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Making bread does not have to be complicated. I find that simple bread made with easy ingredients and instructions is all that is needed for a perfectly soft dinner roll. Growing up in the midwest United States, artisan breads were uncommon. Instead, breads were traditionally on the sweeter side with uncomplicated components. And that’s exactly where this dinner roll recipe comes into play.
These honey oat dinner rolls are nostalgic for me. Honey, old-fashioned oats, and butter are softened with hot water. A little milk tenderizes the dough along with flour and yeast. The best part? These really are foolproof. Once they rise, they’re formed into balls where they rise once more into soft, pillowy rolls. While baking, they become golden, and once slightly cooled, they’re ready to be devoured!
What is instant active yeast?
Yeast is found often in two different forms: instant and active.
- Active yeast is more traditional and means that the yeast needs to be activated in warm water to ensure it will rise.
- Instant yeast is made of smaller granules and does not need to be dissolved in water. Instant yeast is guaranteed to be active and ready to use.
I have always used instant yeast and find it to be fail-proof. No activation with water makes it easier and quicker. That’s a win-win!
How do you know when dough has risen enough?
Most recipes will say that when the dough has doubled in size, it has fully risen. If you are new to making bread, this can be hard to decipher. Here are two methods to know when it’s ready:
- Chose a bowl and make a mark where the dough begins. This way, there is a baseline to track the dough’s growth. This does involve some approximation, but is a great way to visually see the progress.
- Press a finger into the dough. If it springs back quickly, the yeast is still producing gases and is not fully risen. If the indentation stays or springs back slowly, the dough is ready.
Dough always rises best in a warm environment. Keeping a light on in an unheated oven can produce just enough warmth for the dough to rise quicker.
More Thanksgiving recipes
Leftover Turkey Soup
Pumpkin Pie with Chocolate Crust
Pecan, Apple & Sweet Potato Salad
Cowboy Butter Turkey
Watch how to make these dinner rolls
Honey Oat Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 cup oats
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup hot water
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ tsp (1 pkg) instant yeast
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the butter, honey, oats, and salt. Pour in the hot water and stir until the butter is dissolved, 1-2 minutes. Allow to cool to no less than 110°F, 5-6 minutes.8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, ¼ cup honey, 1 cup oats, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 cup hot water
- Stir in the milk with the beaten egg and add 2 cups of the flour and yeast. Stir to incorporate, creating a sticky dough. Add more flour, 1 cup at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Stir and eventually knead the dough. Do not add more flour, but knead the dough until it is slightly tacky and clears the side of the bowl, 3-5 minutes. Form the dough into a smooth ball.½ cup whole milk, 1 large egg, 4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 ¼ tsp (1 pkg) instant yeast
- Drizzle the sides of the bowl and the dough with 1 tbsp neutral oil. Cover and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled, 40-60 minutes.
- Once doubled, punch down the dough and knead into a ball. Separate the dough into 15 even-sized dinner rolls and place in a buttered 9×13 baking dish. Cover and let rise until doubled, 35-50 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Once dinner rolls have doubled, place in the preheated oven and bake until the tops are golden, 20-25 minutes. The center of the bread should reach 190°F. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 20 minutes before pulling apart and serving.
Can you use quick one minute oats?
Hello,
Wondering how to keep oatmeal honey rolls warm and/or store them after baked.
They are incredibly!
Happy Holidays.
Tracy
I am going to try them for thanksgiving. Thanks for good rolls recipe.
In the dinner roll recipe….did you use instant oats or old fashion oats or does it matter. Also if you didn’t have instant yeast could you bloom the yeast in the hot water? Thanks Melissa
Bloom action e yeast in warm water, about 110° not boiling. Boiling water will kill active yeast
I’ve tried making rolls before with mediocre results. These were so easy, my 4 and 2 year old even helped! They turned out perfectly and taste amazing!
I love all your videos of food, desserts, and gardening that you too. thank you for everything kaleb!!
Easy to follow instructions. Turned out delish
Watched your video with Mom and decided to try this when I made ham and bean soup on a chilly day. It was a very easy recipe and turned out better than I anticipated. They were fluffy and yeasty and substantial. I had to practice patience because they took longer to rise than normal in the Florida weather, however, it was the length of time you listed. My patience was rewarded by getting a delicious dinner roll. Thank you! I will make them again.
I test baked a batch of these rolls to decide if I wanted to serve them on Thanksgiving. Well I’m making my second batch for the holiday. They will be great with just butter or to make a sandwich. They are not heavy and doughy, but dense and light. Nice recipe, Kaleb and Mom.
