Buttery Pull-Apart Rolls

These Buttery Pull-Apart Rolls are perfect for any occasion! Not only are they easy to make, but they’re fun to eat. Kids and adults alike will love these!

I’m convinced that food tastes much better when it’s fun to eat, too. 😉 That’s why pull apart breads are the best—like my Potato Pull Apart Rolls, or Half and Half Pull Apart Rolls! Give them all a try and see what I mean!

A basket of Buttery Pull-Apart Rolls

Easy to Make, Fun to Eat!

If you’re anything like me, you have to have homemade rolls for Thanksgiving, and they have to be good! I may not be a pro when it comes to bread making, but rolls, they’re a different story. I’ve got a variety of recipes here on the blog and they’re all amazing. This year I thought I’d share a recent favorite.

We tried these rolls once and were immediately hooked (and made them twice since then)! They’re buttery, crisp on the edges and ultra soft in the centers. Everyone loved that you could pull them apart and enjoy them one layer at a time. My kids went nuts!

I found this recipe in one of my America’s Test Kitchen magazines and slightly altered the method. Everything came out tasting even better than I had expected. And for those of you wondering, they’re not difficult to make. If you can make round dinner rolls or shape crescent rolls, you can definitely make these!

Stacks of dough pieces used to make Pull-Apart Rolls

How to Make Pull Apart Rolls

DOUGH. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add milk, sugar, egg and egg yolk. Sprinkle the yeast over top and allow it to sit until foamy, about 4-5 minutes. Add flour and salt, mix until combined, about 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low for 1 minute. Add 8 tablespoons of softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time.

KNEAD. Knead until the dough forms a soft, sticky ball, about 5 minutes.

RISE. Place the dough in a large, well-greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 ½ hours.

ROLL. Punch dough to deflate, then place onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into two rectangles, about 14×16-inches in size.

CUT. From there, grab a pizza wheel and cut the rectangles into 6 strips each. Butter 5 of the strips, stack them on top of each other, then place the unbuttered strip on top. Repeat. Cut each stack into 6 pieces, then place into a muffin tin. That’s it! Not too complicated, right?

RISE. Place into a well-greased standard size muffin tin, cut side up. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

BAKE. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When the rolls have risen, remove plastic wrap and place in the oven to bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown on the tops. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining melted butter. Remove from the pan and serve while warm.

The rolls will rise and fan out all on their own. It’s kind of magical… at least it was for our 4 & 2 year old. They’ll get nice and golden brown on the top and will stay soft and buttery in the centers. Pulling them apart is oddly gratifying. Trust me on this one 😉

Spreading butter on pull apart dinner rolls

Make Ahead & Freeze

If you want to cut down the time it takes to prepare these rolls the day you’re serving them (a handy trick for holidays especially), you can make the dough ahead of time and freeze it until you’re ready.

Let the rolls go through the first rise and then freeze them from there. I recommend putting your rolls in muffin tins and freezing for about 2 hours just like that in the freezer. After they’ve solidified, you can place all of them in a freezer safe ziploc bag and keep for 1 month.

When you want to serve them, remove your rolls from the freezer and place in a baking dish to rise until doubled in size. Then bake as normal.

A basket of butter fan rolls

These rolls are best served warm from the oven. Mmmmm. They’re totally irresistible! If you plan on serving these at a holiday dinner you may want to double the recipe, because they’ll be gone in the blink of an eye!!

For more delicious rolls, try:

Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!

Buttery Pull-Apart Rolls | lifemadesimplebakes.com

Buttery Pull Apart Rolls Recipe

These buttery pull-apart rolls are perfect for any occasion! Not only are they easy to make, but they're fun to eat. Kids and adults alike will love these!
4.94 from 16 votes
Pin Rate
Course: Rolls
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Rise Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 3 hours
Servings: 12 rolls
Calories: 268kcal
Author: Andrea
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup whole milk - warm (about 110 degrees)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg +1 egg yolk - lightly beaten
  • 1 tbsp instant yeast
  • 3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 tsp kosher sea salt
  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter - room temperature
  • 4 tbsp salted butter - melted

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add milk, sugar, egg and egg yolk. Sprinkle the yeast over top and allow it to sit until foamy, about 4-5 minutes.
  • Add flour and salt, mix until combined, about 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low for 1 minute. Add 8 tablespoons of softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Knead until the dough forms a soft, sticky ball, about 5 minutes.
  • Place the dough in a large, well-greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 ½ hours. Punch dough to deflate, then place onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into two rectangles, about 14x16-inches in size.
  • Using a pizza wheel or pastry wheel, cut each of the rectangles vertically into 6 strips (they should be short or 14 inches in length), for a total of 12 strips. Using a pastry brush, butter the tops of all but two strips (you'll use about 2 tablespoons of the melted butter). Stack 5 strips on top of each other, then place the unbuttered strip on top. Repeat with the remaining strips. Cut each stack into 6 equal squares for a total of 12 stacks.
  • Place into a well-greased standard size muffin tin, cut side up. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • When the rolls have risen, remove plastic wrap and place in the oven to bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown on the tops. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining melted butter. Remove from the pan and serve while warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 12serving | Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 387mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 399IU | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg

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About the Author

Andrea

Hi I'm Andrea!

Hotelier turned Food Blogger to help make your life simple, one recipe at a time.

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Comments:

    1. Hi Juliet, yes you can. Make sure they are fully cooled, then wrap tightly in aluminum foil and put in a freezer bag and freeze. Let them thaw at room temperature overnight and either serve them at room temperature or heat them in an oven at 300 degrees F for about 10 minutes.