French Bread Rolls {Step-by-Step}
These popular, no-fail French bread rolls are light, fluffy and delicious! They are so easy to make; perfect for bread-making beginners and experts alike!
If you want one of the easiest, foolproof, most delicious roll recipes around, this is it.
This French bread roll recipe has been around a loooooong time, and after 10+ years, it is still the roll recipe I probably make the most (that’s saying a lot, because I have a lot of favorite roll recipes).
A Very Forgiving Dough
The dough for these French bread rolls is straightforward and very forgiving. I usually use my Bosch stand mixer, but many of you make this dough in a KitchenAid mixer and others make it by hand.
Dough ingredients:
- warm water
- yeast (instant or active dry yeast)
- sugar
- oil
- salt
- flour (all-purpose or bread flour)
Mix all the ingredients together until the dough forms a soft, slightly sticky ball of dough that clears the sides of the bowl and doesn’t leave a lot of sticky residue on your fingers.
How to Make Yeast Dough at Home
Stop stressing about adding the exact amount of flour called for in a recipe! Many, many factors determine how much flour is needed (elevation, humidity, how we each measure flour, etc.)
Judge the dough based on how it feels and how it looks. If you need to add a bit more flour, that’s ok!
For this recipe, grab a piece of dough after the flour has been added. Initially, it might leave a little sticky residue on your fingers.
Try rolling it into a ball without any oil or cooking spray on your hands. If it can form a ball shape without sticking to your hands in a shaggy, horror-movie mess, you are good to go. If not, add a bit more flour (a couple tablespoons), mix and try again.
Adding too much flour can spell death to light and fluffy homemade bread or rolls.
Let it Rise
I’m lazy and let the dough rise right in the mixing bowl. It is a pretty quick-rising dough.
Once it has doubled in size, it’s ready to get shaped into rolls.
Shape the Rolls
Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. I usually weigh each piece to make sure they are uniform. Each dough piece usually weighs right around 2.6 to 2.7 ounces.
Cup your hand and roll the dough into a smooth ball (keep the pinky side of your hand against the counter while you roll). Pinch the bottom to seal, if needed.
Place the rolls in a greased 9X13-inch pan.
For a double batch (I almost always double the batch), I like to place and bake the rolls on a half sheet pan (24 rolls fit perfectly).
Bake the rolls until golden and then brush the tops with butter.
The Perfect Roll for Sandwiches or Subs
Over the years, these French bread rolls have become more than a dinner roll.
These French bread rolls have become my go-to for any recipe that needs a wonderful all-purpose roll or bun.
Here are a few examples:
Whole Wheat Version
I also posted a 100% whole wheat version of these French bread rolls with a few small but important notes/changes, so if whole wheat is more your jam, check that out (although you can definitely add whole wheat flour to the recipe below as I’ve done many a time throughout the years).
Freezer Friendly
There is not an easier, more perfect roll recipe out there!
These French bread rolls come together fast, and honestly, I haven’t met a single person who wouldn’t fight to the death for one of these fluffy, heavenly rolls.
I always, always at least double (most often triple) the French bread rolls batch, because the baked and cooled rolls freeze amazingly well!
Step by Step French Bread Rolls
Tools for Making French Bread Rolls at Home:
*Affiliate links included below for products I’ve purchased from Amazon; feel free to shop around for the best price!*
- -I like to weigh out the dough for this recipe and others; this is the beloved kitchen scale that I have
- -Here is the large 8-quart container I use for letting the dough rise (comes in many different sizes; also carried in stores like Standard Restaurant Supply, if you have one local); smaller 4-quart version here (keep in mind you have to purchase the lids separately)
- –Silicone pastry brush for slathering on the butter
- -My favorite OXO bench knife for portioning out the dough
A quick note about mixers: I have a Bosch Universal and use it for 99% of the bread recipes I make. Here is a side-by-side (unsponsored) review I did between a Bosch stand mixer and a KitchenAid stand mixer.
French Bread Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast (see note)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or honey
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, vegetable oil or other neutral-flavored oil (olive oil will work, too)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ to 4 cups (497 to 569 g) all-purpose or bread flour, more or less (see note)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook or in a large bowl by hand, combine the warm water, instant yeast, sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups of the flour.
