Our journey for small batches of bread, both with and without yeast, has culminated in this small pan of dinner rolls. Lean in close, this is as good as it gets. This is the best thing you can do with a packet of active dry yeast. This recipe for small batch dinner rolls for two is so perfect because they’re light and fluffy, exactly as they should be. They’re packed with that slightly sweet yeasty flavor; that coveted dinner roll flavor makes me soon. Slathering them in butter is the only natural thing to do as soon as they come out of the oven. Dinner rolls are a bit of a thing in my family, and no Sunday dinner is complete without them. In the small household, on weeknights, I’ve been resorting to frozen bread rolls. Using frozen rolls is the only way I can get the portion control I need, because I don’t want to throw away leftover rolls that have gone stale or worse, moldy! But now that I have this small batch dinner roll recipe, I can make 4 rolls on a weeknight to accompany soup. I made them last week to go with my green chile chicken stew, and I’ve also served them with my Zuppa Toscana for two. Other small batch bread recipes with yeast: -small batch focaccia -potato cinnamon rolls -caramel apple cinnamon rolls -small batch soft pretzels -Sally Lunn Bread -small batch hamburger buns Other small batch bread recipes without yeast: -small batch cinnamon rolls -rye bread -corn muffins -buttermilk biscuits It looks like I need to work on my breads made without yeast category, right? I’m always open to any recipe suggestions or requests you have, too!
Here’s a step by step of these small batch dinner rolls:
First, whisk together the flour and salt, and place them in a small bowl.
Then, bring the milk and honey to the proper temperature either in the microwave or a small sauce pan, 115-degrees F. Stir in the yeast, and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add one egg yolk and the melted butter. (This recipe uses two egg yolks; for recipe ideas using the leftover egg whites, try my egg white only recipes category page). Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the flour, and stir until a soft dough forms.
Flour your work surface, and bring the dough together into a small disk about 5" across in diameter. This dough will go back into the bowl you mixed it in, and will rise until doubled in bulk.
After the dough completes its first rise, it’s time to shape our rolls. Cut the dough disk into four equal pieces, and roll each dough into a ball before placing it in a 6" round cake pan that you spray with cooking spray. Let the dough balls rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. I use the ‘PROOF’ setting on my oven and it takes about 30 minutes.
It’s entirely optional, but if you want a super shiny brown crust, beat an extra egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of water. Brush it over the rolls before sliding them into a 375-degree preheated oven. Bake for 18-19 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before dividing and enjoying!
If you have Thanksgiving for Two plans this year, these small batch dinner rolls are a must!
For a golden brown look, you can beat an extra egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of water, and brush this mixture on the rolls before baking.
