My Mom’s Homemade Buns are the perfect dinner roll for any occasion! Incredibly soft and fluffy, use all purpose or whole wheat flour, make a big batch and freeze for later.
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This recipe is long overdue here, even though I just made my first batch of my Mom’s Homemade Buns a couple weeks ago.
My mom has been well-known for a few reasons for as long as I can remember.
These Chocolate Chip Cookies are one of them.
These Double Chocolate Cookies, (Almost) No Bake Pineapple Squares, and these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are some other reasons.
It took me entirely too long to ask my mom for her recipe for homemade dinner rolls, so once I snagged it and made them for the first time, I knew I had to share it right away!
I had to tweak my Mom’s recipe a little bit — swapping her original lard for butter (you can swap it back if you like or use shortening!), and increasing it to be a nice even amount when I halved the recipe.
I didn’t find that the extra butter made much of a difference, so I’m sticking with it!
This recipe makes 22-24 buns, depending on how large you make them. You can easily double the recipe and save some for later! See my tips below for storing these homemade buns after you’ve made them (although there might not be many left 😉 )
Can I bake these buns in a 9×13″ pan?
I know that most dinner rolls are taller, and baked closer together in a pan with higher edges, like a 9×13″ pan.
We always called them simply “buns” growing up, and we ate them with everything 😉
You can absolutely bake this recipe in a 9×13″ pan if you are going for the same look and height. For this recipe, you will likely need two 9×13″ baking pans and can put 12 rolls in each pan.
The baking time shouldn’t change.
Can I use whole wheat flour for these dinner rolls?
You can definitely use whole wheat flour for this recipe, and I do now all the time when I am making them for our family.
I prefer to first test a recipe with all purpose flour, to see how using whole wheat flour might change it, but we tend to eat mostly whole grains and whole wheat breads.
You can start with 2-3 cups of whole wheat flour for a light whole wheat dinner roll, or use up to 100%.
When I make these for our family, I tend to stick with 50-75% whole wheat flour. I find adding even a bit of all purpose flour makes them fluffier than 100% whole wheat flour.
Use this homemade bun dough for these recipes as well:
This homemade yeast dough is extremely versatile! You can easily make a big batch of dough, bake some plain buns, bake a few cinnamon buns, make some breadsticks, etc. — the options are endless!
By doing it this way, you can make a small batch of many different recipes, which is great if you’re cooking for a small family or you’re an individual.
Here are a few recipes that this dough would work great in:
How to store homemade buns:
Keep at room temperature:
These buns will keep at room temperature in an airtight plastic bag for 4-5 days. I will warn you though — they’re so delicious fresh out of the oven that you might find they don’t last that long!
How to freeze buns and bread:
We often freeze some of these for later, otherwise we would eat buns for every meal and nothing else!
Let cool completely — I usually let mine sit for 4-6 hours on a wire rack on the counter. Place in an airtight plastic bag and freeze up to 3 months.
To thaw, place on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any extra moisture and let sit at room temperature for an hour or two. You can also thaw at a low temperature in the microwave.
What to serve with homemade dinner rolls:
We love having a side of these homemade buns to dunk in soup and chili! Here are a few of our favorites:
- Cabbage Soup Recipe
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Crockpot Potato Soup
- Sausage Tortellini Soup
Mom’s Homemade Buns
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
To proof yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water (105-110 degrees F — warm but not hot)
- 1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast (I use instant, but either works in this recipe)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
To make bun dough
- 2 cups warm water
- 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 6-7 cups all purpose or whole wheat flour
Instructions
Proof the yeast
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the warm water, yeast and sugar.
- Let sit for 10 minutes or until bubbly — this is how you know your yeast is working. This step is technically not required when using instant yeast, but I do it always anyways, so that I know my buns will be a success.
Make the dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a very large bowl if you are kneading by hand), whisk together the 2 cups warm water, butter, ⅓ cup sugar and salt.
- Add the bubbly yeast mixture and stir to combine.
- Place the bowl in the stand mixer and put the dough hook on the machine. You can also knead by hand.
- Add the flour, one cup at a time, and mix until nearly combined before adding more. You can use all purpose or whole wheat or a combination. Start with 4-5 cups flour, mixing until each is incorporated.
- The closer you get to your dough being ready, the less flour you will add at once. We want a smooth, soft dough, never stiff, so we need to watch and stop adding flour at just the right moment.
- Add up to 6-7 cups flour total, very gradually at the end, until the dough comes together in a smooth, soft ball and does not stick to the sides of the stand mixer. When you touch it, it should be smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky.
- Place dough in a large lightly greased bowl (you can use the same bowl and grease it), and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.