- Begin mixing, and continue to add the rest of the flour gradually until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Begin kneading the dough for 4-5 minutes in a stand mixer (7-9 minutes by hand).
- The dough should be soft and smooth but still slightly tacky to the touch. After a few minutes of kneading, stop the mixer and grab a small piece of dough to test if it needs more flour or not. It might leave a little bit of sticky residue on your fingers, but if you can roll it into a small ball without it sticking all over to your hands, it is good to go. If not, gradually add a bit more flour as needed.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover. Let the dough rise until doubled, 1-2 hours.
- Lightly punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly greased countertop.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (about 2.75 ounces each, more or less), and form the dough into round balls (video tutorial here right at minute marker 2:20).
- Place the rolls in a lightly greased 9X13-inch pan or on a large, rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or lightly greased. Space the rolls about 1/2- to 1-inch apart.
- Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap taking care not to pin the plastic wrap under the baking sheet or else the rolls will flatten while rising. Let the plastic wrap gently hang over the sides of the pan to fully cover the rolls but not press them down.
- Let the rolls rise until very puffy and doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 15-17 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.
- Immediately out of the oven, brush with butter.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Recipe originally published 12/2007; updated with new pictures, step-by-step tutorial, and recipe notes.
Another foolproof recipe! Thanks Mel!
Can distal be made in advance and then frozen to use at a later date if so do you freeze before or after the second rise and do you have any thawing instructions
Yes, the dough can be frozen. It’s best to freeze it right after shaping into balls (don’t let them rise first). They can be taken out of the freezer, placed on a baking sheet, covered and let thaw/rise for 6-8 hours until ready to bake.
I have made this recipe twice. First time was for Thanksgiving. They were loved by everyone. Easy and delicious.
I have followed your bread recipes more often than I can count. Delicious! Always turns out amazing. Everyone loves them.
Thank you so much, Dorothy! 🙂
I made the best bread rolls ever today since finding this recipe and the really helpful and clear notes/tips/tutorials.
I felt that my dough was a little sticky at first but I moved it around and it just felt right so I didn’t add any more flour. I put less yeast in by mistake and only 500gms of flour. I covered it with the oiled cling film and left by the wood-burner for 1 hour for first proof then 1 hour for 2nd proof.
I experimented and put some under a damp cloth but they did not rise well. I cooked for a shorter time – 12 mins as I have a fan oven.
They were absolutely fab thank you !!
I am a long-time bread and roll baker. Made these excellent rolls for Thanksgiving. This recipe is a keeper.
Yes, I made this recipe 4-5 times to get the exact process down and to achieve the desired results. The recipe that works for me now is about 490 grams of flour or a bit less to get the dough where I want it. I also baked it a pan with sides so I can get the rise correct. When I baked on a baking sheet they flattened out too much.
I made these to eat with BBQ Pulled Chicken. I’ve made a lot of bread in my life and I think these are great as sandwich buns. I especially love the texture. And, they still tasted fresh after 1 day.
Perfect I enjoyed making the rolls I love the test
Another perfect recipe,Mel! This is the most perfect recipe! I made 4 batches today and every batch came out PERFECT You are the BEST! Thank you for every thing you do❤️
OH MY GOD ITS SO GOOD!!
My family and I love it!!
I was wondering if it’s possible to freeze dough ??
Yes, this dough can be frozen.
For rise,
If I make triple batch ..does it require triple rise?
Just wanted to be sure since it’s first time I’m going to make triple batch
No, it shouldn’t require triple the time to rise. It’ll probably rise in the same amount of time as a single or double batch.
These directions… and rolls were excellent!
Could you please tell me the speed of the mixer in my Kitchen aid? I noticed that it looks fine on speed 1 but if I increase the speed to 2 ou 3 it become watery. Thanks!
If that’s the case, I’d keep it at speed 1.
Stumbled across this when looking for a bread rolls recipe. Impressed by the overwhelmingly positive reviews!
Wondering if the honey/sugar is for yeast activation or flavour? i.e. has this recipe been developed based on American preferences for sweeter bread?
The bread is not sweet at all.
These rolls aren’t sweet – the honey/sugar is used to help the yeast activate, but you can decrease the amount if you’d like.
Making these right now, and they’re done with the 2nd rise. But why are they the size of a jumbo burger bun?! What did I do wrong?
