These Easy as 1-2-3 Soft Herb Rolls are soft, light and packed with fresh herb flavor. In this recipe, I use fresh Thyme and Rosemary, but you can mix it up by using any combination of fresh herbs. In their petite form, they are sized perfectly as a slider bun or dinner roll. Make them a little larger for gourmet sandwich and burger buns.
With the holidays right around the corner, you’ll want the recipe for these easy herb dinner rolls in your back pocket. Go ahead, volunteer to bring the rolls to your next holiday dinner and watch the family absolutely devour them.
When it comes to serving these herb rolls, they are absolutely delicious while still warm and topped with a generous pat of butter. When making sandwiches, I prefer them at room temperature, but for a burger, lightly toasted is the way to go. This recipe can also be prepared as a loaf of bread instead. If you choose the loaf-baking route, good luck getting your family to slice the loaf in a genteel manner. Mine usually just rips off a chunk as soon as the bread is cool enough to handle with bare fingers, and continues its assault on the loaf throughout the day.
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Easy as 1-2-3 Soft Herb Rolls – a delicious, versatile dough
At the time I’m writing this post, Halloween is only a few weeks away, but I’m already thinking about Thanksgiving. I can’t help it. Planning is in my nature. I start dreaming up different variations of holiday menus weeks in advance before I land on “the one” for the season. I’m pretty certain this recipe for Easy as 1-2-3 Soft Herb Rolls will be in heavy rotation this year.
Whenever I host an event or cook for a large group of people, I always start at the end and mentally walk my way backwards through the day. I begin with what I call, “showtime” (you can envision jazz hands here for dramatic effect if you want) – the time when everyone is set to arrive and when I plan to serve dinner. From there, I build out my list of tasks and a schedule for tackling the day in manageable chunks of time.
Hosting a gathering can leave one feeling anxious, but there are ways to minimize the stress and own the day. Last year, I decided to dedicate a post that shares my personal approach for How to Do Thanksgiving Like a Boss! In this post, I provide a free downloadable project planner that’s packed with tips for getting organized, taking the stress out of the day and even delegating tasks that you don’t need to hold onto.
If you’re hosting for the holidays this year, check it out. The New York Times Cooking page also has a post dedicated to Thanksgiving meal planning. It’s a great resource you may be interested in reading as well.
As far as herb roll recipes with yeast go, this one is pretty easy and it’s one of those recipes you can delegate if you’re the host, or easily whip up to bring if you’re on roll duty for the day. Holidays aside, if you just love the taste of warm, homemade bread, give this easy herb roll recipe a try. It won’t disappoint.
Ways to customize this easy herb roll recipe
The lions share of the time dedicated to making these easy herb dinner rolls takes place during the two proofing (or proving – the words are used interchangeably) stages. In bread making, the first proof stage is technically called “the rise”. This is where yeast fermentation and flavor development takes place.
In the second rise, we punch down the dough and let it continue to develop flavor and texture once more. This yields a more complex flavor and better structure. The dough also becomes easier to work with after the first rise – which is extremely helpful during the rolling and shaping step between proofs.
I mentioned earlier that this easy herb roll recipe can be shaped a few different ways – 24 small dinner rolls, 15 burger or sandwich buns or as two small loaves of bread. After the dough has gone through its first proof, divide the dough according to your desired form.
For rolls, form the dough into tight little balls by pulling the dough into a ball and pinching it together at what will be the bottom of the roll. Next, cup the dough between your hand and work surface. Apply gentle pressure while using a circular motion to refine and tighten the balls. Place the dough balls on a sheet pan lined with either parchment or a nonstick baking mat – leaving two inches in between to allow sufficient room to grow during the second proof cycle.
If making loaves, the dough for this Easy as 1-2-3 Soft Herb Rolls recipe can be divided in two portions to make two medium-size loaves of bread. Place the dough in either a small Pullman Loaf Pan that’s been lined with parchment or braid it like a Challah for a little extra flair.
Easy as 1-2-3 Soft Herb Rolls
Course: SidesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy24
small rolls20
minutes20
minutes2
hoursNote: This recipe can be prepared to yield 2 loaves of bread, 15 large burger-size buns or 24 small dinner rolls. Baking time is adjusted according to the size of the loaves, rolls.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water (between 90 – 100 degrees F)
3 tsp. rapid rise yeast
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter (cooled) or olive oil
4 1/4 cups A.P. Flour
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
2 tsp. fresh thyme, minced
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 egg for egg washing the tops of the rolls before baking
Additional kosher salt or sea salt flakes for finishing
Directions
- In the bowl of stand mixer, whisk together the water, 2 eggs, sugar, butter (or oil) and yeast.
- Add the flour, herbs, salt and pepper and blend on low speed for 5 minutes until the dough comes together. Turn off the mixer and allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes. Mix the dough again on medium speed for 5 minutes longer, until the dough becomes smooth and leaves the sides of the bowl clean as it spins. When handling, the dough will still be wet and a bit sticky at this stage. Don’t stress. It will become much easier to handle after the first proof.
- Lightly coat the bottom of a bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the dough to the bowl and loosely cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 45 minutes to 1 hour – or until it has doubled in size. If you have a proofing drawer function on your oven, it will reduce your wait time by as much as half.
- After the dough has gone through its first proof, divide the dough according to your baking preference For bread loaves, divide the dough into two equal portions. For large burger or sandwich buns, divide the dough into 15 equal portions, and for dinner rolls, into 24 equal portions.
- For rolls, form the dough into tight little balls by cupping the dough between your hand and work surface. Apply gentle pressure while using a circular motion to form the balls. Place the dough balls on a sheet pan prepared with either parchment or a nonstick baking mat. Space 2 inches apart to allow the room to grow during the second proof cycle.
If making loaves, the dough can be divided in half and placed in a small Pullman Loaf pan that’s been lined with parchment or braided like a Challah. - Lightly spray the tops of the rolls with nonstick cooking spray, loosely cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 45 minutes to 1 hour – or until it has doubled in size. If you have a proofing drawer function on your oven, this will reduce your wait time by nearly half.
- While waiting for the second proof, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk one egg and have the salt ready to finish the rolls.
- When the rolls have doubled in size, gently brush the tops with egg wash and lightly sprinkle salt. Bake at 350 degrees until the tops are golden brown. Baking time for dinner rolls is approximately 20 – 23 minutes. Large burger buns will need approximately 22 – 25 minutes and two loaves of bread will need approximately 30 – 35 minutes.
- When done baking, transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for one week or freeze for up to 2 months.
