Soft 30 Minute Honey Butter Rolls are made from scratch - start to finish - in just half an hour!
My kids have gotten so used to having fresh rolls with dinner that they're disappointed if we have a dinner without any. So, I keep working on new recipes to make quick rolls that don't take all night to make, and I adapted this recipe from my 30 Minute Honey Wheat Roll recipe.
These 30 Minute Honey Butter Rolls are good. And fast.
Which makes them perfect for weeknight and weekends alike. Plus, they take less time to make than frozen rolls take to thaw.
So, if you're in a hurry and want some fresh bread, give these rolls a try! And please check out the tips below to help you make perfect rolls.
Ingredient notes
These honey butter rolls are made from just a few simple ingredients. I've listed instant yeast in the ingredients, but there are also directions for using active dry yeast in place of the instant yeast.
- Butter: I like to use salted butter in these rolls. If using unsalted butter, increase the salt in the rolls to 1 teaspoon.
- Milk: You can use anything from skim to whole milk. Using whole milk will give you a richer, softer roll.
- Milk temperature: It's important that the milk/butter mixture isn't too hot. If you don't have a thermometer, then the mixture should feel like warm bath water. If it's too hot for you, it's too hot for the yeast and can kill the yeast.
- Yeast: There are 2 ¼ teaspoons of yeast in a packet. If you are using packets, you will need 3 packets to give you enough for 6 teaspoons (which is the equivalent of 2 tablespoons) of yeast.
- If you would prefer to use active dry yeast, substitute an equal amount for the instant yeast. After step 5, let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy. Then, continue with the recipe as written. If the yeast doesn't foam, start over. Otherwise, your rolls won't rise.
- Flour: Be sure to only use as much flour as is necessary to give you a sticky dough. Using too much flour will give you heavy, dry, or doughy rolls.
How to make honey butter rolls
Melt butter in a saucepan. When the butter is mostly melted, stir in the milk. Heat to 100-110F.
When milk/butter mixture is at temperature, add to yeast and honey.
Stir to combine. If using active dry yeast, let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy (picture on the right).
Stir in egg and salt.
Add 2 cups of flour and continue adding flour a little at a time until it forms a sticky dough. You may not need to add all of the flour, and that's ok.
Shape the dough into 12 rolls.
Cover and let the dough rise for 10 minutes in a warm spot. Uncover and bake until golden brown.
Brush the baked rolls with melted butter.
Tips
- Rising: Since the rising time is so short, it really helps the rolls to rise if they are in a warm spot.
- How to make the perfect spot for your rolls to rise: If your kitchen isn't warm, simply preheat your cold oven to 350F for exactly 60 seconds. Turn the oven off, and you now have a great spot for your rolls to rise. You can also place the rolls near your oven if you have it on. If you don't have a warm spot, you may find that your rolls don't rise within the 10 minutes, and you may need to give them additional time to rise.
- Brushing the rolls: If you want a stronger honey flavor to the rolls, add a tablespoon of additional honey to the butter and brush the rolls with honey butter after baking.
Storage
The rolls are best eaten when fresh. However, the rolls can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
If you’ve tried this 30 minute honey butter roll recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who've made my recipes!
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30 Minute Honey Butter Rolls
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons instant yeast
- ⅓ cup honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 3 ½ – 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a quarter sheet pan or a 9x13-inch rimmed cookie sheet.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter.
- When butter is mostly melted, stir in milk, and heat mixture to 100-110 F.
- Meanwhile, add yeast and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl if mixing by hand).
- When milk mixture is at temperature, add to yeast and honey; stir to combine.
- Add salt and egg, and stir until combined.
- Stir in 2 cups all-purpose flour.
- Add remaining flour ¼ cup at a time until dough clings to paddle and cleans the sides of the bowl. Dough will still be pretty sticky.
- With floured hands, shape dough into 12 rolls, and place dough on prepared baking sheet.
- Cover, and let dough rest for 10 minutes in a warm spot.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
- When rolls are done baking, brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter.
Video
Notes
- Butter: I like to use salted butter in these rolls. If using unsalted butter, increase the salt in the rolls to 1 teaspoon.
- Milk: You can use anything from skim to whole milk. Using whole milk will give you a richer, softer roll.
