These Soft Brioche Dinner Rolls are the perfect complement to any meal. Buttery and golden brown, they have a rich flavor and delicate texture that is super addictive.
If you love brioche, then you should try our brioche bread loaf and brioche hamburger buns.
Soft brioche dinner rolls
I love brioche bread. It’s incredibly soft and has so much rich buttery flavor. It’s also versatile, and can be used for lots of different applications. These soft brioche dinner rolls are a great way to enjoy the flavor and texture of this amazing bread. They go really well with different proteins and sides, so you can be sure they’ll be a welcome addition to any dinner table. You can also tweak brioche to be used for different meals, like breakfast or a coffee break, with these recipes for brioche hot cross buns, brioche donuts, braided Nutella brioche, and brioche french toast. And your dinner rolls can be used in mini-sandwiches for lunch! With a few ingredient and some patience, you can have homemade brioche all day long.
What makes these buttery dinner rolls so soft?
Making these soft brioche dinner rolls buttery and delicious requires a few important ingredients. With the help of all-purpose flour, active dry yeast, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, and unsalted butter, you can put together a pan of delicious dinner rolls that are rich in flavor and texture.
How to make the BEST brioche dinner rolls
- Make the yeast mixture. Add the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tbsp. of sugar to a large measuring cup. Whisk vigorously and then let it sit for about 10 minutes, until frothy.
- Mix the dough. Using a stand mixer (i love using this bosch mixer) with a hook attachment, add the flour, eggs, salt, and yeast mixture to the bowl. Start mixing at low speed, then as it incorporates, turn it up to high. Mix for about 4-5 minutes, until the dough begins to take shape.
- Add the butter. Cut up the butter into chunks and add them to the dough. Continue mixing on high for 5-10 more minutes until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl. It should be smooth and elastic by the time you’re done mixing.
- Let the dough rise. Take the formed dough and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and leave it for an hour, until it rises to about double in size. (You can also do this in the oven on the “proof” setting to speed things up.)
- Divide the dough. Punch the brioche dough down and divide it into 12 equal parts. Shape them into round balls.
- Proof the dough balls. Place the dough balls in a deep 9×13 baking dish and cover. Let them proof for another hour (they don’t need to double in size this time).
- Make the egg wash. Mix 1 egg with 1 tsp. of water and brush it over each dinner roll using a pastry brush.
- Bake. Bake the brioche dinner rolls for 25 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pull apart and serve.
Why does brioche dough take so long to mix?
Making brioche dinner rolls requires a bit of patience. To get that perfect, buttery roll that is super soft, you need to slowly incorporate the butter into the dough. The longer you mix it, the better it is. Using a stand mixer is really helpful here because you are able to let the machine to the hard work.
What is the best way to eat brioche?
With more butter, of course! These brioche rolls taste wonderful when spread with jam or Nutella like my brioche donuts as well. You can also use them as the bun in a small sandwich, like barbecue pulled pork or chicken.
Should brioche be served warm?
Brioche can be served warm or cool, it’s up to you. If you are serving it with butter, slightly warmed is nice for easy spreading. But if you’ve allowed them to cool before serving, they are still delicious.
Can I make them in advance?
Yes! Once the rolls are formed, cover and refrigerate them for as many hours as you need, or overnight. They will rise overnight and will be ready to bake in the morning. Make sure to let them sit out for 20 minutes to come to room temperature before baking.
Storage and shelf life
These soft brioche dinner rolls can be stored at room temperature in a ziplock bag or airtight container. They will last for 1-2 days. If you want to keep them fresh longer, you can also place them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Brioche Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar + 1 tbsp
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs + 1 extra for egg wash
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
Instructions
Make the yeast mixture
- Start off by making the yeast mixture. You’ll want to add 3/4 cup of warm milk (about 105 degrees Fahrenheit) to a large measuring cup along with 1 1/2 teaspoons of yeast and 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar.
- Give it a quick whisk and let it sit for about 10 minutes or until it becomes frothy.
Add everything but the butter to the mixer
- Now place the hook attachment onto a stand mixer and add 4 cups of all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled off with a knife), 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, 3 large eggs, and the frothy yeast mixture. 
- Start off by mixing on low speed. Once the flour begins to incorporate into the dough, pick up the speed to high. You will want to continue mixing the dough on high speed until it begins to take shape. So about 4-5 minutes.
Add softened butter
- Now cut up 1/2 cup of softened unsalted butter into chunks and add them to the dough.
- Continue mixing the dough on high speed for 5-10 more minutes or until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the mixer bowl. It should have a smooth elastic texture by this point. Have patience with the dough, this step can take a while.
Place the dough into a greased bowl to proof
- Now place the formed dough into a lightly greased bowl (I use olive oil). Cover the dough with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for about 1 hour or until it doubles in size. To speed this up, place in the oven on the “proof” setting.
Shape into 12 rolls and proof again
- Now punch down the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into round balls. 
- Place the brioche dough balls into a 9x13 inch deep baking dish and let them proof covered for another hour. They don’t necessarily need to double in size in this step.
Brush with egg wash and bake
- Now make the egg wash by combining 1 egg with a teaspoon of water and brushing it over each dinner roll using a pastry brush.
- Bake the brioche dinner rolls in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
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Kyle says
Best brioche recipe in the world! Tried it for the first time with my dad and the whole family loved it! By the way, if you have instant yeast instead of active dry, skip the frothy yeast mixture part and just add all the ingredients together at the same time! Worked just as well as the active dry yeast. Also, you don’t need a stand mixer if you don’t have one, just knead the dough with your hands! Long story short, this brioche recipe is simple, quick, easy, and delicious!
simplyhomecooked says
Wow, Kyle! Thank you so much for taking the time to write such amazing feedback! 🙂 Now I want to go and make a batch of these buttery brioche dinner rolls!
Melanie says
Hi these turned out lovely but unfortunately stuck to the pan as the recipe didn’t state to grease the baking pan before adding the buns. I did catch that the recipe missed saying when to incorporate the 1/4 cup sugar. I added it at the same time as the salt. May want to consider updating the recipe to incorporate the missing instructions.
Thanks
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Melanie, thank you for bringing that to my attention. I just updated the recipe 🙂
jane mclaughlin says
the recipe calls for 1/4 + 1 tbsp of sugar only see where you use the 1/4 tbsp where do you use theother
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Jane, the 1/4 cup of sugar goes in at the same time as the flour 🙂
TH says
These rolls are wonderful. Light, fluffy, and buttery. My wife asked me to make her a bed out of them so she can eat them when she wakes up in the night. Good point about mixing everything for 5-10 minutes on high. I thought it might be too much but the dough really does take some time to come together with the butter. Thank you!
simplyhomecooked says
Haha, this comment made my day! I love your awesome feedback! 🙂