- Set in a warm spot (I use the oven with the light on — turn the oven on to preheat for 2-4 minutes before turning off and adding the dough) and let rise until doubled, about 1.5 hours.
- Uncover dough, punch down, and roll out 20-24 rounds — smoothing the top and pinching the seam in the back to smooth (see video for additional details).
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let rise (you don't have to cover them) in a warm spot for 30 to 90 minutes (instant yeast will be quicker) until doubled.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown.
Nutrition Information
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Sage says
I have tried many bun recipes and this one’s the best. I do cut the salt in half, because I’m on a low sodium diet. These buns never disappoint. Thank you.
Sarah says
I would like to know whether I should use bleached or in bleached flour for this recipe
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sarah! I believe they are typically interchangeable but use bleached when in doubt.
Mary says
My assignment was to bring dinner rolls to Thanksgiving dinner. The local grocery stores were all sold out at 3pm yesterday. I followed your recipe with a couple of my grandmother’s modifications. Substituted 1 cup of water for one cup of milk plus 2 eggs. If she made bread she left the milk and eggs out.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hope you enjoyed them!
Andrea says
Absolutely perfect !! I didn’t use oil as called for but instead butter and milk – turned out perfectly
Love this recipe will make again
Andrea says
whoops baked several items today, it did NOT call for oil lol
My buns turned out perfect
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Andrea! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Marilyn says
I didn’t have any hamburger buns for homemade sloppy joes. Just made a batch of these buns. Followed your recipe to the T. Amazing!!!! Thank you so much.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Marilyn! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Linda says
Made this replacing the sugar with raw honey 1:1. 4 cups unbleached white flour and 2.5 cups whole wheat. Super soft and delicious. 5 out of 5 stars from my picky husband. Made larger buns, about 18.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Linda! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review and feedback on changes!
Shannon says
Must be my elevation or something, I had to use 8 cups of flour. They rose nicely and looked lovely coming out of the oven but are tasteless, not sure what they need but not the bun for me.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Shannon, I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe. It has worked well for myself (and others) so I wished they would of been a hit for you too!
Shelby says
I’ve been making homemade buns for many years now but always felt that my recipe wasn’t quite perfect … but let me tell you, these hit the mark! Completely amazing!!! I’ve got one question, to try to achieve perfection, I find when the buns cool, they get a tad wrinkly on the sides … any advice?
Jags says
Hey Ashley Namaste!
I would banner buns which were hard as my head and dark as my skin (I’m an Indian – you can call me Brownie lol)
FF mode…. Followed your recipe and have started making soft, tasty and golden brown color buns… Thank you very much for this simple yet effective recipe. I like it!
The Recipe Rebel says
You’re welcome Jags!
Kenneth schroeder says
This is my go to recipe for buns. I have never had a failure. Always lots of compliments. Thanks Ken age 63
The Recipe Rebel says
So glad to hear! Thank you Ken!
Karen says
Has anyone tried them with gluten free flour?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Karen, I haven’t. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
C says
I feel this should be updated to say Mom’s Sweet Buns, because these are packed with a ton of sugar. Tasty, but unfortunately wrecked dinner plans of salmon burgers on fresh buns after spending hours prepping these buns for them to taste like a dessert. After checking the other bun recipes, most call for a teaspoon or so of sugar, this one wants 1/3 of a cup but I didn’t realize as it was the first post to come up when searching bun recipes. They aren’t a typical bun – as people I know who are diabetic couldn’t eat these due to the sugar levels per bun.
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear these weren’t to your taste, C. The amounts have worked well for myself (and others) so I wished it would of been a hit for you too!
Juliette Falaniko says
It’s currently 1AM & I’m craving buns with jam or peanut butter spread. Batch in the oven right now. Excited to try them!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hope you enjoyed them Juliette!
Jaimie says
This was a fantastic recipe. I followed it exactly as written and the buns were light, fluffy, and delicious:)
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jaimie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Nathalie says
They looked amazing and smell so good!
I replaced the 2cups of water by whey and a tablespoon full of all purpose flour by buckwheat flour (I could have done more). I also brushed them with butter when coming out of the oven.
Definitely a recipe to keep.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Nathalie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Glen says
Let my dough rise in instant pot under yougart setting 1 hr turned out perfect
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Glen! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review and feedback!
J Jaeger says
These came out amazing and perfect size!!! Will be making these again for sure!!! Thanks
The Recipe Rebel says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this review!
LindaMarie says
Great recipe, my new go to for buns! I added an egg and about 1/2 cup of wheat germ to the recipe. I made buns a few weeks back and have a batch of cinnamon buns in the oven. Thanks so much!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi LindaMarie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!