- Milk temperature: It's important that the milk/butter mixture isn't too hot. If you don't have a thermometer, then the mixture should feel like warm bath water. If it's too hot for you, it's too hot for the yeast and can kill the yeast.
- Yeast: There are 2 ¼ teaspoons of yeast in a packet. If you are using packets, you will need 3 packets to give you enough for 6 teaspoons (which is the equivalent of 2 tablespoons) of yeast.
If you would prefer to use active dry yeast, substitute an equal amount for the instant yeast. After step 5, let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy. Then, continue with the recipe as written. If the yeast doesn't foam, start over. Otherwise, your rolls won't rise. - Flour: Be sure to only use as much flour as is necessary to give you a sticky dough. Using too much flour will give you heavy, dry, or doughy rolls.
- Rising: Since the rising time is so short, it really helps the rolls to rise if they are in a warm spot. If your kitchen isn't warm, simply preheat your cold oven to 350F for exactly 60 seconds. Turn the oven off, and you now have a great spot for your rolls to rise.
- Brushing the rolls: If you want a stronger honey flavor to the rolls, add a tablespoon of additional honey to the butter and brush the rolls with honey butter after baking.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
More 30 minute bread recipes!
Originally published 9/15/14. Updated with new photos and tips 2/29/20.
Patty Harper
Delicious fast and easy recipe. My new favorite!
Kate
Thank you so much!
Emily
Hands down the best rolls ever. I made some honey butter to go with it, oh my gosh!!! Delightful
Kate
Thank you so much!
Darrin
Wow. I tried this. It was so easy to make. What I couldn’t believe was how soft and buttery they were. Will add some grated cheese next week.
Kate
Thank you! I'm glad that you liked the rolls!
Darrin
Absolutely...gonna add sultanas and cheddar to half-half of the dough.
Darrin Y
Absolutely...gonna add sultanas and cheddar to half-half of the dough.
Caleena Greenwood
Can you make a batch to freeze? When freezing do you let them rise first before putting in the freezer?
Kate
Hi! I haven't tried freezing this recipe. If you give it a try, I'd love to hear how it goes!
Shannon
Can I use bread flour?
Kate
Yes, you can use bread flour. However, you may find that you need to adjust the amount. I usually find that I need to use a bit more ap flour than bread flour.
Cheryl
This recipe is wonderful!! I followed it to the letter for Christmas and everyone loved them!! I just prepared a batch and they are rising as I type this. Just wanted to share because you can’t go wrong with this recipe. I actually made the rolls a little smaller and get a batch of 24. Thank you Kate!!
Kate
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! I'm so glad to hear that the recipe has worked well for you!
Ashley Clifner
I made this for my family for Thanksgiving and it was terrific. My only issue is that the rolls came out absolutely massive. Any idea what I did wrong?
Kate
Did you let the dough rise longer than the stated times?
Addison
could i use gluten free all purpose flour?
Kate
Hi! I haven't tried gf flour in this recipe, but I've had good luck with 1:1 gluten free flour blends in other recipes.
Karen Knowlton
I have made these rolls several times, the recipe was easy and oh so good!
Thank you
Kate
Thank you so much!
Sue
Could you use whole wheat flour or bread flour for this recipe instead?
Kate
Hi! I have a similar recipe that's made with whole wheat flour. You might check it out!
Amanda
This recipe flopped twice. 😢 I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Kate
Hi! I'm happy to help you troubleshoot. Could you give me some information about what went wrong?
Tammy
Your yeast may be old or dead, I had two batches that flopped as well, after the second batch I bought another container of yeast and oh my goodness, back to fabulous.
Kate
I'm glad the new yeast helped!
SueZ
If I don’t have any milk, but half and half, can I use that instead of the milk?
Kate
Hi - I haven't tried using half-and-half to say for certain how it would work, but I would guess that it would work just fine.
Brown Sugar
Can I use buttermilk instead of whole milk?
Also, if I'm making for individuals who are vegan which plant based milk would work best?
Kate
I have a buttermilk roll recipe that may work better for you. I haven't tested buttermilk in this recipe, but I would guess that it would work. As far as plant based milks go, I've had really good luck baking with almond milk. I've even used it to make vegan buttermilk, and it has always been a good sub. Hope that helps!