Soft Bread Rolls – “Ted’s Rolls”
Pillowy Soft Bread Rolls with pull apart edges, guaranteed soft and fluffy every time. Easy to make with step by step instructions and video !
These soft and fluffy bread rolls are perfect for sandwich fillings, your favourite burger, pulled pork or served with a warming soup.
My soft bread rolls are easy to make. You can have a batch done and dusted in just under 3 hours but given that hands on time is only about 15 minutes, you’re free to get on with something else as your dough rises and bakes.
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One Reader, Matthew, commented:
“These turned out amazing!! They’re so soft and so tasty!!! Highly recommend making these! Wish I could’ve gave more then 5 stars honestly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️”.
Making Homemade Bread is much easier than you might think. And if you’re new to bread making, this recipe is an ideal first time bread. With my easy step by step instructions and video, anyone can bake their own bread at home.
I’ve been baking bread at the Kitchen Shed for over twenty years and whether it’s these soft bread rolls, my white sandwich loaf, crusty bread rolls or Tiger bread rolls, our oven is always busy.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Soft and fluffy rolls every time from a tried and tested recipe. Originally developed by me back in 2012 after plenty of testing and a lot of tweaks. I’ve put all I’ve learnt into the recipe tips so you can make the best soft bread rolls.
- Easy to make and ideal for first time bread makers.
- Video – great for showing what the dough should look like and how to shape your rolls
Why Are They Called Ted’s Rolls ?
These extra soft bread rolls are affectionately known as “Ted’s Rolls” because the recipe was developed especially for OH’s terminally ill father, Ted.
Although Ted loved the fresh loaves I made for him, there came a time when he couldn’t manage eating crusty bread.
After a few trials and errors with oven timings and temperature I came up with my own version of soft bread rolls which became known in our family as Ted’s Rolls.
Ingredients For Soft Bread rolls
You only need 6 ingredients to make this recipe.
- Bread Flour – I like to use Marriage’s Very Strong White Bread Flour, which is 100 % Canadian flour.
- Yeast – I’ve used instant yeast in the recipe, often called fast action or quick yeast. This yeast has the advantage that you can add it directly to your flour. My favourite is Dove’s Farm Quick Yeast.
- Sugar – it’s just the right amount of food to get the yeast activated without adding too much sweetness to the soft bread rolls.
- Salt – I fine sea salt as it contains less sodium than regular salt but any fine salt will work in the recipe.
- Oil – I like to use refined rapeseed / Canola oil because it’s flavourless and gives the best results in this recipe. That said, I’ve also had good results with sunflower oil.
- Water – Lukewarm water is best, that is, you should be able to comfortably dip your finger into your water. Cold water will work but it will take longer for the bread to rise.
REMEMBER that too high a temperature will kill your yeast and just like us, yeast works best at around 37°C / 98°F . I use my Thermapen to check the temperature is between 37°C / 98°F and a maximum of 40°C / 104°F.
How To Make Soft Bread Rolls
Make your dough
- Firstly, make the dough. I use my trusty KitchenAid stand mixer – all you have to do is add the ingredients and set on a slow speed for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Check the dough by using the window pane test. Equally, the dough can be hand mixed together in a bowl and then kneaded on a counter top. You will get the same results, all you need is a bit of elbow grease.
- Cover your dough and leave to rise for about an hour in a warm place. If it’s a cold day this may take up to 2 hours.
Shape Your Bread
- Transfer your dough onto a lightly oiled work surface.
- Shape your dough into a rough log and divide into twelve equal pieces (about 95 g or 3 ½ oz if you want to weigh them)
- Shape dough portions into balls, cupping in your hands and place them on a large lined baking sheet. I like to use a silicone mat as it’s reusable, ovenproof and easily washed. I’ve used a number of different silicone sheets over the years and they are definitely not all created equal – you tend to get what pay for. For me, by far the best silicone sheet is my Vermell Flama, which uses high quality German made silicone.
- Leave no more than 2½ cm (1 inch) between each dough ball and after proving you will end up with the rolls touching each other – this will help keep them nice and soft.
- Leave the dough balls in place on the tray as you flatten them a little by gently pressing the top of each one.
- Cover with greased clingfilm / plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for approximately 30 to 45 minutes.
How To Bake
- Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F / 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas Mark 6 for 25 minutes.
- An easy way to check your rolls are cooked and not over baked is to use a food thermometer, my favourite being Thermapen, to measure the internal temperature. The internal temperature should ideally be 90°C / 194°F but don’t worry if you go up to 95°C / 203°F. You’ll still have a soft fluffy bread roll but with a slightly crisper crust.
- Place on a baking rack to cool.
- For extra soft bread, cover with a tea towel while they cool.
Top Tips for making Soft and Fluffy Bread Rolls
- Use Very Strong Bread Flour – This flour has the advantage of being high in protein and so produces more gluten. As a result, the dough holds together well but is also very elastic and perfect for making soft and fluffy rolls.
- Enriched Dough – Rapeseed / Canola oil makes a lovely soft roll. It enriches the dough and I’ve found no need to add eggs or milk to the recipe.
- Kneading – check your bread dough is nice and elastic by using the window pane test.
- Shaping – Use oil not flour as you want your bread to be nice and soft. If you were to use flour, this would be adding flour to your dough which then absorbs moisture and will give you drier bread rolls. I don’t knock back the dough as such. Removing the dough from your bowl and then shaping your rolls will take enough air out of it. Why punch all that air out after you’ve patiently waited for it to rise ?
