French Bread Dinner Rolls

Thursday, October 11, 2012
French Roll Bread have a delicious crusty outside and chewy soft inside just like French Bread. These are the most requested Homemade Yeast Rolls recipe in our house next to Potato Dinner Rolls and a top recipe on Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch for a reason. 

I love these for Thanksgiving and Christmas since they are best made the day before. The shaped rolls are refrigerated for a minimum of 4 hours but up to 2 days to allow the flavors to develop and contributes to the texture of the roll and crust. 

A basket lined with an orange flower cloth filled with French Bread Dinner Rolls on a bamboo cutting board.


Oh dear French Roll Bread how I love thee.. Hot, crusty, chewy, rolls, need I say more? Do not be afraid my friends on the time it takes to make these, it is well worth it to develop the flavor, and texture of the rolls. 

Crusty French Bread Rolls are a Thanksgiving staple in our house, and the perfect rolls to fill with Sloppy Joe's for Sloppy Joe Sliders. Most of the time I make these the day before, and leave them in the fridge to be popped in the oven 30 minutes before we're ready to eat. These never make it past the first 30 minutes out of the oven, they are long gone, and very dearly missed. 

Oh well, I guess I better make some more. Here's how you can make French Bread Dinner Rolls too!

Honey drizzling off a measuring teaspoon into a bowl of water.

Mix  together in mixing bowl:
  • 1 cup Warm Water under 110 degrees
  • 1 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon Honey 
Allow to sit for 8 minutes.

Foamy yeast and water in a mixing bowl fitted with a dough hook.

Yeast will become foamy.

Flour added to foamy yeast mixture in a stainless steel mixing bowl.

Add 2 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour and 1 teaspoon Salt.

French Bread Dinner Roll Dough being kneaded with a dough hook in a stainless steel bowl.


Knead on medium speed for about 8 minutes until dough pulls away from the side of bowl and is smooth.

French Bread Dinner Rolls Dough in a buttered stainless steel bowl.

Grease a large bowl with butter and add dough. Cover bowl with a moist towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rise 45 minutes.

French Bread Dinner Roll Dough being pulled up in bowl to be folded.

Fold dough over onto itself on all all four sides.

This is realigning the gluten in the dough and developing texture and flavor.

French Bread Dinner Roll dough resting in a stainless steel bowl.


Re-cover and repeat this process in another 45 minutes.


Risen French Bread Dinner Roll Dough in a greased stainless steel bowl.


Cover and allow dough to rise another 30-45 minutes until doubled in size.


A greased with butter 9" Cake Pan.


Grease 2 (8"or 9") cake pans or 9x13 pan and set aside. (I find the cake pans easier to fit into the fridge.)


French Bread Dinner Roll dough on a white cutting board being divided into two with a bench scraper.

On a lightly floured work surface divide dough in half and divide each half into 5. For a total of 10 rolls. 

Shape each roll by tucking edges under until roll becomes smooth on top and round.


Shaped French Bread Dinner Roll dough in a greased cake pan.

Place shaped rolls seam side down into greased pan and cover.

Place into the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or up to 2 days. 

Shaped French Bread Dinner Roll Dough in a greased cake pan being sprinkled with water.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees and remove rolls from the refrigerator  and allow to rise while oven preheats until almost double in size. 

Right before placing rolls in the oven spray with water. I don't have a spray bottle for food (I keep meaning to buy one) so I have found either getting my fingertips wet and flicking the rolls with water works or getting a pastry brush wet and running my fingers over the end to flick droplets of water works well. 

Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature down to 400 and bake another 10-15 more minutes until rolls are brown on the outside and sound hollow when top is tapped.

Remove from pan and cool 5 minutes.

