Putting freshly baked bread on the table used to be something that only our grandmothers used to do. Nowadays, we just don't have the time. We are always on the go, running from one place to the next, so getting freshly baked bread seems like a mountainous task. But guess what? What used to take hours to make can now be put on the table in less than an hour, while you preparing dinner for the night! These quick and easy dinner rolls are just that – EASY.

When you think about dinner rolls, what do you think of? The perfectly golden brown tops. The steaming, warm buttery inside. The fluffy texture. It’s all perfectly reminiscent of gathering around the table as a child.
As a kid, bread always was the best part of any meal, after all.
You won’t believe what a difference freshly baked bread makes when it’s on the dinner table. The smell, the buttery flavor, it all complements dinner in a homey, feel-good way. It’s the extra touch of homemade happiness that brings a meal together on the table.
Ingredients in Dinner Rolls
To make these quick and easy dinner rolls, you will need to gather some pantry staple ingredients.
- warm water
- vegetable oil
- active dry yeast
- sugar
- salt
- egg
- all-purpose flour
- salted butter
How to Make Skillet Dinner Rolls
The whole process from start to finish takes approximately 45 minutes to make, with only 5 to 10 minutes of active cooking time. This leaves you free to start dinner, take a breather, and kick your feet up as you begin to unwind from a long day at work.
Here's what you need to do:
- Activate the yeast: Stir together warm water, vegetable oil, yeast, and sugar, and let it rest for 15 minutes until foamy.
- Prepare dough: Add in egg, salt and flour, and mix until combined. Gradually add in remaining flour until completely combined.
- Shape the dough: Shape dough into 12 balls, and place into a greased cast-iron skillet. Let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes, until doubled in size.
- Brush tops and bake: Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
- Serve: Serve warm with butter.
How to Serve Dinner Rolls
The flavour of these rolls is light and rich, without being too overpowering in taste to take over the entire meal. Simply serve them with butter alongside a meal, or get creative with lemon garlic butter. You can even drizzle some honey in with butter for a pleasant sweet surprise in every buttery bite.
The beautiful thing about these rolls is that they go with basically any dinner you can think of. From meat to chicken, seafood to pasta, curry and soup, a side of these freshly baked rolls is just the extra bit of comfort you want to serve up to your family and friends gathered around your dinner table.
Whether you are serving up these rolls on a weeknight during the dinner rush, or making them for everyone surrounding your Thanksgiving Day table, you will keep this recipe for easy dinner rolls handy for years and years to come.
PrintQuick and Easy Skillet Dinner Rolls
- Total Time: 45
- Yield: 12 dinner rolls
Description
These fluffy, quick and easy skillet dinner rolls will melt in your mouth, making them the only bread recipe you’ll need to complement any meal!
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 3 + ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together warm water, vegetable oil, yeast, and sugar. Let rest 15 minutes until foamy.
- Add in 2 cups flour, salt, and egg. Using a dough hook, mix until combined. Gradually add in the remaining flour, stirring between each addition until completely combined.
- Grease a cast iron skillet with butter.
- Shape dough into 12 balls. Place dough balls in the greased cast iron skillet. Let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. The balls of dough should almost double in size.
- Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and brush again with remaining melted butter.
- Serve warm with butter.
Notes
You need a cast-iron skillet to make this recipe.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Bread
Keywords: bread, dinner rolls
Luisavanesa says
I must say this is the fourth recipe I have tried from your website and it is absolutely flawless just like the previous I have tried. You have the great talent of creating foolproof recipes they just turn out perfect. Thank you. Your website is beautiful
★★★★★
Rosemary says
Do you have to use a skillet? I have an ovenproof non stick frying pan I’d like to use…
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
No, you don't have to. Feel free to use any oven-safe pan.
Sabina says
Just made this and I must say, they were super easy and ready just in time for dinner. Will be making these regularly.
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you Sabina! So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Katie says
So glad I still have a short stock of yeast at home, now that they are sold out everywhere. I made these rolls and they were splendid. I will be making these regularly!
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Oh nice! You have a hot commodity on your hands. So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Carmen says
WOW just what I was looking for. These tasted amazing!!
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
You are so welcome, Carmen! Glad you liked the recipe 🙂