Homemade Dinner Rolls (a.k.a Preston Rolls)
Few things say “home” like the smell of freshly baked yeast rolls wafting from the oven. Around here, we call them Preston Rolls, a classic recipe passed down through families that has stood the test of time. These homemade dinner rolls are soft, fluffy, and just a little sweet, perfect for sopping up gravy, serving with Sunday dinner, or bringing to a holiday table. And let me tell you, nothing earns more compliments at a potluck than walking in with a basket of warm rolls wrapped in a dish towel.
Dinner roll recipes you won’t want to miss: Spoon Rolls, Easy Yeast Rolls, and Quick Mayonnaise Dinner Rolls!
Don’t let the thought of working with yeast scare you off. This recipe is straightforward, beginner-friendly, and flexible enough that the dough can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to a week. That means you can bake a fresh batch whenever the craving strikes, or when unexpected company shows up. The secret is giving the dough plenty of resting time, which develops flavor and ensures those soft, pillowy rolls we all love. You’ll mix, chill, punch down, roll out, and bake. The process is simple, the ingredients are humble, and the results are unforgettable.
Before You Get Started
- Use rapid-rise yeast: I use Red Star rapid-rise yeast for this . I have never had good luck with Fleishman’s (the yellow packet). It only works for me about 50% of the time (although some people do swear by it), but I’ve never had the Red Star not work, so I just thought I’d throw that out there in case you had a choice.
- Make ahead friendly: The dough can stay in the fridge for up to a week. Bake a small batch daily if you’d like fresh rolls every night.
Recipe Ingredients
- Boiling water
- Shortening
- Rapid Rise Yeast (3 packets, such as Red Star)
- Lukewarm water
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Salt
How to Make Homemade Dinner Rolls
- Make the shortening mixture: Place shortening in a heat-safe bowl or measuring cup. Pour boiling water over and stir until melted. Cool the shortening mixture: If it’s too hot when added to the yeast, it can kill it. Let it cool until just warm.
- Activate the yeast: In a medium bowl, stir yeast into lukewarm water until dissolved. Tip: When dealing with yeast bread recipes, it is important that your water be warm but not hot. A good rule of thumb is to think “baby bath water”, that is the temperature you are going for. If you’ve ever given a baby a bath, you know exactly what I’m talking about! If you haven’t given a baby a bath before, go for good and warm but not hot; just a little above lukewarm.
- Add the eggs: Stir eggs into the yeast mixture. Once the shortening mixture has cooled, add it in and stir well.
- Mix the dough: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir until a dough forms. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Punch it down: Before bed and again in the morning, punch down the dough to release air bubbles.
- Shape the rolls (about 2 hours before baking): On a floured surface, knead lightly, then roll dough to ½-inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter or glass. Place on a greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise for 2 hours.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake rolls for 15–20 minutes, until golden brown. For deeper color, brush tops with melted butter or a whisked egg wash before baking.
Serving Ideas
- Condiments: Serve warm with butter, honey, or jam for breakfast.
- Soups and Stews: Pair with Tomato Basil Soup, Alabama Camp Stew, or Crock Pot Chili for a cozy weeknight meal.
- Sliders: Make Pulled Pork Sliders, Ham and Swiss Sliders, or Irresistible, Easy Cheeseburger Sliders for game days, parties, or whenever you need to use up leftover rolls!
- Gravy Dishes: Serve your warm roll for dinner to soak up the sauce on a dish like Southern Cubed Steak and Milk Gravy and Crispy Breaded Pork Chops with Milk Gravy.
- Holiday-Style: Make a batch during the holidays and pile them high with turkey breast and baked ham leftovers. YUM!
Flavor Variations and Notes
- Sweet breakfast rolls: Add cinnamon and sugar to the dough or brush baked rolls with honey butter.
- Pan rolls: Instead of cutting with a biscuit cutter, roll dough into balls and place close together in a greased baking dish for pull-apart rolls.
- Freezer option: Shape the rolls and freeze before rising. When ready to bake, thaw, let rise, and bake as directed.
- Smaller batch: You can cut this recipe in half if you don’t need 2 dozen rolls.
- For garlic-flavored bread rolls, add a teaspoon of garlic powder to the dough or brush the rolls with a combination of minced garlic and butter before baking.
- Herb-loaded: You could also add 1 to 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh herbs, like rosemary or parsley, to the bread dough.
- Make them cheesy: For cheesy dinner rolls, mix 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese into the bread dough. You could also add parmesan cheese to the dough and then sprinkle some on top of the rolls five minutes before they’re done baking.
Storage
- Fridge: Keep leftover rolls in an airtight container for up to one week. Reheat in a warm oven to refresh.
- Freezer (baked): Wrap cooled rolls tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat before serving.
- Dough storage: Unbaked dough can be refrigerated up to 1 week. Pinch off what you need each day and bake fresh rolls anytime.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make the dough in advance?
Yes! That’s the beauty of this recipe. The dough can be refrigerated up to a week, so you can bake fresh rolls when you need them.
Why do I need to punch down the dough?
Punching down redistributes the yeast and releases excess gas. It helps the rolls bake up light instead of dense.
Do I need a stand mixer for this recipe?
Not at all. A wooden spoon and your hands will do just fine. This dough is soft and forgiving.
Can I use butter instead of shortening?
Yes. Butter works, though the rolls will be a little richer and slightly denser. Shortening gives a fluffier texture.