You might love these other Roll Recipes:


French Bread Rolls, French Roll Bread, Crusty Bread Rolls Recipe, Dinner Rolls, French Roll Recipe, Crusty Bread Rolls, French Rolls, French Bread Dinner Rolls, Crusty Dinner Rolls, Crusty Rolls, French Dinner Rolls, Crusty Bread Roll Recipe, French Bread Rolls Recipe, French Rolls Recipe, Crusty Roll Recipe, French Bread Roll, Dinner Bread, Crusty Rolls Recipe, French Dinner Roll, French Bread Roll Recipe, French Dinner Roll Recipe, Crusty French Rolls, Bread Dinner Recipes, French Bread Buns, Crusty French Bread Rolls, French Bread, How To Make French Rolls, Bread For Dinner, Dinner Bread Recipe, French Dinner Rolls Recipe, French Bread Rolls To Die For, Crusty Dinner Rolls Recipe, Chewy French Bread Recipe, Crusty French Bread Rolls Recipe, French Rolls Bread, How To Make Crusty Bread Rolls, Chewy Rolls Recipe, Crusty Hard Rolls, Baguette Rolls, French Bun Bread, Homemade Yeast Rolls, Homemade French Rolls, Crusty Dinner Roll Recipe, Bread French Roll, Crusty Yeast Rolls, Yeast Rolls, Yeast Bread, Homemade Crusty Rolls, Dinner Rolls From Scratch, How To Make Crusty Rolls, Crusty French Bread Recipe, French Bread Rolls Recipe, French Roll Bun, Bread Dinner, French Crusty Rolls, Chewy Dinner Rolls, Crusty Bread Roll, frech bread recipe, French Roll Bread Recipe, Soft French Roll, Crusty Roll, French Bun Recipe, Bread Rolls Recipe, Easy French Bread Rolls, French Bun Recipe, Bread Rolls Recipe, Easy French Roll Recipe, How To Make French Bread Rolls, How To Make Bread Rolls Crusty, Recipe For Crusty Rolls, How To Make French Roll, Thanksgiving Bread Rolls, French Bread Recipe, Homemade French Bread Rolls, White Bread Rolls, Rolls From Scratch, Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch, Serena Bakes
French Bread Rolls, Crusty Bread Rolls, Roll Recipe, Dinner Rolls, Yeast Rolls, Recipe, Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch,
American
Yield: 10
Author: Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
French Bread Dinner Rolls

French Bread Dinner Rolls

French Bread Dinner Rolls are crusty outside with a soft chewy center from Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch.
Prep time: 3 HourCook time: 25 MinInactive time: 4 HourTotal time: 7 H & 25 M

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Warm Water Under 110 Degrees
  • 1 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon Honey
  • 2 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Salt

Instructions

  1. Mix water, yeast, and honey in a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Allow to sit for 8 minutes, until yeast becomes foamy.
  2. Add all of the flour, sea salt, and knead on medium speed for about 8-10 minutes or until dough pulls away from the side of bowl, and becomes smooth.
  3. Place dough into a well greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise for 45 minutes.
  4. Fold each side of dough over onto itself on all four sides in the bowl to make a square, and recover the dough.
  5. Allow to rise another 45 minutes, and repeat folding the dough. This is realigning the gluten in the rolls.
  6. Recover dough and rise 30-45 minutes until doubled in size.
  7. Grease 2 (8" or 9") round cake pans, or 9x13 pan with butter.
  8. On a lightly floured work surface divide dough in half. Divide each half into 5. For a total of 10 rolls.
  9. To shape rolls tuck edges of the roll under until rolls become smooth on top and round. Place rolls seam side down into greased pan (5 in each pan if using cake pans), and cover.
  10. Place shaped rolls into the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, or up to 2 days.
  11. Preheat oven to 500 degrees and remove rolls from the refrigerator while oven preheats. Allow rolls to double in size.
  12. Right before placing rolls in the oven mist with water.
  13. Bake in 500 degree oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 degree and bake 10-15 minutes more until rolls are brown on the outside and hollow sounding when top is tapped.
  14. Remove from oven, and cool 5 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

104.74

Fat

0.31 g

Sat. Fat

0.05 g

Carbs

21.92 g

Fiber

0.87 g

Net carbs

21.05 g

Sugar

0.37 g

Protein

3.07 g

Sodium

213.22 mg

Cholesterol

0.00 mg

The nutritional information and metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this important to you, please verify with your favorite nutrition calculator and/or metric conversion tool.

Did you make this recipe?
Tag @serenabakessimplyfromscratch on instagram and hashtag it #SerenaBakes SimplyFromScratch

French Bread Dinner Rolls top photo is a basket lined with a orange flower print cloth full of Baked French Bread Dinner Rolls and the bottom photo is of unbaked French Bread Dinner Rolls being sprinkled with water. Black text between the two photos French Bread Dinner Rolls.
A basket full of French Bread Dinner Rolls with white text at the top French Bread Dinner Rolls.

