Make your dough ahead of time, then thaw and bake these fluffy rolls at your convenience.
I love the convenience of frozen dinner rolls. Especially the ones you raise and bake yourself, because they taste so close to homemade. But these Make Ahead Freezer Rolls have sold me on the idea of making my own dough and freezing it to use later.
Just like the store bought version, you partition the dough for these rolls into individual servings, freeze them, and then pull them out a let them rise when you’re ready to bake them.
And of course, they taste even more homemade than the store bought version. There’s nothing quite like a homemade roll, warm from the oven, slathered with butter!
Best of all, they were so easy! I like to mix up the dough on the weekend, when I have more time, and then we can have fresh baked rolls during the week.
Provided I remember to pull them from the freezer in time. That’s the hardest part!
I especially love using this recipe in preparation for upcoming holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter, when I know there is going to be so much food prep going on.
I can get these rolls ready for the freezer weeks in advance, which means one less thing to worry about when I have a big meal to prepare.
If I’m feeling extra fancy, I’ll sprinkle the rolls with some dried or fresh herbs before serving–after I’ve smothered them in melted butter, of course!
Rosemary is my favorite addition to these rolls, but almost any herb will work as a garnish. Trust me, if you love the convenience of frozen dough, you’re going to love this recipe!
You can keep these Make Ahead Freezer Rolls in the freezer for up to a month, making it the perfect meal prep solution for busy moms like me.
Be sure to save this Make Ahead Freezer Rolls recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Make Ahead Freezer Rolls
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Liquid measuring cups
- Baking Sheets
- Measuring cups and spoons
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Ingredients
- Milk
- Yeast
- Sugar
- Flour
- Salt
- Eggs
- Butter
Make Ahead Freezer Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 2 packets active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 6 – 6 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter softened
Instructions
- Heat milk in the microwave (about 40 seconds) or on the stovetop until it reaches a temperature of 105 to 110 degrees. Whisk in the yeast and sugar and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Combine 5 cups of the flour and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- Cut the butter into about 8 pieces. With the mixer on low speed, add the butter gradually until it is mixed with the flour.
- Whisk the eggs into the milk and yeast mixture. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix on low, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the dough begins to come together. With the mixer still on low, gradually add as much remaining flour as necessary until a cohesive dough forms. You may not use all the flour.
- Cover the dough and let rise for one hour, or until doubled in size. Punch down to deflate.
- Divide thet dough into 2-3 dozen pieces. Pull down on the sides of the rolls and pinch the seam underneath to form round, smooth balls. Place the rolls on a large, parchment lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer for 3-4 hours. Transfer the frozen rolls to a zip top freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to one month.
- To bake rolls: place frozen dough balls about 1-inch apart in a lightly greased baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Let rise for about 4 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake rolls for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush the tops with melted butter and serve warm.
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Nutrition
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Who Dished It Up First: Adapted from food.com
27 comments
Linda
Just made 3 dozen and was wondering when it’s time to thaw & bake would a rimmed jelly roll pan work?
Maddi
Do these rolls need an egg wash to get that golden crust?
Sylvia Klassen
Wonderful recipe. I just finished putting a batch in the freezer. 6 cups flour was perfect for me. I didn’t have regular yeast so used 2 pkg fast rise yeast. Mixed as instructed, but didn’t rise, just rolled them out and put them in the freezer. Made 18 – 3 oz. rolls (for hamburgers). I will let you know how they turn out. I am thinking next time I will use less sugar as hamburger buns are not usually sweet. Thank you.
Sylvia Klassen
They turned out beautiful. I took them out of the freezer and let them rise about 4.5 hours. Baked as directed and they turned out beautiful and were delicious.
Thanks
Elizabeth
If I accidentally let the rolls thaw in the fridge, can they still be cooked?
Danielle Daigle
Hi, I’m wondering if I can use Bob’s brown rice flour for them to be GF?
Sarah
Should this dough be sticky after adding all the flour? Mine seems almost batter-like after adding all 6.5 cups of flour. Just wondering if it should come together like it’s kneadable?
crystal williams
I had the same problem with this recipe.
Jasmine
I’m a kid and I love food.❤️✌
Evone Kent
Hi, Just wondering why you can’t use fast-acting yeast? What is the difference?
Danelle
Fast-acting yeast isn’t ideal for recipes that require a long rising time. But it might still work, you could always give it a try.
Louise Ibbotson
I want to make these for Canadian thanksgiving. I like a large roll. Your recipe says 2 dozen. Will they be large?
Danelle
They are pretty average sized rolls. If you make them large, you might get closer to 16-18 rolls.
Brittany MacLeod
Hi Danelle,
I can’t find frozen dinner rolls in the grocery store and am looking to use your recipe to make cinnamon pull aparts in a bundt pan (the “Land of Nod” cinnamon buns from Best of Bridge). Do you know if these rolls would work for that recipe? I also see it makes 24-36, what size would be closest to the frozen dinner roll dough balls you can get in the grocery store?
Thanks!
Danelle
I am not familiar with that recipe, so I can’t say for sure.
MaryJo Mastry
I usually make my bread by hand. I enjoy the mixing and kneading it by hand. I find it therapeutic. I do have a stand mixer but it didn’t come with a dough hook. How do you suggest I proceed. Should I try to use regular beaters in my stand mixer or do it all by hand as I usually do.
Thanks in advance for your advice
Danelle
Cook them when they are thawed and risen to double in size. If they thaw too long, they will rise too much. It may not be exactly 4 hours, depending on the temperature of the room. Once they are cooked, they can easily sit out for a few hours. It’s better to let them sit out after baking them, than let them thaw too long before.
Danielle
Okay sorry to bother you again. I have a dinner at 5:30pm tmw and I’m taking these rolls. What happens if my rolls thaw quicker than 4 hours? Will they ruin if they sit out a complete 4 hours?
Danielle Shurley
Hello, I’m about to thaw some frozen ones now but I wanted to ask if I can use a muffin pan to place the rolls in during the 4 hours and cook them in it as well??
Danelle
That should work great!
Danielle Shurley
Hello, very good recipe. I’m about to thaw some frozen ones now but I wanted to ask if I can use a muffin pan to place the rolls in during the 4 hours and cook them in it as well??
Rachel
If I wanted to bake some and freeze the rest, would I just let the ones I plan on baking right away rise until doubled in size and bake for the same amount of time? I’ve not had much experience or success with yeast so I want to make sure i don’t mess them up.
Danelle
Yes, that should work.
Danelle
I just use all-purpose, although I’m sure bread flour would work great too!
Nancy
Hi Danelle! What type of flour do you use in the “Make Ahead Frozen Dinner Rolls”? I am new to baking bread.
Thanks so much!
Nancy
Amanda
Hi Danielle! Have you ever tried adding any spices or other ingredients to these rolls? I’d love to throw in some fresh herbs, and maybe some cheddar, but I’m not sure which ones will hold up well in the freezer. I’d love to hear your thoughts! Thanks in advance!
Amanda
Danelle
I haven’t tried it but it seems like it would work. Let me know how it goes.