Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls are soft, fluffy, buttery dinner rolls. These rolls have butter laminated between layers of fluffy, soft bread. 

Warm and fresh from the oven, pull apart the layers and savor the buttery goodness. No need to add extra butter. However, some homemade strawberry jam will make them divine. Also, try my Dinner Rolls with Cinnamon Butter

 

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dinner roll

I love, love, love these pull-apart dinner rolls. They are my current bread obsession. It took countless batches of bread dough before I figured out how to make pull-apart rolls and this was delicious. Oh My, these are amazing.
I wanted rolls similar to brown and serve rolls, but more buttery and flavorful. After lots of trial and error, I developed a technique for layering the dough with butter. The method is similar to the laminating technique used in croissants. BUT MUCH EASIER!

What Type Of Dough Makes Soft, Fluffy Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls?

The dough for these rolls is a rich, soft, slightly sweet dough. The eggs, potato flour, sugar, milk, and extra yeast make the dough similar to the dough used in pastries.

butter layer for dinner roll dough
Figure 1
first fold
Figure 2
second fold
Figure 3

How Do I Laminate Butter Into The Dough?

Let’s do this! First, make the dough by mixing all the ingredients in a stand mixer for 7 minutes. This prolonged mixing produces a soft dough with well-developed gluten strands. Well-developed gluten is important for the laminating process. Once mixed, the dough is flattened into a rectangle and spread with butter. It is then folded, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. Repeat the butter and fold technique 3 times at 5-minute intervals, giving multiple layers of dough and butter to the rolls. After the final butter and fold, place the dough warmly until it doubles. This takes about 90 minutes. Be patient, and don’t rush the rising times. They are essential for a flaky-fluffy roll.

Dinner Rolls dough
Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls

How To Shape And Bake The Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls

Once the dough has doubled, spread it into a 20 X 14-inch rectangle. This time, instead of buttering and folding, butter was cut into 2-inch squares. The buttered squares are stacked, three high, and placed sideways in a muffin tin. Rest the rolls for another 90 minutes. Bake until golden brown; the internal temperature is 190 degrees with an instant-read thermometer. These rolls bake quickly in 10 – 12 minutes. So don’t overbake.  

Pull apart dinner roll

Reheating or Freezing The Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls

The rolls can be made a day ahead and reheated by placing them back in the muffin tins and covering them with aluminum foil. Reheat for 3 – 5 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Fresh, warm rolls fly off the serving plate. However, any leftover rolls freeze well. To freeze, place it in ziplock bags and freeze it for up to a month. To defrost, open the bag to allow any extra moisture to evaporate during defrosting. This keeps the rolls from becoming soggy. Once defrosted, reheat, serve, and share the love with your dinner guests.

SIS tip: Simple is Smart

anytime you defrost frozen bread, open the plastic bag to keep the bread from getting soggy. If you see excess frost in the bag, remove the bread and empty out the frost before defrosting.  

pull-apart dinner rolls

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5 from 1 vote

Soft Buttery Dinner Rolls

Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls are soft, fluffy, buttery dinner rolls.  These rolls have butter laminated between layers of fluffy, soft bread.  Pull apart the layers, and enjoy then warm from the oven. 
Servings 24 rolls
Prep Time 30 minutes
rising time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Equipment

  • This page contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click a link, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you

Ingredients

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour 17 ounces
  • 2 tbsp Sugar
  • 2 tsp yeast 1 package
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp potato flour If you don't have potato flour use 1/4 cup of instant potatoes.
  • 1 cup milk warm to 110 degrees
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 4 tbsp butter soft
  • 2 tbsp butter melted

Instructions

Make the Dough.

  • Put the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and potato flour in the bowl of a stand mixer.
  • Mix together the warm milk, oil, and eggs. Mix and add to the dry ingredients.
  • Mix on medium-low for 7 minutes. The dough should be smooth and soft. Add a little flour if needed to keep the dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl.
    dough for soft dinner rolls

Laminate the dough

  • Pat the dough into a rectangle, spread with 1 Tbsp butter.
    butter layer for dinner roll dough
  • Envelope fold to form a long envelope.
    first fold
  • Then fold again to form a short envelope.
    Cover and rest for 5 minutes. Repeat the press into a rectangle, butter, and envelope folds a total of 3 times, then cover and let rise for 2 hours.
    second fold
  • At the end of the two hours, the dough should be more than double in size.
    dough after doubled

Shaping and Baking The Rolls.

  • Once the dough has more than doubled in size, gently deflate it to form a rectangle 14 X20 inches.   Leaving some of the air in the dough will make it softer. 
    Spread the rectangle with a tablespoon of very soft butter.  Cut the rectangle in 2-inch strips. Then cut each strip into 2-inch pieces to form a total of 70 two-inch squares.
    Dinner Rolls dough
  • Stack 3 squares on top of each other and place side-ways into a muffin tins.
    Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls
  • Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for another 60 - 90 minutes, or until very puffy.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees during the last 30 minutes of rising.  Gently brush the rolls with melted butter and bake for 10 - 12 minutes. The internal temp of the roll should be 190°F. The top will be golden brown. Check rolls after 8 minutes as they bake fast. Don't overbake.
  • Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter once more.  Remove the rolls from the muffin tins and cool on a cooling rack. These soft dinner rolls can be made the day before and rewarmed just before serving.  Freeze for up to a month in a ziplock bag.
    Pull apart dinner roll

Notes

Storing extra rolls:  Freeze in a ziplock bag for up to 2 weeks.  During thawing remove from the ziplock bag to keep the rolls from getting soggy.
Calories: 126kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls, rolls for dinner, soft dinner rolls

Nutrition

Serving: 1roll | Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 134mg | Potassium: 52mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 129IU | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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