64 comments

  1. Serena, This dinner rolls are perfect Love the crust.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks perfect & love the golden crust! I've just begun to make breads & enjoying every minute of it! I will definitely try this recipe of yours! Can't wait! LOL Have a lovely weekend dear friend! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. They look delicious. Enjoy your weekend. Diane

    ReplyDelete
  4. These dinner rolls look perfect! Love fresh dinner rolls straight from the oven!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, dear Serena, these look so good! Looking forward to trying your recipe :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks yummy yummy... Just love it.... First time here n love ur space... When u get time, doo visit mine...

    ReplyDelete
  7. looks sooooper tempting...cant wait to giv a try now..
    Tasty Appetite

    ReplyDelete
  8. These were fantastic! Had them as my roll for Thanksgiving and all were devoured. My hubby loved them. Question? Can you freeze the dough?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Once rolls are formed you probably could freeze the dough for later and just pull out to let defrost and rise or freeze the already baked rolls. I haven't tried it myself with this recipe but it should work. If you do happen to freeze them let me know! I am so glad the rolls turned out well they were also on our Thanksgiving table and a family favorite! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays - Serena

      Delete
  9. Dear Serena, I am a novice bread baker and my first attempt at making your roll recipe turned out delicious. Thank you. How do I go about doubling the recipe? I've read online that while flour, salt, honey and water can be doubled one should not do so for the yeast? Would that be accurate?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Elaine, I use a much smaller amount of yeast then most roll recipes so you can safely double this recipe ingredient for ingredient without any complications. I double this recipe at all the holidays and have never had an issue. I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Have a wonderful day.

      Delete
    2. Thank you, Serena. My husband loved the rolls I made from your recipe. I am trying to replicate some bread rolls we used to purchase weekly from a bakery in Utah when we used to live there. Your recipe comes closest to those rolls I think due to the three rise times and overnight spent in the fridge which gave the rolls excellent flavor. I am so happy to have found your blog! :-)

      Delete
  10. Can you make these without a mixer but by hand? I do not have a mixer with a hook.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! You can do these without a mixer just a little more arm work. It's a softer dough so it won't be too bad! Let me know if you make them!

      Delete
  11. Did anyone find you needed more flour than the recipe called for? I started out with 2-1/2 cups (misread recipe) but qiuckly had an extremely wet dough on my hands, literally. I kneaded by hand. I did not measure but I probably added another 1/2 cup of flour for a total, because of my error, of 3 cups of flour. Any comments would be helpful. I don't know how they turned out yet because I just put them in the frig.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, This dough is an extremely soft dough but shouldn't be sticky. I haven't hand kneaded the dough and I'm going to guess that could account for the extra flour needed to keep it from sticking. Please let me know how they turn out.

      Delete
    2. These rolls turned out great. I loved the way the flavor developed after leaving them in the frig almost one day. I couldn't wait any longer so I popped them in the oven. I had Swedish meatballs for dinner and used the bread to sop up all that flavorful sauce. Thank you so much for the recipe. Delicious!

      Delete
  12. Cant wait to try these, the dough looks beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh these look so good. I hope they don't taste sweet? Going to try them this weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi no these don't taste sweet at all. It has just a little honey to activate the yeast.

      Delete
  14. Could you make a bread loaf out of this recipe? Could you use a bread machine? Thanks for posting this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I assume you could use a bread machine to knead the dough. I don't have one so I haven't tried. The dough is fairly soft for a loaf and would do better in a baguette pan to help it stay tall otherwise it's a bit softer like chabatta bread ?sp?

      Delete
  15. I'm an experienced baker (including yeast breads), but this just didn't work for me. Dough was very sticky and soft, so they seemed to only expand horizontally and not vertically once formed. I used a stand mixer and followed the directions to a T.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same here. They wouldn't rise after 6 hours in the fridge .. I think it's because the tins were too cold and maybe needed much more than just until the oven heats up to double in size.

      Also serena, would it be the same if I left them rise before puting them in the refrigerator? What is the purpose of letting them in the fridge for sometime?

