For a comforting accompaniment to a meal, you can’t beat homemade bread! These rosemary olive oil rolls are so soft and flavorful. Best of all, they’re easy for even beginner bread bakers!
Rosemary is such a versatile herb. It’s great for soups, roasts, and desserts. But it absolutely shines in this rosemary olive oil rolls recipe! These fluffy herb dinner rolls are definitely going to be made again and again as the cooler weather settles in. And for the holidays? Homemade rolls are an ideal accompaniment to the celebratory meal!
We’ve all done a little more bread baking this year. Maybe you’ve mastered an easy sandwich bread or braided the perfect challah. Or perhaps you’re just looking for a new, delicious, dinner roll recipe to try out!
Even if you’ve never baked a bit of yeast bread in your life, these easy homemade rolls are a great place to start. I’m so glad you’re here.
A few general tips for baking yeast bread
If you are new to baking yeast bread, especially rolls, I’d like to share a few tips to help you get started!
First of all, the yeast you’ll want to look for is active dry yeast. If you accidentally pick up instant yeast packets at the store, skip the soaking step. Mix the yeast right in with the dry ingredients. Knowing which yeast you have and how to use it is important for successful bread.
You may purchase yeast in either a jar or packets. The jar is a better value if you plan to bake bread regularly. Otherwise, this recipe is written to use a single standard packet of yeast. A packet contains about 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast.
Mark your bowl with a piece of painters tape or a marker when you start the rise. Rising time is approximate and dependent on ambient temperature. The mark will help you track how your dough is rising more accurately.
Finally, don’t over-flour your bread. To keep the crumb light, you don’t want to pack your flour. Using a scale is the best way to ensure you don’t add too much flour. A cup of flour weighs 120 grams. Start by weighing out the lowest quantity of flour, then add more as needed in tablespoons.
Recipe notes for the rosemary olive oil rolls
You may use either fresh or dried rosemary for this recipe. It’s written for fresh rosemary. But if you’d like to substitute dry rosemary, use a teaspoon and a quarter of dried rosemary for the 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh.
The recipe also calls for bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour. The higher protein content provides greater chew and elasticity than all-purpose.
If you don’t have bread flour, you can use all-purpose but the bread will be a little less elastic. Personally, I don’t think you’ll notice too much unless there’s a side by side comparison. So don’t rush out to buy a new flour if you don’t have it.
You may also adjust the flavor of the rolls through your olive oil. A light olive oil will provide very little flavor. Choose a robust olive oil if you’d like the flavor to really shine.
I typically use a moderate extra virgin olive oil that I also use for cooking. It provides enough flavor without being overpowering.
If you have extra rolls, store covered at room temperature up to 3 days. You can also freeze completely cooled rolls. With how good these rolls are, they won’t last that long!
I hope you love this recipe, darlings! Happy baking!
Rosemary Olive Oil Rolls
For a comforting accompaniment to a meal, you can't beat homemade bread! These rosemary olive oil rolls are so soft and flavorful. Best of all, they're easy for even beginner bread bakers!
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup warm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, plus extra for garnish
- 3 1/3 - 3 2/3 cups bread flour (see notes)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the water and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture and allow it to sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Stir in the kosher salt and olive oil.
- Add 3 cups of the flour, one cup at a time. Stirring until just combined on low speed.
- Add the remaining 1/3 cup a heaping tablespoon at a time. Then add the rosemary.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium-low and knead for 3-4 minutes to form a ball of dough that is tacky but not sticky. If the dough is too sticky, add additional flour 1 level tablespoon at a time as you knead.
- Once the dough is smooth and pliable, place in a lightly oiled bowl covered in plastic wrap until doubled in size. This will take between 45-60 minutes on average.
- Lightly flour a clean countertop or cutting board. Place the dough onto the floured surface and knead 3-4 times. (See Notes)
- Divide the dough into 16 equally sized balls. Arrange, barely touching in a 9 1/2-inch pie dish or 9-inch square pan. If you'd rather not have pull-apart rolls, arrange the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Loosely cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest 20-30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Once the oven is warm, brush the rolls with additional olive oil and dust with a sprinkling of course salt and additional chopped rosemary.
- Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden and baked through. Allow the rolls to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you pick up instant yeast instead of active dry yeast, skip the first step (proofing the yeast). Combine the instant yeast with the flour instead.
- If you don't have bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour. The bread flour has a higher protein content and provides a more elastic texture.
- Great holiday meal prep tip: You may prepare the rolls up to 2 days in advance. After the first rise, press the dough down and place into an airtight container. Bring it to room temperature, divide it into pieces, shape, and bake!
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