Brioche Dinner Rolls are ridiculously soft, tender, and buttery from the eggs, milk, and butter that enrich the dough. Fluffy on the inside with a golden brown crust, these are so good for mopping up all the gravy and cranberry sauce on your plate at holiday dinners!
Table of Contents
These Are the Softest Dinner Rolls You’ll Ever Make!
These brioche dinner are rich and flavorful — way more so than your average dinner roll.
If you’ve ever had brioche bread before, you know that it’s so much richer and more flavorful than regular bread. That’s because brioche is what professionals call “an enriched dough,” which basically means it’s made with lots of butter and eggs.
The butter and eggs give brioche its rich, buttery texture. Brioche also has more sugar in it than traditional dinner rolls, which gives it an ultra soft texture and just the right amount of sweetness.
Whenever you want to serve warm and buttery rolls with dinner, this brioche version is the way to go!
Jenny’s Tips for the Perfect Brioche Rolls
Don’t use old yeast. Make sure to buy fresh yeast ahead of bread making! Always store your jar of yeast in the fridge to keep it fresh. If your yeast doesn’t get foamy, it may not be as active anymore and is worth replacing.
Don’t get the milk too hot. If the milk is too hot, it’ll kill the yeast. You’re looking for the milk to be warm to the touch, about 110 F, but not hot.
Make sure the butter is the right temperature. You want the butter to be room temperature, but not totally melted or too soft. You should still be able to cut it into bits.
Mix the dough for long enough. Making brioche is an exercise in patience, but you really need to mix it long enough. That’s how you end up with soft and smooth rolls. The dough should feel smooth and elastic when you stretch it.
Proof the rolls after they’re shaped. Let the rolls rise one more time before baking so they’re extra fluffy. I know it’s hard to wait, but it makes all the difference.
Special Tools You’ll Need
The 6 Main Ingredients
- Milk. Whole milk is a must here because of the fat. If you absolutely have to swap another milk in, use 2% but no leaner.
- Sugar. Classic granulated white sugar works great, but you could swap in brown sugar for a different flavor profile.
- Eggs and yolks. Using both whole eggs and yolks makes the brioche rolls extra rich.
- Flour. I like using a combination of bread and all purpose flour because it makes the rolls extra sturdy. You could use all all-purpose flour if needed, but don’t use all bread flour.
- Yeast. I like using active dry yeast, but you can use instant yeast as well. If you do, just mix it into the flour (no need to dissolve in warm milk first).
- Butter. It’s not brioche without a lot of butter to make it really soft and flavorful!
How to Make Brioche Dinner Rolls
Jenny’s Tip: To activate the gluten and get really fluffy rolls, I highly recommend using a stand mixer. Unfortunately, this isn’t a recipe I recommend making by hand.
- Activate the yeast in the warm milk. If the yeast doesn’t foam, your milk may have been too hot or your yeast is old. In that case, throw it out and start again with fresh ingredients.
- Combine the wet ingredients, then add to the dry. The dough should come together quickly with the help of your stand mixer. When it does, add in the softened butter and then mix for another 10ish minutes to activate the gluten.
- Let the dough rise until doubled. This should take only about 90 minutes, but since there’s a high amount of butter in the dough, it could take longer.
- Shape the rolls. A kitchen scale makes quick work of dividing the dough into 12 equal portions. Roll them into tight balls, cover the baking dish with plastic wrap, and let rise for another hour.
- Bake the rolls. I like to brush the tops of my rolls with egg wash for a glossy shine and sprinkle with sea salt for flavor.
Make Ahead Instructions
If you plan to make brioche dinner rolls for Thanksgiving, there’s already a lot going on! You may not have 3 hours to dedicate to one culinary project, so let’s talk make ahead options.
- Option 1: Shape, then chill before baking. After you’ve shaped the dinner rolls, place them in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish then cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, set the rolls on the counter for about 1 hour, then bake as directed.
- Option 2: Shape, then freeze before baking. Lay the shaped rolls out on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Then, transfer to a freezer-safe ziplock bag. When ready to bake, place the frozen rolls in a greased baking dish, cover, and then defrost in the fridge overnight. Set out at room temperature for 2-3 hours before baking.
Storage Instructions
These soft brioche rolls can be stored at room temperature in a ziplock bag or airtight container. They will last for 1-2 days. If you want to keep them fresh for longer, you can also place them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
I always refresh dinner rolls in the oven for a few minutes after brushing them with melted butter. It really brings them back to life!
What to Serve with These Rolls
Whether you’re busting these out for Thanksgiving or just need some carby goodness during the week, here are some of my favorite entrees to pair with these rolls:
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA onInstagram.
More Easy Bread Recipes to Try
- Fluffy Dinner Rolls
- Honey Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
- Skillet Cornbread
- Overnight Sourdough Bread
- Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
- Sage and Gruyere Biscuits
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Brioche Dinner Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
Brioche Rolls
- 1 cup whole milk , warmed to 110ºF
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast* (1 envelope)
- 3 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter , room temperature and diced (8 oz)
Egg wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Activate the yeast. Combine the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir well and let it sit for 10 minutes, until foamy. If the yeast doesn't foam your milk may have been too hot or your yeast is old. I recommend starting over with fresh ingredients.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Add the eggs and yolks to the milky yeast mixture and mix on low until the eggs and yolks are broken up.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Add the flour, salt, and remaining sugar to the yeast mixture and mix on low. When the dough starts to come together, add the softened butter in a couple of tablespoons at a time until all the butter is mixed in. Mix on medium-low speed for 10-15 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Let the dough rise. Transfer the dough to a greased mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes. This process can take longer because of the butter, so just keep an eye on the dough and when it's doubled in size, it can be shaped.
- Shape the rolls. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions (a kitchen scale works best for this), and roll them into tight balls. Place them in a greased 9×13 baking dish, cover and let the rolls proof for 1 hour, until puffed and touching.
- Preheat an oven to 350 F.
- Bake the rolls. Whisk together the egg wash until smooth. Brush the tops of the rolls liberally and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until the tops are golden and the internal temperature is 200 F.
Notes
Nutrition
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