Did they over rise? If they flattened out while rising the second time, it might mean that the dough needs a bit more flour to help hold the structure (the exact amount of flour can really depend on where you live, humidity, elevation, etc).
I just made these and they look and smell fabulous! Thanks for the recipe and this one will definitely go into our regular rotation.
LOVED these. I used bread flour because tgat was all I had. I’m thinking about making the dough into a loaf next time. So good!!
So good! True that anyone can make them. Easy to understand and follow instructions.
Best ever!
Best homemade rolls ever!!!❤️
I’ve had a time making rolls….last time I tried they came out like paste….but these rolls were perfect….light and fluffy with just a little crunch on the top….friends and family ate them up. thank you.
This is a simple, but perfect bread recipe. The rolls are versatile. We’ve used them for fancier sandwiches, hot dog buns, and croutons!
This is by far the best bun recipe I have ever made. I started using this recipe as my Grandson has allergies to dairy and eggs and have found the recipe so easy and delicious that it is my go to recipe now. I have given buns to many of my friends and they all rave about it. Thanks for putting this recipe out there.
I made it today and I can’t believe how good they turned out!! This is very easy to make! I love this recipe! Thank you so much! ❤
I love this recipe! I’m a college student who loves to bake, and honestly it’s kind of hard to keep ingredients on hand I know I won’t use often. This recipe has ingredients I always have in stock and it’s SO easy even my boyfriend (who never cooks or bakes) can handle it. And the rolls? Oh my gosh they taste SO good!! I could honestly eat it all by myself if I had no self control lol.
In which layer i place place the baking try i placed above the hot rod and my bun burnt at the bottom
Put your oven rack in middle of the oven
My first attempt has turned out perfectly. Fabulous recipe. I halved the quantities to test, and made small rolls (1-1.5oz) for mini burgers. Will now make a bigger batch and include bigger rolls for regular sized burgers. This will now be my go-to morning roll recipe.
Hi Mel,
I have a question regarding the yeast. When doubling the recipe how much yeast do you use?
I’ve looked at a few sites and I’m not quite clear on how to measure 3/4 tablespoon and then double. Just wondered what measurement you use.
Thanks so much.
Hi Jan, for a doubled recipe, I use 1 tablespoon or 1 1/2 tablespoons of yeast. Either works.
Can you make these to the point just before cooking an then leave them on the fridge overnight and cook on the morning (for breakfast)
Yes, although they do better to go into the fridge before rising that second time (on the pan). I take them out in time to come to room temp and rise a bit (sometimes they won’t need to rise much, as they’ll rise a bit in the fridge) before baking.
I doubled this recipe for our 4th of July party. They were absolutely delicious and received tons of compliments, even from the little kids. I did adjust the baking temperature to 325°F and baked them for 40 minutes just because they were such big rolls.
These came out perfect! My first absolute success in beginner yeasty adventures. Did a little dance and everything!
Just made them and they were PERFECT! I thought I was going to have some left over to freeze, but they were so good we ate the whole batch!
I made your French Bread Rolls recipe today and they were delicious. I made the rolls a little larger and I used them with Italian sausage patties that my son grilled and they were delicious. Your recipe is a keeper. I just came across your site today and I will be trying some of your recipes. Thank you.
So good. So easy. So delicious. My family loved this recipe and I still can’t believe how easy it was! Thanks Mel!
I really loved this recipe. To be honest every time I have tried in the past something always went wrong, horribly horribly wrong. This is the first time my rolls actually turned out Not just edible but delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe
I made these yesterday. They are very good and easy to make. I tested them on two of my men neighbors and they loved them ! I was wondering if I used some steam if the crust might be crunchy like French bread is.
Hello! I made this recipe tonight and everything was so we’ll explained and they came out perfect right before I popped them in the oven! My only issue is when I took them out of the oven they were very firm on the top, almost like hard bread. But as soon as I brushed them with butter they softened up a bit. Is this normal? Or am I just doing something wrong
These are fantastic! Beautifully fluffy rolls every time! I’ve used the recipe to make mini garlic butter stuffed dough balls, I’ve substituted half the white flour with wholegrain bread flour, I’ve made them exactly as the recipe and they’ve turned out fantastically every single time! I’ve used olive oil each time in the recipe, which works brilliantly, and I don’t brush them with butter or any other oil at the end of baking because I keep them for lunches for a couple of consecutive days and I suspect they might not keep as well if they’ve been brushed with butter (but happy to be proved wrong if others have experienced differently!)
