Julie Clark
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Brown and Serve Rolls Recipe: Soft Freezer Rolls Ready in 10 Minutes
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Brown and serve rolls are yeast rolls you bake partway at a low temperature, freeze, then brown in a hot oven right before dinner. In the store they are often called brown ‘n serve rolls or par-baked rolls.
This homemade version comes from my favorite Amish cookbook I’ve baked from since my wedding. It makes 24 soft, fluffy rolls in about 2 hours of mostly hands-off time. They finish in 8-12 minutes at 400ºF with a golden, buttery top.
If you want brown and serve rolls with homemade taste for Thanksgiving dinner and the holiday season, this is the recipe you can turn to. Bake them weeks ahead, then pull out what you need and bake for hot dinner rolls on the table quickly.
What yeast and water temperature do brown and serve rolls need?
Use one packet of active dry yeast and water between 110 and 115°F. If it turns foamy and bubbly within 5 to 7 minutes, it’s working.
If you’re unsure about making your very own yeast rolls, let me assure you. I used to not be that comfortable using yeast either. What type of yeast is best? How do I know how warm enough to make the water so the yeast will activate but yet cool enough so it won’t die?
Be sure to read the back of your yeast packet and add the yeast according to the instructions. Every type of yeast is different!
Use a thermometer to test the water to make sure your yeast will work. For this recipe, the water should be anywhere from 110 to 115º Fahrenheit. If the yeast is activating correctly, it will get bubbly and frothy and start dissolving.
What should you know before beginning?
Here are 4 tips to remember when making brown and serve rolls.
- Because of the yeast, this dough needs to rise 3 times. I know it seems like a lot of time, but that’s what makes these rolls fluffy and delicious. You need that rising time to get that perfect homemade bread flavor. Plan ahead!
- If you only have salted butter, lower the salt to 1 ¼ teaspoons.
- Bread flour works great, but you can use all purpose flour if you’d like. Bread flour gives a sturdy structure, while all-purpose flour leads to softer rolls.
- We used a stand mixer to knead the dough. You can use your hands if you’d like. Just don’t add too much flour while kneading. The dough should be slightly tacky to touch.
How to Make Brown and Serve Rolls
- In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for 5-7 minutes until the yeast is frothy and activated.
- Heat the milk in the microwave for about 1 and a half minutes, until it is hot. Add the sugar and melted butter and allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes until it is 110-115º Fahrenheit). Add this to the yeast mixture.
- Add 2 cups of flour and mix until it makes a very soft batter. Cover and allow this to rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
- Add the salt and another 2 ½ cups flour so that it makes a soft dough. Knead for 5-7 minutes by hand or 5 minutes on low speed using the dough hook on your stand mixer.
- Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise in a warm place until nearly double, about 30 minutes.
- Punch dough down and on a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 24 equal portions. Roll each portion into smooth balls. Place the rolls in a greased cake pan and allow them to rise until nearly double, about another 20-30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 275ºF. Bake for 20 minutes. The rolls should not be browned but will be fully cooked through. Allow the rolls to cool on wire racks, then freeze them in plastic bags in the amounts that you’d like.
How do you bake brown and serve rolls?
Bake thawed brown and serve rolls at 400°F for 8 to 12 minutes, until the tops are deep golden brown. Thaw them overnight in the fridge or on the counter for about 45 minutes first, then brush the hot tops with melted butter.
Smaller rolls bake closer to 8 minutes and larger ones closer to 12, so start checking early. Because the rolls are already baked through, you’re only adding color and warmth. That’s why this step fits into the last 10 minutes before your family dinner. And it’s why I love serving them next to our make-ahead mashed potatoes on a holiday menu.
Why did my brown and serve rolls shrivel?
Brown and serve rolls shrivel when they’re underbaked during the first bake. If the center of the rolls are doughy when they are done with the first bake, they will shrivel as they cool. Cook them through (ours took a full 20 minutes). Then they’ll bake up beautifully golden brown the second time.
The rolls should look dry on top but still pale with no browning. If you test one roll, it should look like bread inside and not dough.
If you choose to make larger rolls (making less than 24 rolls), you’ll have to bake them longer during that initial bake.
