were a success for you. I also made mine the night before and refrigerated them for Thanksgiving this year.
Made these for Thanksgiving 2020. They were very easy to make. I made them Wednesday evening and refrigerated after forming into balls, but before the second rise. I took them out of the refrigerator 3 hours before I cooked them, to give them time to rise the second time. The were so light and fluffy. They were a huge hit. Delicious! Definitely a keeper. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Bakermama, I haven’t tried freezing, but I think it might work, probably after the first rise, make the rolls and freeze before they rise any the second time. Also, I think wrapping them up really well would help. I’ll try most anything that makes life easier!
Can you freeze these before they are baked?I
Air conditioning definitely affects the rise time. I sometimes cover the dough and place it on the screened porch to rise. I hope you enjoy the rolls.
Hi!
I am going to try these in the morning they so delicious! My mouth is watering just looking at them!
Now, my concern is I am in Florida, it's August, so with the a/c running should I just raise the dough outside? I think I will have better control of the rise….I have not had good success with oven rise method! What do think?
Hi Donna, The time varies depending on the room temperature, but usually an hour and a half to two hours.
Hi! Once you put the rolls in the pan, how long does it normally take for them to rise to the top of the pan?
The yeast will bubble after only a few minutes. If there’s no bubbling or foam after 5 -10 minutes, then the yeast is not active and will not give the bread a good rise.
How long does it take for the yeast start to bubble?
Hi Taylor, Yes, I have used this recipe for loaves.
Have you ever used this recipe for loaves of bread?
I've made this recipe several times now. My family and friends always ask for me to bring this rolls when gathering for dinners. It is much loved. I am even attempting to make it into bread loaves instead of the usual 24 rolls that I get out of it. Its definitely hard to eat just one of these rolls. They are delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Just wanted to say thanks for sharing this recipe! I’ve made these several times now and they have been flawless each time! #awesome
Thanks so much! The rolls were delicious and the recipe was easy to follow.
Thanks, Terra! I’m so glad they turned out good!
Thank you! I always make these for the holidays, too.
I’m SO glad I found you! I had bookmarked this recipe through Pinterest but the blog would no longer give me access. I googled and googled and found you AND the recipe haha! I’m printing it out this time! Truly these are the best rolls and the easiest I’ve ever made!