For other Brits reading – I use 450-500g bread flour, and 350-400ml warm water.
Why is there so much dialogue? Is it possible to just make a few comments about the rolls and get to the recipe. I’m not interested in how long it took you to succeed in bread making. I just want the ingredients!
Give a few tips on baking then get on with it. This is not meant to be rude, I’m just sayin’ it’s about baking!
Mel has helped many people with her helpful , detailed instructions. Your comment was rude and you should have clicked “JUMP TO RECIPE” if you were not interested in perhaps learning something new. Thank you Mel for being you! I extremely appreciate your insights.
There is a button at the top that says “Jump to recipe”. Press that to get to where you want.
Some people like to know they’re not alone when it comes to failures in the kitchen! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve attempted bread or rolls, and failed miserably.
It’s nice to know that someone as accomplished as Mel was once where I am- maybe there’s hope for me!
Hi, I made these today . I cannot believe it how easy to make the dough. I am proofing now for the second round….thanks for the recipe. Have tried many recipes but this one seems easier to handle. So glad I stumbled upon your recipe…..made sausage rolls …
Hahahahaha your comment is ridiculous. God gave you fingers to scroll. SCROLL down to the recipe and YOU get on with it. Holy
It’s a blog… not a cookbook!
I made these rolls to go with dinner a few nights ago and ended up just eating rolls for dinner. Soft, fluffy, delish!
I’ve been making these for many, many years, and it’s still my go-to roll recipe. Today I tried the suggestion from your sourdough post and used 2 cups of starter in the doubled recipe. They came out perfect as always. Thanks for the great idea!
You brilliant thing you! I decided to follow your recipe because it was billed as almost fail-proof and promised rolls in 2:45 hours. I needed something quick that I could start on after my workday. I needed fail-proof because my ingredients weren’t all fresh. I forgot to add sugar at the yeast bubbling stage as well. Oy! But the results, you Grand Wizard of French Rolls, were just as you promised. Thank you, THANK YOU!
As for shedding tears over bread, I stand in solidarity with you sister – I have shed many for my experiments with Indian bread (rotis).
This is a great recipe! Thank you for sharing. My family is watching our sodium intake so I used half the salt and they were very good! I’m making another batch today.
Tried this today and they came out PERFECT so light and fluffy! There was however quite a strong alcohol smell when I was taste testing one before it cooled down, definitely didn’t taste yeasty though. I’m wondering if I could use less yeast next time how much would this affect the mix?
You could definitely try less yeast – just experiment and see how it goes. 🙂
First time I see your recipes and I make this french bread yesterday and had to throw it away., I forgot to leave the yeast to proof. Today I make them again and WOW love them. I am so happy, they are soft and taste so good. Thanks for so great and easy recipe.
Seriously the best bread ever. My family in the past have laughed at my bread making attempts but when I first made these a year or two ago, they thought they were shop bought because they rose so well. Truthfully though, they taste way better than bread from the shop and it’s so much more fun. Needless to say I’ve made them countless times since and I absolutely love the recipe. It makes great loaves and rolls.
Hello, I haven’t made these yet, but I’m attempting them this weekend. I have a big family and would like to double the recipe. How would I double it? Would I just double the ingredients or adjust the salt and yeast? Thank you.
I just double all the ingredients straight across
Awesome recipe thank you!!!
It’s only been 2 weeks since by first batch and I’m making them again!
Made super small (because they rose so much!) Doughballs and arranged them in a wreath around a camembert. Added caramelised onion cooked in 1tbsp of olive oil and rosemary too. Came out perfectly.
I have not tried to make these YET! But I will! You make it look so easy and I love bread! Thank you
Have you ever used this recipe for cinnamon buns? When I use a milk recipe they are always hard and dry in a day or two?
I haven’t, but it’s worth a try! I think it’s actually the sugar in the cinnamon roll dough that tends to dry them out.
I’m bad at baking and I get really sad when it doesn’t turn the way it looks on the recipe, so here’s praying that these really turn out good, for a non baker like me, thank you for the recipe!!