My Mom’s Homemade Buns are the perfect dinner roll for any occasion! Incredibly soft and fluffy, use all purpose or whole wheat flour, make a big batch and freeze for later.
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This recipe is long overdue here, even though I just made my first batch of my Mom’s Homemade Buns a couple weeks ago.
My mom has been well-known for a few reasons for as long as I can remember.
These Chocolate Chip Cookies are one of them.
These Double Chocolate Cookies, (Almost) No Bake Pineapple Squares, and these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are some other reasons.
It took me entirely too long to ask my mom for her recipe for homemade dinner rolls, so once I snagged it and made them for the first time, I knew I had to share it right away!
I had to tweak my Mom’s recipe a little bit — swapping her original lard for butter (you can swap it back if you like or use shortening!), and increasing it to be a nice even amount when I halved the recipe.
I didn’t find that the extra butter made much of a difference, so I’m sticking with it!
This recipe makes 22-24 buns, depending on how large you make them. You can easily double the recipe and save some for later! See my tips below for storing these homemade buns after you’ve made them (although there might not be many left 😉 )
Can I bake these buns in a 9×13″ pan?
I know that most dinner rolls are taller, and baked closer together in a pan with higher edges, like a 9×13″ pan.
We always called them simply “buns” growing up, and we ate them with everything 😉
You can absolutely bake this recipe in a 9×13″ pan if you are going for the same look and height. For this recipe, you will likely need two 9×13″ baking pans and can put 12 rolls in each pan.
The baking time shouldn’t change.
Can I use whole wheat flour for these dinner rolls?
You can definitely use whole wheat flour for this recipe, and I do now all the time when I am making them for our family.
I prefer to first test a recipe with all purpose flour, to see how using whole wheat flour might change it, but we tend to eat mostly whole grains and whole wheat breads.
You can start with 2-3 cups of whole wheat flour for a light whole wheat dinner roll, or use up to 100%.
When I make these for our family, I tend to stick with 50-75% whole wheat flour. I find adding even a bit of all purpose flour makes them fluffier than 100% whole wheat flour.
Use this homemade bun dough for these recipes as well:
This homemade yeast dough is extremely versatile! You can easily make a big batch of dough, bake some plain buns, bake a few cinnamon buns, make some breadsticks, etc. — the options are endless!
By doing it this way, you can make a small batch of many different recipes, which is great if you’re cooking for a small family or you’re an individual.
Here are a few recipes that this dough would work great in:
How to store homemade buns:
Keep at room temperature:
These buns will keep at room temperature in an airtight plastic bag for 4-5 days. I will warn you though — they’re so delicious fresh out of the oven that you might find they don’t last that long!
How to freeze buns and bread:
We often freeze some of these for later, otherwise we would eat buns for every meal and nothing else!
Let cool completely — I usually let mine sit for 4-6 hours on a wire rack on the counter. Place in an airtight plastic bag and freeze up to 3 months.
To thaw, place on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any extra moisture and let sit at room temperature for an hour or two. You can also thaw at a low temperature in the microwave.
What to serve with homemade dinner rolls:
We love having a side of these homemade buns to dunk in soup and chili! Here are a few of our favorites:
- Cabbage Soup Recipe
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Crockpot Potato Soup
- Sausage Tortellini Soup
Mom’s Homemade Buns
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
To proof yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water (105-110 degrees F — warm but not hot)
- 1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast (I use instant, but either works in this recipe)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
To make bun dough
- 2 cups warm water
- 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 6-7 cups all purpose or whole wheat flour
Instructions
Proof the yeast
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the warm water, yeast and sugar.
- Let sit for 10 minutes or until bubbly — this is how you know your yeast is working. This step is technically not required when using instant yeast, but I do it always anyways, so that I know my buns will be a success.
Make the dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a very large bowl if you are kneading by hand), whisk together the 2 cups warm water, butter, ⅓ cup sugar and salt.
- Add the bubbly yeast mixture and stir to combine.
- Place the bowl in the stand mixer and put the dough hook on the machine. You can also knead by hand.
- Add the flour, one cup at a time, and mix until nearly combined before adding more. You can use all purpose or whole wheat or a combination. Start with 4-5 cups flour, mixing until each is incorporated.
- The closer you get to your dough being ready, the less flour you will add at once. We want a smooth, soft dough, never stiff, so we need to watch and stop adding flour at just the right moment.
- Add up to 6-7 cups flour total, very gradually at the end, until the dough comes together in a smooth, soft ball and does not stick to the sides of the stand mixer. When you touch it, it should be smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky.
- Place dough in a large lightly greased bowl (you can use the same bowl and grease it), and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.
- Set in a warm spot (I use the oven with the light on — turn the oven on to preheat for 2-4 minutes before turning off and adding the dough) and let rise until doubled, about 1.5 hours.
- Uncover dough, punch down, and roll out 20-24 rounds — smoothing the top and pinching the seam in the back to smooth (see video for additional details).
