These skillet rolls bake up soft, fluffy and golden with the best buttery tops. They’re an easy homemade dinner roll baked right in a cast iron skillet.
These rolls aren’t as crusty as my French bread rolls and have a softer texture like reader-favorite homemade white bread!
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Key Takeaways: Skillet Dinner Rolls
- Texture: Soft and fluffy inside with buttery, golden tops and lightly crisp edges.
- Enriched yeast dough: A silky dough made with butter, milk and just one egg yolk for extra richness.
- Cast iron baked: The rolls bake close together in a skillet, helping them stay soft while developing golden edges.
- Serving: Best served warm and brushed with butter, either alongside dinner or with butter and jam.
Why I Love This Recipe
There’s just something about pulling a skillet of warm, homemade rolls out of the oven. These skillet rolls are soft and fluffy inside with buttery, golden tops, and they’re surprisingly easy to make from scratch.
If you love my best dinner rolls recipe, you’ll love this skillet version baked in a cozy, shareable pan. Serve them warm with butter and jam or alongside dinner, and be sure to try my Hawaiian rolls and ciabatta rolls next.
Ingredients Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Active dry yeast, warm water, and granulated sugar: Make sure the yeast is fresh so the dough rises properly. Warm water should be about 105°F to 110°F. Water that’s too cool may not activate the yeast, while very hot water can kill it. Sugar adds subtle sweetness and helps activate the yeast.
- Salted butter: Used in both the dough and brushed over freshly baked rolls.
- Milk: Adds richness and creates a soft, tender crumb.
- All-purpose flour: You can also use bread flour for a little more structure and chew.
- Egg yolk: Enriches the dough and contributes to the overall softness.
- Salt: To enhance the overall flavor.
How to Make Skillet Dinner Rolls
Step 1: Combine the warm water, sugar, and active dry yeast. Let sit for about 5 minutes, until the mixture becomes foamy. If nothing happens, your yeast may be expired, or the water may have been too hot or too cold. Start again with fresh yeast.
Step 2: Microwave the milk with 2 tablespoons of cubed butter for about 30 seconds, until the butter is mostly melted. Cool for a couple of minutes.
Step 3: Combine the flour, remaining sugar and salt, then add the milk mixture, egg yolk and activated yeast. Knead for about 5 minutes, until you have a soft, smooth dough that pulls away from the bowl.
Step 4: Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and keep it in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. If your kitchen is cool, the dough may need a little extra time.
Step 5: Divide the dough into 12 equal balls, about 45 grams each. Place balls of dough in a 12-inch cast iron pan, cover, and let rise for another hour.
Step 6: Bake the skillet rolls at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Brush the warm rolls with the remaining softened butter before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t add too much flour. The dough should feel soft and slightly tacky. If it’s very sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Careful not to add too much.
- Instead of melted butter brushed on after baking, brush tops of the rolls with egg wash before baking
- Watch the tops. If your rolls are becoming too brown before the centers are finished, loosely cover the skillet with foil for the remainder of the baking time.
- Check the internal temperature. The centers of the rolls should reach 190°F to 200°F.
- Serve them warm. This recipe for easy dinner rolls is especially delicious straight from the oven, brushed with melted butter and serve with cinnamon butter or plain butter and strawberry jam.
Skillet Dinner Rolls FAQs
Yes! Although the cast iron skillet gives these rolls their beautiful presentation and lightly crisp exterior, you can make them in another oven-safe skillet or a similarly sized baking dish.
Absolutely! For freshly baked rolls at mealtime, prepare and shape the dough, arrange the rolls in the dinner roll pan, then cover and refrigerate overnight before the second rise. The next day, let the rolls sit at room temperature until they’re puffy and have finished rising, then bake as directed.
You can substitute instant yeast for the active dry yeast, and since it doesn’t need to be activated first, you can mix it directly into the dry ingredients and then add the warm water along with the other wet ingredients.
No! A stand mixer makes kneading the dough easier, but you can absolutely make these skillet dinner rolls by hand. It’ll take about 5 minutes of kneading.
More fresh bread recipes include homemade Italian bread, my French bread recipe and if something quick is your style try these homemade biscuits!
More Dinner Roll Recipes
Skillet Dinner Rolls
Video
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (90g) warm water (about 105-110°F)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter , softened, divided
- ⅓ cup (82g) milk
- 2 cups (280g) all-purpose or bread flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg yolk
For serving: butter and jam
Instructions
- Soften yeast: In a small bowl, add warm water, 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar and yeast. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until it foams up.
- Warm milk and butter: Meanwhile, cube 2 Tablespoons of the butter and place in microwave safe bowl. Add the milk and microwave for 30 seconds, or until the butter is mostly melted. Let cool for a couple minutes.
- Make dough: In a large bowl or bowl of the stand mixer, combine the flour, remaining sugar and the salt. Add the milk mixture, egg yolk and yeast mixture. Knead with a dough hook in your mixer or by hand for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is soft, smooth, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl without feeling too sticky. If the dough seems really sticky, add 1-2 extra tablespoons of flour. Cover with a towel and allow to rise for 1 hour in a warm spot, or until it’s doubled in size.
- Divide into rolls: Divide dough into 12 balls, about 45g per roll. Place in a 12" cast iron skillet, cover with towel and allow to rise one more hour.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake in the middle of the oven for 18 – 20 minutes.
- Serve: Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining butter.
Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
