Description

Soft, squishy, sweetened with honey and topped with honey-butter fresh from the oven, these Honey Butter Yeast Rolls are the perfect dinner roll!

Ingredients

Scale

180 mL (3/4 cup) whole milk, warmed to 108 to 110°F
4 tablespoons honey, divided
7 gm (1 standard packet or 2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
417 gm (3 1/3 cups, spoon and leveled) bread flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 large egg
60 gm (1/4 cup) sour cream
75 gm (1/3 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

For the honey butter:

56 gm (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, very soft
2 tablespoons honey
Pinch of kosher salt

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Instructions

Activate the yeast. Add warmed milk, 1 tablespoon honey and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer and stir briefly to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes, until the yeast is activated and the mixture becomes foamy.
Make the dough. To the activated yeast mixture, add 375 gm (3 cups) bread flour, kosher salt, egg, sour cream, melted butter, and remaining 3 tablespoons honey. Using the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer, mix on low speed until the ingredients are combined and a wet, shaggy dough forms. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the remaining 42 gm (1/3 cup) flour and mix on medium speed to knead for 8 to 12 minutes, until the dough is smooth, slightly tacky, and passes the windowpane test*. If the dough is overly sticky (i.e. you can’t handle the dough without it sticking to your hands), add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the correct feel (NOTE: sometimes I don’t need to add any flour, and other times I add up to 4 tablespoons- just depends on the day!).
First rise. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a large bowl that’s been lightly coated in oil or non-stick spray, turning the dough a few times to coat it in the oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
Punch the dough down several times to release all the air; set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease a 9×13″ baking pan and set aside.
Shape the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 15 equal portions (NOTE: I prefer to do this by weight to ensure that each roll is the same size and bakes evenly. However, feel free to do this by eye- each roll should be a little larger than a golf ball). Shape each portion of dough into a smooth ball (see instructions for shaping in my post!), and place into the prepared pan, spacing evenly so that they have a little room to grow.
Second rise. Lightly cover the pan with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and leave in a warm, draft-free place to rise until puffy and doubled in size, about 60 to 75 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.
While the rolls bake, make the honey butter by combining the softened butter, honey, and salt. Spread the honey butter onto the warm rolls, reserving any extra butter for serving. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

Inspired by and loosely adapted from Sally’s Baking Recipes Honey Butter Rolls

*Windowpane test: Use the windowpane test to check for proper gluten development. Gently pinch off a ball of dough. Slowly pull the dough out from the center. If the dough is ready, you will be able to stretch it until it is translucent like a windowpane. If the dough tears, it’s not ready; beat for another minute and check again

Make ahead: Prepare the dough as directed through Step 3. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to remove all the air. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. Leave the dough to sit at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes to soften a bit before punching down again and continuing with the recipe.

Storage: Store leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Gently rewarm in the microwave before enjoying.