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.
Table of Contents
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
Want to save this recipe?
Create an account easily save your favorite content, so you never forget a recipe again.
Tried this recipe?
Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel — I love to see what you’re making!
Tag @thereciperebel
Audreann Lawrence says
Love these buns! I have made them a few times now, and the family loves them.They come out so fluffy! I add a bit of melted butter after baking and they are perfect!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Audreann! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review
IK says
Tried this recipe for the first time, absolutely loved! Turned out so yummy and so easy to follow.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi IK! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review
Sam says
I have a day off today my husband mentioned few weeks ago he wanted me to make fresh buns surprising him today with these. My dough is rising as I type this! I hope they turn out for me!! 🙂
Kiera Ray says
Wow!! What can I say. By far the best buns I’ve ever made. Super soft and fluffy. Easy to make. This my new go to bun recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Kiera! I’m glad to hear it!
Tanya Evans says
Oh-Em-Jee!!! These are the easiest, best tasting, lightest, fluffiest dinner rolls I have ever made! They will be tasty along side my homemade bean and ham soup I made for dinner (as long as I can convince my husband to stay out of them! Lol)! Thank you so much for this recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!
llsoohen@hotmail.com says
These were so great. The first time I made them I put them covered in the fridge overnight before baking and just let them come to room temperature. Worked out great so I had fresh buns in the morning. Thank you so much!!
The Recipe Rebel says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you so much for this review!
Becky says
Tasty and easy,made 6 large buns and 12 rolls to use later
Becky says
Wanted to make burgers , but didn’t have buns. Too lazy to go to the store so I decided to make these….ok, go figure 5 minutes to the store 2 hours to make buns. I love to cook and bake and this was my fun project this morning. Turned out awesome with beautiful buns and lots of dinner rolls to save for later. Thanks
For a delicious and easy recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Becky! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
GG says
Worked perfectly! I wanted something I could fill with mashed sweet potato and cheese and these held up exactly like I wanted them to, two thumbs up
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi GG! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this review!
Samantha says
Hi I just wanted to know if I could freeze the dough to make some later would I be able to do that the buns were AMAZING btw!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Samantha! So glad you enjoyed them! I normally cook them then freeze them. You likely could freeze ahead of time, I just haven’t tested that out. If you experiment with it, let me know how it goes!
Dolores says
Best fluffy white buns that taste exactly like my mom’s used to. Next time I’ll substitute some white flour for whole wheat. I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes. P.S. I’m also a Manitoban.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Dolores! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Lerin says
Hello,
I have tried this recipe twice and my family really likes it to the point that I was wondering could I use this recipe to make bread and if so how would that work?
Thank you for amazing recipe and I look forward to seeing what you say about this!!
Andre Rossier says
Great recipe, I substituted honey for the sugar and they turned out great, 6 1/2 cups of flour made the recipe perfect for 24 good sized buns, will definitely make these again
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Andre! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your review!
Debra says
I just tried tonight this. I used bread flour and they came out so wonderful. Thank you so much. Wish ya had a place to add pics.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Debra! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review and the feedback on the bread flour!
Monique says
Made these today and they were a huge hit. Batch made 17 because I wanted more of a kaiser size. They were delicious, fluffy and everyone loved them. I added an egg wash before baking and a little shredded cheese on top of 1\2 of them for my cheese loving crowd. I will definitely keep this as my go to recipe for buns.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Monique! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for your review!
Isa says
I want to double the recipe, can you help me with that?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Isa! You would just make the recipe twice. I wouldn’t recommend doubling the ingredients and adding them to the mixer due to volume. Hope this helps!
Isabella says
First of all, the recipe was very easy to follow. I added oil instead of butter because I wanted it to be dairy free and it came out super tasty and soft on the inside.
I’m definitely making it again.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Isabella! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Isabella! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!!
Cathy Pett says
Isdabella, Can you tell me how much oil you added for the batch?
And was it canola?
Thanks! Cathy
Matthew says
You rock!!
I was sooooooo nervous making buns for the first time. Your tips, tricks and recipe made them a success!
THANK YOUUUUUU!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Matthew! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for your review!
Lori Chomiak says
Ashley,
WOW was this so easy.
Never have I ever made homemade bread. Your recipe was super easy. I made dinner rolls and Monkey Bread. Now my kitchen smells so delicious!😋
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Lori! It makes me so happy that you loved them!
Jayne says
Oh my gosh, these buns are absolutely amazing and so easy to make. My husband couldn’t stop saying how these were the best buns he’s ever had! These are hands down the softest and tastiest buns I’ve ever had as well, homemade or bakery bought. The little bit of sugar really adds to the flavour of the buns and sets them apart from others.
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jayne! I’m so thrilled you liked them!