Grandma’s perfect Sweet Dinner Rolls:: A Foolproof Recipe

 

Sweet dinner rolls

The smell of freshly baked sweet dinner rolls makes my house feel like home.

There is something about it!  Sweet dinner rolls are sweet, yeasty, and savory all at once. In my adult life, I endeavored to cook for my family well and provide the kind of structure with family meals my mom did growing up.  I come from a line of farm women who would cook big meals for the men who did manual labor at the family farm (like a real-life Pioneer Woman).  Hearty food is in my blood and heart…and so are freshly baked sweet dinner rolls.  Of course, it has taken practice to feel like my skills are as effortless as my moms’ appeared, but I have had fun learning.  My family has also had fun eating.

My fondest memory of home-cooked bread was at my grandma’s house in Lincoln long after the days of farming had passed.  My grandma would bake cinnamon rolls and freeze them to be gifted at family holiday gatherings.  My grandma’s cinnamon rolls were a marvel.  It seemed impossible to my teenage self that anyone could take flour, sugar, and yeast to bake bread.  Our bread came from the store. Sweet dinner rolls appeared like food made only by incredibly elite bakers.

If this is you, I’m living proof that all you need to make bread is follow a recipe! Let me assure you that this sweet dinner rolls recipe is foolproof.

Sweet Dinner Rolls
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When my mom passed on her family recipes to us, we came across this recipe. It is a sweet, hearty melt-in-your-mouth dinner roll recipe. My grandma used it as a base for her cinnamon rolls, but it is just as good (maybe better) as a dinner roll.

Fun fact: I once baked 6 dozen of these dinner rolls for a bunch of college students.  It freezes very well for up to a month once cooked. Let me know if you do try it!

Print Recipe
Grandma’s Sweet Roll Recipe
Sweet dinner rolls are sweet, yeasty, and savory all at once. Let me assure you that this sweet dinner rolls recipe is foolproof.  
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10-15 minutes
Passive Time 1.5 hours
Servings
rolls
Ingredients
Sweet Rolls
Cinnamon Rolls
Icing
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10-15 minutes
Passive Time 1.5 hours
Servings
rolls
Ingredients
Sweet Rolls
Cinnamon Rolls
Icing
Instructions
Sweet Rolls
  1. Combine yeast, water, and 1 ½ t sugar in a bowl. Wait until it bubbles (about 5 minutes).
  2. Add melted butter, additional sugar, egg, salt and flour. Mix on medium with a stand mixer and dough hook (or regular hand mixer) until combined.
  3. Cover with towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled (1 hour).
  4. Once doubled, shape into 12 rolls and let rise again until double (20 minutes). Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
Cinnamon Rolls
  1. To make into cinnamon rolls, complete through step 3. Put 2 T flour on surface and roll dough out into a rectangle.
  2. Cover with ¼ cup softened butter, 2 T sugar and 1 t cinnamon.
  3. Roll up lengthwise like a jelly roll and cut into 12 sections with a sharp knife or floss. Let rise and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
  4. After cooled, combine icing ingredients and frost. The rolls can be frozen for up to three months unfrosted.
jenniferboll
Jenny is a fifth generation Nebraskan. She is a true city girl and has lived in Omaha for 15 years of her life! She loves meeting new people and having real conversations. In her day job, she leads a Christian ministry -where she helps college students develop a meaningful relationship with Jesus. She has been married for over a decade and her husband and her have two amazing girls. In her free time, you will find Jenny navigating the new world of being a school mom, exploring area parks and trying to show up for people in a non-judgmental way (there may also be some reality tv involved).