      Thanks I ll definitely try this recipe again.

      Delete
    2. Hi E M, The slow rise in the fridge allows the flavor to develop much like making sourdough bread. Dependent on the room temperature it can take longer to rise once removed from the fridge. If you have a warm place like the top of the fridge or an oven setting to proof the bread you can set them there for the final rise, or even close to the oven while it preheats after removing from fridge. A warm area is best but not over 120 degrees. Bread can have a lot of variables that can effect rise time. Sometimes they rise more in the fridge requiring less rise time before baking. Sometimes the fridge really slows the yeast requiring more time to rise.

      I wouldn't rise them before placing in the fridge after rising because they could fall by the time you bake them.

      Thanks,
      Serena

      Delete
    3. Mine were totally flat. They didn't rise after being in the fridge, only spread out more :( Totally disappointed

      Delete
  16. I have recently began to make bread and this was the easiest recipe yet!! The dough is so easy to work with and I finally didn't kill the yeast! Phew. They are in the fridge right now. These are just excellent! I did use about 3 cups of flour just because it was a little sticky...but they are great.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I thought that the crust was pretty hard. I used bread flour instead of all purpose flour could that have done it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Bread flours higher gluten and heartier, so it would have changed the water to flour ratio.

      Delete
    2. Yes, Bread flours higher gluten and heartier, so it would have changed the water to flour ratio.

      Delete
  18. I used the instant yeast instead of dry yeast . Is it make any difference?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Instant yeast can just be stirred into the flour, instead of the liquid and I'm not sure how it would effect the dough because I haven't tried it but it should work ok. Thanks, Serena

      Delete
  19. I made it and it seems sooo crust
    I did everything as you wrote . I don't know where is the mistake

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sorry I'm not sure what you are explaining went wrong. It should be crusty.

      Delete
  20. When you put them in the refridgerator, do you cover the dough?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Do you have this recipe by weight? The bakers Percentage is easier and more accurate.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Just made the dough for these did one little thing different. Let u know later how this turns out..It reminds me of pizza dough

    ReplyDelete
  23. Do they need to be refrigerated, or can bake this right away?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's best to refrigerate them, it contributes to the chewy texture, and also the flavor develops with the slow ferment.

      Delete
  24. I am making these right now and will let you kow

    ReplyDelete
  25. Beginner baker. I used Robin hood flour(made for bread/rolls). I liked since honey is used. We are bee keepers. Proofed. I put in frig for 24 hours. I used the steam method,put a metal pan with water for steam. I baked them at 450 for 10 mins.and reduced to 400 to 10 mins. Crusty rolls should be between 202 and 210 when cooked thru. They make amazing crusty rolls

    ReplyDelete
  26. will make these this week and wondering, where did you get the bench scraper with the cut out handle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really can't remember. I've had it for so long. If I remember I will let you know.

      Delete
  27. I have searched and searched to find the bench scraper you have and n=have not been able to find it anywhere... I would love to find the name or the place where you got it.
    Hoping you remember. Am making the rolls today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I looked on Amazon and they have several metal handle bench scrapers for under $10, that have good reviews and appear well made. I've had mine for a long time and can't remember for the life of me where I purchased it. Sorry about that, Serena

      Delete
  28. It would good to change the prep time to include the minimum 4 hours in the fridge.....

    ReplyDelete
  29. Making these today while sick!! so far so good, so excited to try these with my broc and cheese soup

    ReplyDelete
  30. What does adding the water droplets to the dough before baking do for the dough??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's helps create a good crust and keeps the outside of the rolls moist to prolong the rise time in the oven. Thanks, Serena

      Delete
  31. Hi Serena,
    Are the rolls suppose to rise in the fridge?
    I kept them in the fridge for 24 hours but they didn't rise while in the fridge.
    I baked the at 500 for 10 min. then at 400 for about 5 min. they were pretty brown so I turned the oven off and left them for the full 10 min. They turned out pretty good but darker brown then yours.

    Karen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Karen,

      The rolls rise pretty slow in the fridge. When they are removed from the fridge and the dough starts to warm up they will finish rising. I usually stick them near the stove as I preheat the oven and it's enough time, but our house is usually fairly warm.

