These lion house rolls are hands-down my very favorite homemade roll recipe! Soft, fluffy and have a nice buttery taste. Perfect for the holidays or anytime you want an amazingly, delicious roll with dinner!
My Favorite Homemade Rolls
Lion house rolls have to be one of my favorite things EVER. Have you had them? If you haven’t, you need to make them! Like NOW! Seriously put these on your list! You will thank me later… ahh, okay maybe you won’t. ;)
Imagine these homemade rolls fresh out of the oven and topped with melted butter and homemade strawberry jam. Holy cow! Words cannot describe the amazing taste! Each roll is super soft and fluffy with a nice buttery taste. Seriously, if I’m in charge of making rolls…this is my go to recipe! And they aren’t too difficult to make…promise!
How to Shape Lion House Rolls
- Roll the dough out to make a long horizontal shape, similar to the picture above. Divide the dough in half horizontally.
- Make vertical cuts down the dough from one end to the other. This should make about 18 individual strips of dough that are 2-2.5 inches wide.
- Shape each roll individually by taking the dough strip with both hands and stretching it out vertically. Then flip the dough around from the bottom up, similar to how it’s done in this video.
TIP: You can also roll these up like crescent rolls (shown in the video) as well. All you need to do is roll half the dough into a circle and then cut like a pizza. Then roll from the outer edge in. So yummy either way :)
How Do You Make Yeast Rolls Light and Fluffy?
The key to making light and fluffy homemade rolls is to proof the yeast, knead the dough and then let the dough rise. I like to roll my dough in a ball, place it in a large bowl and let it rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. Then I’ll roll the dough out and shape the rolls. I then let them rise in a warm place until they double in size (for about an hour). Then they are ready to stick in the oven and bake beautifully…super light and fluffy!
Storing + Reheating
These rolls will keep at room temperature in an airtight container or storage bag for about 2-3 days. To freeze, wrap them individually with foil and place in a storage bag in the freezer. They are best if reheated and eaten within about a month.
To reheat, keep the rolls wrapped in foil and bake at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes. Feel free to take the foil off within the last couple of minutes to brown the tops a little more.
Try Spreading These on Top
My FAVORITE way to enjoy these lion house rolls is warm and fresh out of the oven, with butter or one of these delicious spreads on top. It seriously doesn’t get any better that.
5 star review
“We LOVE these rolls. They are delicious. Easy to make and the best part is that you can freeze them and have hot rolls any night of the week.”
– Katie
Favorite Meals to Serve Alongside
These rolls taste amazing with just about anything, but here are a few of our favorite dinners to serve them with:
- Chicken pot pie soup
- Chicken broccoli rice casserole
- Mississippi pot roast
- Chicken and dumplings
- Homemade meatloaf
- Roasted chicken
- Swedish meatballs
More Homemade Bread Recipes:
Lion House Roll Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water (about 105°F)
- 2/3 cup nonfat instant dry milk
- 2 Tablespoons dry yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/3 cup softened butter , more for top
- 1 large egg
- 5-6 cups bread or all-purpose flour , more or less as needed
- oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the water and milk powder and stir until the milk dissolves. Sprinkle the yeast on top, stir and then cover with plastic. Let it sit for 5 minutes, or until the yeast has started to proof.
- Next add the sugar, salt, butter, egg and 2-3 cups of the flour. Using a mixer with a dough hook (can also stir with a dough whisk), mix on low speed. Then turn to medium speed and mix for 2 minutes.
- Stop the mixer and add 2 more cups of flour and then mix on low speed until the ingredients are wet. Then turn mixer on medium speed and mix for 2 minutes. Add approximately 1/2 cup of flour until the dough is soft and pulling away from the sides of the bowl. It should not be overly sticky or stiff.
- Scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl and add 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil around the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough over in the bowl so it is covered with the oil (this helps prevent the dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour).
- Sprinkle the counter with flour or use a baking mat and put the dough on top. Roll out into a large rectangle. Brush with slightly melted butter if desired. Then cut into desired shaped rolls. For the lion house shape, divide dough into two and then roll each piece into a rectangle. Then cut smaller rectangles about 2×4". Then roll the dough up and place the tail on the baking sheet.
- Place on lightly greased baking pans. Let rise in a warm place until the rolls are double in size (about 45 minutes).
- Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until the tops and bottoms are lightly browned. Brush with melted butter when taken out of the oven.
Video
Notes
I made these a while back and they were delicious fresh! I ended up freezing half of them (cooked and cooled) and pulled them out of the freezer for dinner tonight. I am happy to say they were just as delicious! Definitely making these again.
Yay, I am so happy to hear that! Thanks for your comment and review Wendy :)
Looking forward to these for Christmas dinner! They are my favorite rolls, soft and light and fluffy.
I hope you enjoy! Merry Christmas, Crystal :)
We had these rolls on Thanksgiving Day. They were so delicious!!
Yay, so glad you enjoyed them! They are always on our Thanksgiving menu as well :)
These are my family’s favorite rolls! I’ve made them four times since September and I always get asked to bring them to family dinner/dinner parties! 💕💕💕easy and yummy!
Yay, this makes me so happy to hear! They are our favorite rolls too :)
Just made these today. Yum. I’ve made quite a few rolls recipes over the past couple years. I think I will stick with this one. I like that it only calls for 1 egg and less than a stick of butter. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! I’m so glad this recipe worked for you :)
I had to come back and post that 3 days later and they’re still so soft!!
Love to hear that!! Thank you for sharing :)
I made a around last year holiday it was the best dinner roll My family lives .thank you .
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for the comment, Elaine!