Homemade rolls are the BEST. They’re soft, fluffy, warm and cozy. I learned how to make rolls from my dad after watching him over and over again. The dough recipe I’m sharing in this post is inspired by what I learned from watching him for years! I never did get exact measurements so I’ve had to experiment with different ingredients and different amounts and make a few changes as I learned.
Making rolls is so much fun and I’m so excited to share with you, all of the different & unique ones that I come up with! I have so many ideas that I can’t wait to try. These rolls bring me so much joy and I hope they bring joy to your kitchen as well
JOYFUL ROLLS
Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk of choice
1 1/4 oz packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup salted butter, melted
2 eggs (room temp)
3 1/4 cups regular all purpose flour or bread flour
Instructions:
Microwave milk for 40 seconds. To test out the temperature, I put my pinky in the milk, if it feels too hot for me it’s too hot for the yeast. If it feels too hot, let it cool for a couple minutes before adding the yeast (should feel like warm bath water)
Pour the milk into a mixing bowl.
Sprinkle packet of yeast over the milk and whisk together. It should start foaming and bubbling. Add the sugar and whisk.
Pour in the butter (also make sure this isn’t too hot) and the eggs and mix well.
Add in the flour and mix with a wooden spoon or using mixer on medium speed until dough begins to form.
*If the dough feels too sticky, sprinkle flour over the top and rub it in/knead until it no longer sticks to your hands*
Lightly oil a large mixing bowl with coconut oil and place the dough inside.
Microwave a dish towel for 30 seconds, cover and let rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour. It should double or more in size.
*If you want to speed up this process, preheat oven to 100F, turn off oven, set bowl inside with door cracked open*
*Do NOT cover your bowl with plastic wrap.*
Roll your dough out on a floured countertop into a large rectangle (about 9×12 or larger). Pour about 3 tbsp melted butter and brush evenly over the top.
CINNAMON ROLLS
Mix together 1/2 cup brown sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over buttered dough.
How to roll:
Tightly roll the dough away from you. Using a long piece of dental floss, cut the rolls into 1 inch pieces. You can also use a sharp serrated knife, but I’ve found floss help the rolls keep their shape.
Place rolls in a baking dish or on a baking sheet (really anything large will work)! Make sure there is about 1-2 inches in between each one if using sheet. If using dish, place evenly throughout.
Cover with a warm towel and let them rise for 30 min-1 hour.
***If you want to make overnight rolls, after they are done rising, cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge. In the morning, let the rolls rise with a warm towel while your oven is preheating prior to baking***
Bake:
Bake the rolls at 350F for 23-25 minutes, or until the top of the rolls are golden and the middle is cooked through, (can take 30 min). It all depends on how large the rolls rise.
Frosting/icing:
While the rolls are baking, make your frosting. I’ve made different variations and it’s so easy to change it up depending on what consistency you want. I normally use powdered sugar + milk.
Start out with 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 2 tsp milk and stir until fully combined. Add more milk/sugar for thicker or thinner frosting. You can sub half & half, creamer or any kind of milk that you have on hand.
I frost/ice my rolls as soon as I take them out so it melts over them while they’re still hot!
Enjoy! 🙂
BERRY JAM ROLLS
Mash your favorite berries or use a jar of jam/preserves and spread evenly over buttered dough.
PECAN PIE ROLLS
Follow the same instructions as the ‘cinnamon rolls’ above but add some crushed pecans + a drizzle of maple syrup on top.
NUTELLA CHOCOLATE ROLLS
Spread nutella (or hazelnut spread of choice) evenly over buttered dough and sprinkle with dark chocolate chips.
FUNFETTI ROLLS
Follow the same instructions as the ‘cinnamon rolls’ above but sprinkle fun colorful sprinkles on top of rolls after they have finished baking.
RASPBERRY SWEET ROLLS
Toss frozen raspberries (about 1 10 oz bag or 2 cups) with 1 tbsp arrowroot flour and 1 tbsp sugar. Sprinkle evenly over buttered dough.
CHUNKY MONKEY ROLLS
Add 1 sliced banana + crushed walnuts + dark chocolate over buttered dough. I kept it more in the center of the dough (horizontally/lengthwise).
CINNAMON ROLL MONKEY BREAD
Make dough, let it rise & roll it out. Brush on half the butter/oil the recipe calls for and sprinkle half the coconut/brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll tightly, cut into very small slices and roll into balls. Place evenly into bundt pan. Mix remaining butter/oil + coconut/brown sugar + cinnamon and pour over the little balls.
SMORES ROLLS
Mini marshmallows + dark chocolate + crushed graham crackers
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
Evenly spread frozen strawberries + 1/4 cup granulated sugar over buttered dough.
APPLE PIE
Add chopped apple over buttered dough & brown sugar. Sprinkle 2 tsp apple pie spice on top for extra flavor.
PUMPKIN ROLLS
Dough:
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk of choice
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp active yeast
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 cups bread flour/AP flour
Filling: 1/4 cup melted butter + 1/2 cup dark brown sugar + 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
COFFEE CAKE
Add streusel topping on top of each roll after placing in baking dish:
1/3 cup granulated sugar + 1/3 cup flour + 3 tsp cinnamon + 3 tbsp melted butter
CAFE MOCHA
filling:
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1 tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp espresso
add everything to a pan/pot over low/med heat and stir frequently until it is fully combined and melted
take off burner and allow to cool for 30 min
glaze: 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar + 1 tbsp espresso + 1 tbsp milk of choice
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
filling: 1/4 cup softened butter + 1/4 cup brown sugar + 2 tbsp granulated sugar + 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
icing: 1 cup powdered sugar + 3 tbsp cacao powder + 2-3 tbsp milk of choice
CHURRO (w/a sweet caramel icing)
make rolls as instructed above. before second rise, lightly coat one side of the roll in a mixture of cinnamon sugar (3 tbsp granulated sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon)
caramel sauce: over medium heat, warm 1/2 cup granulated sugar + 3 tbsp water until it is gold (about 10 min). add in 1/4 cup milk of choice + 1 1/2 tbsp butter and allow to thicken (if you want to make it thinner, add 1 tbsp cold water at a time)
Dough substitutions:
Flour: I’ve used bread flour, gluten free flour and cassava flour and they have worked wonderfully! Texture was a little different for each. I recommend against trying almond, coconut or oat flour. There’s just something about the REAL deal here.
Butter: I’ve used coconut oil in place of butter. If you do, add a little salt when whisking the yeast and milk. I haven’t tried avocado oil, olive oil or applesauce.
Sugar: I have used coconut sugar. I have not tested splenda, stevia etc.
Egg: I have not tested flax eggs