Ingredients
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup shortening
- 3 packets Rapid Rise Yeast I use Red Star
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 eggs
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
At least a day before you want the rolls
- In a bowl or 2-3 cup measuring cup, place the shortening and pour boiling water over. Stir until shortening is melted. Allow to cool slightly while you do the rest.1 cup boiling water, 1 cup shortening
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, stir the yeast and lukewarm water together until yeast is dissolved. Set aside.3 packets Rapid Rise Yeast, 1 cup lukewarm water
- Mix the eggs into the yeast mixture. Once the shortening has cooled a bit, pour that into the yeast mixture as well and stir well.2 eggs
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add in the yeast mixture and stir until a dough is formed. Cover this and place it in the refrigerator. Before you go to bed, punch it down and punch it down again in the morning.6 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
Two hours before you want the rolls
- Remove the amount of dough you want to use and place it on a floured surface. Knead it just a few times (by pressing it into a ball and then flattening with the heel of your hand, then repeating two more times) and then pat it out to about 1/2-inch thick. Cut out the rolls with a small biscuit cutter or drinking glass. Place on greased baking sheet and cover, allowing to rise for two hours.
- Bake at 425 for 15 to 20 minutes.
do I have to sift flour ?? where are the nutritional facts such as calories, carbs .etc???
Hey Vicki! I sure hope you see this. You don’t have to sift the flour if you’d rather not. It’s fine.
As for your other question, You’ve commented four times on my blog so far and your comments are most welcome! However, each time they have asked the same question and I’ve answered that each time as well. It seems like you’d come back and check since you want to know the answer but it may be that you are forgetting to do so (we are all so busy so it is easy to do!). I’m pasting all of your other comments and my answers below in hopes that you will see them this time
From 2019/04/19 at 11:28 am:
I need nutritional facts on all of your recipes…. especially carbs ..
My reply: Hey Vicki, None of my recipes have nutritional facts because, especially with recipes like this there are so many substitutions that folks make and I can’t determine what your serving size is so it is difficult to know how many servings a batch will yield. I always tell folks that the amount of servings depends on how hungry you are :). There are a lot of apps that allow you to figure macros for yourself if that is something you need to do. I always recommend myfitnesspal.com
From 2019/10/23 at 1:49 pm:
recipe does not have nutritional facts !!! I gotta know before I cook it……Also , how many servings???
My reply: I’m sorry, I don’t offer that on my recipes but you can use many free services on the internet (my favorite is Myfitnesspal.com) to calculate whatever you need. Have a great weekend!
From 2019/10/26 at 9:39 am:
Where are the nutritional facts????
My reply: Good afternoon, Vicki! Hope you’re having a great weekend. I answered your question the first time you commented asking it. You’ve asked the same thing three times now so maybe you missed it? Please see that post as the same answer applies to all of my recipes and I think it will be helpful to you. Thank you!
I made this roll dough early in the week and baked the rolls yesterday for Thanksgiving. They were fabulous! Will make again!
One question. You have said you like to use White Lilly flour. I like it too, for tender baked goods. Do you use a higher gluten flour for yeast rolls? Or do you stick with White Lilly?
I stick with self rising flour for rolls. The only time I deviate and go with a bread flour (higher gluten) is if I’m making a soft sandwich loaf bread.
Excuse me for asking, but did you use self-rising flour for THIS recipe? If so, maybe that is why your rolls are so much higher than the ones in the picture in the cookbook on your site where this recipe appeared.
If you did use self-rising flour for this recipe, maybe you should modify the list of ingredients in your recipe?
I’d like to know this also! I used the AP flour called for & mine were fluffy but pretty flat compared to the picture.
Hey! I did not use any ingredients or deviate from the recipe as I shared it. Rolls will be higher depending on how thick you pat them out and if you bake them close together. I tend to put mine closer together so they rise pretty high that way because there is no room to spread sideways -the only way to go is up! I also love using that pan I recommend in this post because it is just the perfect size for really high rolls.
The photo in my cookbook was done by my publisher with a food stylist doing the baking rather than me. I wasn’t even there for that one.
I always share just as I make them, ingredients and all. 🙂 I hope your rolls tasted wonderful!
Have a great holiday season!!
I don’t use Crisco anymore, can lard be substituted? Or something else perhaps? Thank you.
I have never tried it using anything else but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let me know if you give it a try.
When I opened this Friday’s Gazette I swear I could smell all the wonderful breads. What a joy to look at. I’m sure the flavor will be scrumptious. You inspire me. May I leave a really short recipe for Naughty Butter. Not sure if it’s ok. Thanks!
Can you let me know what naughty Butter is? Thanks!
Naughty Butter
2sticks of ROOM temp butter
1/3 c sweetened condensed milk
1 t karo syrup
1 t cinnamon (more or less to taste)
Whip together all ingredients and enjoy on some of christy’s lovely breads.
I use a food processor to combine but a hand mixer is fine.
Clear Karo syrup or dark?
Thank you Annette. Sure you can, I am interested to know what it is 🙂
Which roll recipe do you like best, your Preston or Jordan? I want to make one of these for thanksgiving. I love your recipes and your inspiring stories. Thank you.
I made these and I didn’t care for the fact that they had no flavor. Probably due to the shortening. It was not something we enjoyed. I mean they were fluffy and super duper soft,but I was not ok with the flavor. How ever I had a lot of the dough left and knew i didn’t want to eat it. So i saw a recipe for the giant cinnamon roll I was going to make the next day and instead of going thru all that again. I decided to turn your rolls into the cinnamon rolls and I have to tell you they were the best thing ever!! Omg, they were so soft,fluffy and full of goodness!! Oh my God!! I am a fan for life and now when I find something is not to my taste , I will always look for another way. And while I’m sad I didn’t get the roll I wanted. I am more than willing to try them again, with butter. And I used fleischman yeast and had no issues with rising or fluffiness!!
I wish I could show you the photos of the babies!!
I hate that you didn’t like the rolls but am so glad to hear that you found something else to do with the dough that turned out great!!