These sweet buns are the perfect sweat yeast dinner rolls! They're light, fluffy, and reminiscent of homestyle pull-apart bread rolls. Melt the butter first and let it come to room temperature as you prepare the other ingredients.
1cup2% or whole milkjust warm to the touch (90-95 degrees Fahrenheit)
3tablespoonshoney
2tablespoonswhite sugar
2 ¼teaspoonsor 1 packet active dry yeast
1large egg
3 ½tablespoonsmelted unsalted buttercooled to room temperature for 5-10 minutes - DIVIDED
1teaspoonsalt
3 ½cups420g all-purpose flour
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the warm milk, honey, white sugar, and yeast together until combined. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until the mixture is foamy and the yeast look puffy.
Whisk in the large egg and 2 ½ tablespoons of the melted butter (cooled to room temperature) until combined.
Fitting the mixer with a kneading attachment or continuing to whisk, stir in the salt and all-purpose flour until combined. Knead the dough with the dough hook or by hand for 5-7 minutes, or until smooth and elastic and the bread stretches when you pull it apart.
Place the sweet roll dough in an oiled or buttered bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let proof (or rise) in a warm area for 45 minutes to 1 ¼ hours, or until the bread has doubled in size.
Punch the roll dough down. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 12 equal-size portions. Roll each portion into a ball and place in a greased 8 x 13-inch baking dish. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick spray or a dish towel. Place the covered rolls in a warm area and let proof (or rise) in a warm area for 45 minutes -1 hour, or until the rolls have doubled in size.
While the rolls finish up proofing: preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Very gently brush the rolls with remaining 1 tablespoon of melted better. Bake the rolls for 19-22 minutes, or until they are golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped.
Optional: to get a little extra browning on the top of the rolls, turn the broiler on to high heat and move the baking rack to the middle of the oven. Broil the rolls for 30 seconds - 1 ½ minutes, watching carefully as they brown, or until the tops of the rolls are golden brown to your liking.
Cool the pan of rolls on a wire cooling rack until room temperature or your desired serving temperature. Enjoy with butter or honey butter to serve!
Notes
1. For best results, weigh the flour to measure it. Food scales are affordable and make one of the largest differences in the consistency of baking results. You can find one on Amazon for only $10 (affiliate link, but I use and swear by this scale). 2. Leftover rolls keep covered at room temperature for 1-2 days. Alternatively, the rolls can also be kept in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Just defrost them at room temperature for 15-30 minutes and the buns will be like fresh.