You may also love our apple butter cinnamon rolls, mashed potato rolls and pumpkin dinner rolls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are brown and serve rolls already cooked?
Yes. Brown and serve rolls are fully baked through during the first bake but aren’t browned. A low 275°F oven sets the crumb without adding color, so all they need later is a bake in a 400°F oven to turn golden.
Can you bake brown and serve rolls without freezing them?
Yes. Skip the par-bake and bake them straight through at 375°F for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden. They make great same-day dinner rolls for soups like our chicken noodle soup.
Brown and Serve Rolls Recipe
Bake these soft yeast rolls halfway, freeze, then brown them in about 10 minutes. Our one tip keeps them from shriveling, so they taste fresh-baked.
Servings 24
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rise Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups 2% milk
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour (or all purpose flour)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for 5-7 minutes until the yeast is frothy and activated.1 package active dry yeast, ¼ cup warm water, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Heat the milk in the microwave for about 1 and a half minutes, until it is hot. Add the sugar and butter (it will melt in the hot milk) and allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes until it is 110-115º Fahrenheit). Add this to the yeast mixture.1 ½ cups 2% milk, 5 tablespoons granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add 2 cups of flour and mix until it makes a very soft batter. Cover and allow this to rise for 1 hour in a warm place.4 ½ cups bread flour
- Add the salt and another 2 ½ cups of flour so that it makes a soft dough. Knead for 5-7 minutes by hand or 5 minutes using the dough hook on your stand mixer.1 ½ teaspoons salt
- Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover it. Allow it to rise in a warm place until nearly double, about 30 minutes.
- Punch dough down and divide it into 24 equal portions. Roll into smooth balls. Place the rolls in a greased 9×13" pan and allow them to rise until nearly double, about another 20-30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 275ºF. Bake for 20 minutes. They should look set and pale, and spring back when pressed. Underbaked rolls will shrivel as they cool. Allow the rolls to cool, then freeze them in zippered bags in the amounts that you'd like.
- When you are ready to bake the rolls, allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for 45 minutes. Bake the rolls at 400º Fahrenheit for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of the rolls. Brush the tops with melted butter to soften them, if desired.
- If you'd like, you can bake these rolls immediately instead of freezing them. If you'd like to do this, just bake them at 375º Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes.
Notes
- Add herbs if you’d like. Garlic, rosemary, a touch of poultry seasoning all would make great variations.
- Instead of traditional dough balls, make cloverleaf rolls. For this shape, each roll will be 3 small dough balls, risen together in muffins tins, then baked, so that they easily tear apart.
- Freezer time: Freeze up to 1 month.
- Salted butter: If you use salted butter, reduce the salt to [1 ¼ teaspoons].
- Larger rolls: They need a longer first bake.
Nutrition
Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 323mg | Potassium: 47mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 110IU | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Made these dinner rolls for thanksgiving & they were a hit!! Will make them again &again!!
Best dinner rolls ice bagged! I did add all the flour at once with the salt. Cross this one of my Thanksgiving bake list!
These rolls are spectacular. Have them on hand to add to finish a meal. Follow the method exactly
From your notes, what volume would you recommend for each of the spices?
FYI, I’ve converted all measurements to metric weights….grams.
Total weight = 1162 grams, therefore each roll is 48 g.
Thank you
The rolls were still very doughy and began to fall after baking 275 for 20 minutes. Also….Baked some immediately at 375 for 15 minutes and bottoms were too brown. Please advise. Thank you
I made 3 batches for thanksgiving and I don’t know if I will make these again. They take a very long time to make and they taste more like a biscuit then a roll. They are doughy instead of airy.
I made the brown and serve rolls. The dough was way too wet to handle, so I added about a cup and a half of flour. I had no idea what each roll was supposed to weigh so I kept them around 2 ounces. I didn’t know how far apart they should be placed, so I put them right next to each other, not crammed, but a hair apart. After 20 minutes @ 275 there were NOT done and started to fall, so I put them back in for another 10 minutes. They were pretty good in the end, but… Read more »
Can these be left in the refrigerator for a few days before baking, or is freezing them a must? FYI, the grams conversion for flour may not be accurate to how you measure a cup of flour. I got a VERY wet dough when cooking by weight.
I mixed them all by hand. They taste great