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let rise (you don't have to cover them) in a warm spot for 30 to 90 minutes (instant yeast will be quicker) until doubled.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown.
Nutrition Information
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Berni Gilman says
My go to recipe every time now. Hands down the best I’ve made in my life.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that!
Chris says
Making these buns right now and love this recipe they get better every time I make them
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Chris!
Eva says
I have tried a few recipes on here and this one beats them all. They are so good. Soft and buttery!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Eva! They’re a favorite here!
Rebecca says
I have made these 3 times now, first just buns, second cheese sticks and buns, today cinnamon rolls and attempting small bread loafs. I am so happy to have found this recipe. If the bread loads turn out I will never buy bread again! So easy to make and so good!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so thrilled to hear that!
Gianna says
How did it turn out for bread loaves? Was thinking of doing a couple loaves out of it as well.
Victoria Ann Perrelet says
This is the second time I’ve used this recipe and my family’s hooked! We don’t eat breads to ofter but when we do it’s usually what I make. I love how well this bread rises! I’m had breads I’ve let sit over night that haven’t risen as much as this one does in 30 minutes. So fast and addictive!Great job!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that!
Eduardo Beans says
Recipe Rebel! About to make these buns! I am so bad at baking, but this recipe seems so simple and good. Hopefully I won’t mess this up. I’m so excited to try. These seem delicious! Wish me luck, Recipe Rebel!
– Eduardo Beans on YouTube
Ashley Fehr says
Good luck! 🙂
Corinne Stoter says
I made these for the first time this afternoon, and wow! They’re amazing! So easy, and adaptable for several purposes. Tonight we’ll be using them for pulled pork, but if made slightly my larger these would make delicious burger buns too.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Corinne!
Ray says
Hi There
I have tried many recipes but this was by far my favorite! I recommend it to all my friends here in Germany! So easy and delicious. Thank you
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Ray!
Art Peters says
I made this tonight usually I don’t make it by hand but I figured it was not that big of a deal needing the dough and I did and I can’t believe how good these things are I had two of them butter and jam I was going to use them for pulled beef and maybe I’ll do that tomorrow but they are so good awesome recipe the only thing I use different was I put buttermilk in there
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you Art!
Sandra says
I tried this recipe today. I have previously used a different recipe, as I make bread one a week. It does not even compare to this one. The texture and taste are simply awesome. This is now my recipe of choice. Thank you for sharing.
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you so much, Sandra!
Helen says
I absolutely love this recipe! They turned out perfectly the first couple times, and I usually use about 61/2 cups of flour. I made buns again today and double checked I added all the right measurements, but I ended up using lots more flour this time. About 8-9 cups I would say. Do you know why this could be? Dough is rising right now and I’m hoping it will still turn out good!
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Helen!
William A Fehr says
Hello Ashley , this is Bill Fehr, going to try your bun recipe
The Recipe Rebel says
Enjoy Bill!
Ann says
My first roll/bun recipe and it was fantastic!!! Very easy and straightforward directions even for a novice like me. Many thanks!!!!
Daisha says
Made this many times, used this recipe for a couple years now. My favourite recipe for sure!! Tonight I decided to use it for pizza dough and oh my goodness DO IT!!! So good and fluffy
Mary Thomas says
I just made this recipe and have to say the absolute best bread/buns I’ve ever made in my life. I’m not a baker but after these I could be.
Tiffany says
I made them using buckwheat honey instead of sugar and they turned out great. I reduced the amount to about 1/4 cup honey instead since it’s more dense and sweet than sugar, could have gone with even less I think. It used a bit more flour due to the additional wetness but use your judgement on the dough’s texture and it will be okay. Probably used about an extra half cup but I didn’t measure, just kept adding handfuls until it felt right. I will use honey again. I recommend the buckwheat for flavor but any honey will do.
If you want to make ahead, just bake them for five minutes less, so they are firm but white all around, not golden, so you can throw them in the oven for 5 minutes to finish them the next day, they will be as if they were freshly baked then.
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed them!
Tiffany says
Made them again this time as a cinnamon bun base, rolled out thinly, filled with a mix of butter, sugar and cinnamon (I used 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar + as much cinnamon as I felt it needed to taste right), and placed them in a baking dish before rising, and again, perfect results! Super happy with this recipe and how flexible it is!
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Tiffany!
Shannon Watts says
Everytime I make these for my family they’re devoured. They’re possibly the most popular thing I make. Thank you for sharing!
Pat says
Best bun recipe I’ve ever made. Saved to my favourites and shared with my friends and family.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear! Thank you Pat!
Melanie says
I am just double checking on the amount of salt. 1 tablespoon seems like a lot.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Melanie, it’s correct but you could try to reduce it, if you need to.
Laura Clarke says
I am excited to try making these buns, but I have two questions;
Can I substitute Haney for the sugar?
Can I make them tonight but bake them tomorrow?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Laura, I haven’t tried it myself but both should work. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!