Master Sweet Roll Dough (2024)

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Sweet Roll Dough is the base of many wonderful baked goods. This dough is pillowy soft and perfect for cinnamon rolls and more!

This Master Sweet Roll Dough recipe is the base for many recipes including iconic cinnamon rolls. I use this dough to make dinner rolls, honey buns, and sticky buns! It produces a velvety soft fluffy bread when baked or fried.

Ingredients and equipment needed to make sweet roll dough

All-purpose flour
Sugar
Instant yeast
Salt
Milk
Water
Salted butter
Eggs
Mixing bowl
Mixer with a dough hook
Kitchen scale, recommended
Baking mat
Rolling pin
Plastic wrap

How to make Sweet Roll Dough

Whisk together the flour and salt and set it aside. Add to a mixing bowl, the sugar, yeast, and water. Allow the yeast to proof for 10 minutes.

Once the yeast is foamy, add to the bowl 1 cup of flour. Use a mixer paddle to beat in the flour to make a sponge.

Meanwhile, measure the milk in a microwave-safe cup together with the butter. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes in 30-second intervals to melt the butter. Once the butter has melted, lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl and slowly whisk all of the hot milk mixture into the eggs to temper; set aside.

At this point, the yeast should look like a tan paste.

Then scoop 2/3 of the remaining flour into the bowl followed by the egg mixture.

Beat the dough on medium speed (stand mixer level 4-5). It should be very sticky and unable to keep the shape. Slowly add the remaining flour. The dough should begin to come together as it slaps around the bowl. You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl down using a buttered rubber spatula. Increase the speed to 6-7 and continue kneading the dough for 8 minutes.

After 8 minutes the dough should be formed and beat against the bowl with very little streaks. To release the dough from the sides, buttered a spatula.

Scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl onto an oiled surface such as a baking mat. I cover mine with butter.

Flattening the dough into a square the fold the sides into the center shaping it into a ball.
Place the dough ball in an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in a warm place to rise.

Tips for making sweet roll dough

• Don’t use extra flour unless absolutely necessary. Ifproperly measured, the flour in this recipe is enough to make the perfect dough. It will be tacky but should not cling to oiled surfaces. If you find that it dough will not take shape and you suspect that it may not have enough flour, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time up to 4 tablespoons as needed.
• Use butter to knead and shape the dough. I like using butter to work with the dough because it has an actual rich taste. Any type of neutral oil works but butter has a flavor and adds richness.
• Don’t overwork the dough. Once the dough has been kneaded by the mixer it only needs to be shaped into a ball then covered to rise. No further kneading is required as it will cause the dough to be tough and chewy when baked.

How to use sweet roll dough

Sweet roll dough is used to make many baked goods. The full recipe makes 3 pounds of dough. One and a half pounds of dough is enough to make a dozen dinner rolls, 9-12 medium cinnamon rolls, and 12 honey buns. Use the full recipe to double the quantities or store the remaining dough for later use.

Recipes using sweet roll dough

The Best Cinnamon RollsCaramel Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls1-Hour Dinner RollsPecan Pumpkin Butter Cinnamon RollsCaramel Monkey Bread
Old Fashioned Honey Buns

How to store leftover yeast dough

You can store leftover yeast dough in the freezer. The easiest method is to freezer the dough before the first rise. Knead it into a ball, wrap it in a freezer-safe bag, and store it in a freezer safe container for 30 days.

To use the dough, defrost it in an oiled bowl covered in plastic wrap overnight in the fridge. Move it to a warm counter to come to temperature and rise. Punch the dough down and use it in a recipe as desired.

You can also do a first rise then shape the dough into the desired product before freezing. See my post for1-Hour Dinner RollsandCinnamon Rollsfor the full instructions.

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