Kaleb: I love your recipes and your videos. I made the Honey Oat Dinner Rolls for Thanksgiving and they were a hit. I wanted to let you know that in the printed version of the recipe the addition of the egg was left out. On your website the recipe has the egg but when the recipe is printed the egg is in the ingredients but not the instructions. Thanks again for all your fabulous recipes and tips.
These rolls got high marks, especially from the wee bairns! Grandkids always seem to grab a roll first and I served them with homemade butter and fresh honey.
The recipe is easier than you think and almost foolproof. I used regular oats and instant active dry yeast as recipe suggested. They are a bit more hearty than, say croissants, but none the less were “gobbled” up at our Thanksgiving table.
Made the honey oat dinner rolls for Thanksgiving this year. They came out soft and fluffy, not heavy and doughy, with a great honey, oat flavor. You know its good when they go back in for seconds! Thanks Kaleb for sharing this wonderful recipe that I’ll add to my favorites!
Made this past weekend and loved them. Enjoyed them for breakfast, split, and toasted under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Had with Honey. Going to open some fig preserves next time. Just love your videos.
I made for Thanksgiving and everyone thought they were delicious! The recipe is so easy and delicious I made 72 for Christmas I only have 12 left. Big, big hit!
These are to Die For!!! I have made them several times, and each time I receive raves and requests for the recipe. Thanks Kaleb for sharing, yet again, such a delicious recipe!!!
Made the rolls last night, for the games today. So, so easy to make! We ate a few last night after they came out of the oven. They just melt in your mouth. Can’t wait to share today. Thanks again for sharing the recipe. Oh, and I really liked the tip of flour on the hands to get the sticky dough off! Had never heard that before.
I’ve been following you for about a year. I enjoy seeing you yard, your home, recipes and collectibles.
I tried your oatmeal bread recipe and it’s delicious.
I’ve been following you for about a year. I enjoy seeing you yard, your home, recipes and collectibles.
Delicious rolls but mine didn’t brown. What could be the reason.
Kaleb, I totally love your dishes and the excellent way you teach. I’m probably your grandmother’s age at 70,so I’m an experienced home cook. I love your videos and love the closeness that you have with your family. I’m baking your mothers recipe of Honey Oat Dinner rolls today to try them before I make them for Thanksgiving. Thanks for giving of your time to teach in such a loving way.
Love watching you cook bake or can. You really are great in the kitchen. I always learn something new. And I like your recipes. I like simple easy to do recipes for everyday use. Your are a true gardener as well. Wish I had your expertise.
I made two batches of rolls yesterday without a problem. The recipe was easy to follow and the rolls are delicious . I’m passing out the recipe to friends and family!
Absolutely easy to make and delicious. My rolls were not as airy as the video, so I’m thinking I may need to let it rise a little bit longer. I do have the same question as another reviewer….did you use quick oats or traditional because the dough in the video appeared quite smooth and I still could see the oats in mine and I did mix and knead quite a bit. I will be making them again and the family loved it!! Thank you….love your posts, your videos and your love for your family and what you do!
Hi Kaleb: Made your rolls 2 weeks ago and again today! Today I mad the dough into 18 about 70 grams rolls which is slightly smaller to go with chili. They are easy! I wonder if you could switch the honey to molasses for mor of a brown bread rolls? Please tell me what you think? Love watching from Nova Scotia. 💞
Cindy I am so interested to hear if you tried these rolls using molasses. Please reply if you did and how that went, thanks 🙂
Made these for Christmas dinner… they were a huge hit…I didn’t have rapid yeast so I adjusted the recipe accordingly and they came out great!
Hi Kaleb , wanted to ask you a question about your honey oat dinner rolls ,your mom stated that you can freeze this in advance to bake at a later time
So at what step do you freeze , and then what are the steps after defrosted ?
I cant wait to try these
Thx Eileen
I just took these out of the oven a few minutes. Of course, we couldn’t wait to try them. Absolutely the best recipe I’ve ever used!
This is a perfect roll recipe…10/10…simple, easy to follow directions and as you say in your video, pretty much fool proof. I did substitute molasses for honey, just personal preference. Thanks so much for all your wonderful videos and recipes!
Kaleb I tried these rolls last week and they are Amazing! I love the texture. I am having Thanksgiving Dinner at my house and these rolls are going to be on our table! Thank You for all the delicious recipes that you share.
Thank you for this amazing recipe
I made it and my kids loved it so much they ate one right away and the next morning they had some for breakfast and then an afternoon snack.😂
I do the same as your mom i make sure i get every drop of egg and i rub some flour to remove the sticky dough.
The rolls are soft, sweet and Very yummy.