      If you would prefer them a little lighter next time you could try 475 degrees to begin with. Your oven might run a little bit hotter than mine.

      Thanks, Serena

      Delete
  32. Hi Serena. I have tried your Cloverleaf Rolls and Hawaiian Bread recipes and we just love them So, tried your French Crusty Rolls but I failed twice. The first mix, using my stand mixer, the yeast,honey,water,flour and salt were coming together forming a soft ball, then fell flat.After scraping it to a grease bowl, left it to rise twice, it did not rise at all I thought my yeast died or was old so I tried another batch with a brand new yeast packet. Again, it did the same thing, It was sticky so was adding a little bit of flour so I can work it. I went through the entire process, 3rd rising, refrigerate etc etc. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful and I ended up with 10 kinda hard rolls. What did I do wrong , please , can you trouble shoot . Thank you very much

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Did the yeast become foamy when mixed with the water and honey? Did it grow during the first rise at all? It's a soft dough almost like sourdough, so it not wanting to stay in a ball isn't concerning if it's growing. Another tablespoon or two of flour might be enough to firm it up so it doesn't spread as much, but for the texture you don't want to add too much flour. What was the house temperature like during the first rise? If the date on the yeast packet is good, and it became foamy you might have to allow extra time for the dough to rise starting with the first rise in a nice warm area. Sometimes yeast can just be really slow to wake back up and temperamental. If the yeast is active it might just be a matter of allowing it more time to grow during each rise and when they are removed from the fridge for the final rise. I hope that helps problem solve a little bit. Thanks, Serena

      Delete
  33. Omg! Just finished making these! They are ridiculously delicious. Crunchy, chewy and soft! Definitely like the artisanal rolls we get when dining out. I liked this recipe particularly because it didn’t have a lot of ingredients and wasn’t super fussy (no kneading when using a stand mixer!). They turned out so much better than expected. First time ever making bread from scratch. Thank you. Now my go-to recipe :)

    ReplyDelete
  34. Made these rolls a couple of times...they are great! Just one question, the last batch were more dense, is there anything I can do to make more lighter or fluffier?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You might have to allow more time for the final rise. Yeast can sometimes be a little slow to wake back up after being refrigerated and the room temperature can effect how long the final rise can take. A nice warm location is best! I hope that helps! -Serena

      Delete
  35. Meh. Only ok. I'll make again but with substantial modifications because this recipe just didn't work. The dough was runny and goopy and definitely needs more flour. They didn't rise up the way rolls should but spread out (more flour needed and more yeast). They take on a crackery kind of crust, not crusty..They taste alright but are really ugly

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! Sorry you ran into trouble with the recipe. The dough sounds under kneaded. When dough is under kneaded it lacks the strength it needs and will spread flat instead of rising. This is a little more complicated roll recipe with a long rise to develop flavor and texture. Adding additional yeast won't solve the issue unless the yeast simply wasn't active enough. The longer it's kneaded will be what turns it more manageable unless your flour was holding a lot of humidity or measuring really light. Bread and yeast can have a mind of it's own at times but I hope that helps understand where you might have ran into issues. Thanks, Serena

      Delete
  36. I just put the rolls in the refrigerator. I made as according to the recipe; but as I live in south Louisiana @ sea level and it was 86 degrees today (in February for goodness sake!) I should have increased the amount of flour. The dough was extremely difficult to work with. It rose as expected, yeast good, etc. I will try again but will add more flour and will do a French knead by hand. I’m hoping a miracle will take place in the morning! Lol. I wish more people posting bread recipes would mention where they live as location really effects baking. Thanks for an easy recipe with great pictures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Janet, This recipe was developed at sea level, but your heat and humidity is probably effecting the dough. When it's humid flour absorbs the air moisture and can require more. We live in Washington State so we very rarely have high temperatures or the humidity the South has other than brief moments in the summer. Sorry to hear the dough gave you such a hard time. -Serena

      Delete
  37. I want to make these to feed 30+ people. Can I bake these on parchment covered half sheet pans or do they need the higher sided pans?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They will probably do ok on the sheet pans. I'm trying to remember if I've tested them on sheet pans in the past but can't recall. I know I've used 9"x13". Thanks, Serena

      Delete

Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch Copyright © 2011-2023 All Rights Reserved. Powered by Blogger.