- Bake the rolls close together – rolls will rise and support each other as they bake giving soft and tender sides.
- Cover – for extra soft bread, cover with a tea towel as soon as they come out of the oven. I use a tea towel which has been washed with a fragrance free product to avoid my bread tasting of detergent.
How Long Will They Keep ?
Like most homemade bread – fresh is best but they will keep for a couple of days.
Can They Be Frozen ?
Yes, soft bread rolls freeze well.
Once cooled after baking, simply pop into a freezer bag or sealed container before freezing. In this way, your rolls will keep for up to three months.
To defrost, remove your rolls from the freezer a couple of hours before you need them and defrost at room temperature.
More Bread Recipes
- Crusty Farmhouse Loaf
- Dutch Oven Bread
- Wholemeal Loaf
- Multigrain Bread
- Light Rye Bread
- Portuguese Rolls
- Homemade Pitta Bread
- Homemade Pizza Dough
- Homemade Garlic Naan
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Soft Bread Rolls
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowl
- Baking sheet
- Silicone sheet
Ingredients
- 750 g extra strong white bread flour plus a little extra for dusting. we use Marriage's flour
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1½ teaspoons instant yeast ( 5 grams ) we use Dove’s Farm
- 6 tablespoons rapeseed oil / Canola oil ( 90 mls ) use refined rapeseed oil for cooking
- 450 ml tepid water
Instructions
- By KitchenAid : Add flour, salt, sugar, yeast, oil and water to the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Mix on slow speed for 8 to 10 minutes until you a have a smooth and elastic dough. Check your dough is ready by using the windowpane test.
- BY HAND : Mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
- Add the oil and a little water. Mix well adding a little water at a time until you have formed a ball of dough.
- Knead for 10 to 12 minutes until you a have a smooth and elastic dough. Check your dough is ready by using the windowpane test.
- Place your dough in a large greased bowl and cover. Leave to rest in a warm place for at least one and a half hours or until doubled in size.
- Transfer the dough to a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 95g portions, 12 balls. I like to weigh them to make sure they get an even bake but you can divide into 12 equal portions by eye if you prefer.
- Shape into balls, cupping in your hands and place them on a large baking sheet about 2½ cm (1 inch) apart. Gently press the balls of dough to flatten them a little.
- Cover with greased clingfilm / plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for approximately 30 to 45 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F / 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas Mark 6.
- Dust risen rolls with flour just before baking.
- Place in the oven for approximately 25 minutes, checking halfway through the cooking time and turning the baking sheet around if some rolls are browning too quickly.
- Place on a baking rack to cool. Wait until cool before breaking apart.
Video
Notes
- Preparation time does not include proving time.
- Use refined rapeseed oil because it’s flavourless and gives the best results in this recipe. That said, I’ve also had good results with sunflower oil.
- For extra soft bread cover your freshly baked rolls with a tea towel or cloth until they have cooled.
- These rolls make a great soft burger bun just as they are. But if you fancy a more traditional burger bun, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds just before your rolls go into the oven.
- Soft bread rolls freeze well and will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Finally, I can now make rolls thanks to your recipe. Tea towel over at the end makes a big difference.
Hello Laura, thanks for your comment. I’m glad you found the tea towel trick worked a treat.
Oh my goodness these are amazing. I made them for a picnic at the weekend and received so many compliments. Not only did they taste delicious they looked so professional too. Made 12 large rolls.
Hello Julia, it’s always great to hear feedback from readers. Really pleased Ted’s Rolls went down so well for you and your guests. Thanks for taking time to comment.
Sorry to say these didn’t work at all for me. Dough didn’t rise very well at all but left it for about 4 hours shaped the rolls and baked but they were heavy. Obviously something I did wrong and I am a beginner at bread but all in all very disappointing..
Hello Marie, I’m sorry to hear your soft bread rolls didn’t work out for you this time around. Here at the Kitchen Shed we make Ted’s Rolls at least twice a week as they do turn out a soft and fluffy white bread roll.
Looking back, I’ve been making bread for over twenty years and I readily acknowledge some of my early attempts with bread were a disappointment. I believe the key is to not give up – it does take practice to get to know your doughs.
Here are a few pointers which may help to explain why your dough didn’t rise very well:
How old is your yeast ? Check the best before date on your yeast packet.
Did you use a level teaspoon measure for the salt, sugar and yeast ?
What was the temperature of the water you added to your mix ?
Kneading your dough until it’s soft and elastic and passes the window pane test is important.
If the dough isn’t elastic enough you can add a little water and then knead for a few more minutes. Flours do vary in the amount of water needed for optimum hydration.
I do hope you’ll continue with your bread making journey and maybe have another go with the Ted’s Rolls recipe.
I’m always happy to respond to readers’ comments and questions so please let me know how you get on.
Holy Moly, that worked! Great recipe.
I tried a different recipe yesterday which involved using cold butter and lots more sugar, but I wasn’t that impressed. But this one is perfect.
Incidentally, I did use Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of Canola/Rapeseed because I know that they are interchangeable, and the rolls are still very, very soft. And the crumb really takes me back to how store-bought fresh rolls in the UK used to be.
I otherwise followed the recipe precisely. The dough was a little wetter than I expected, and had to up the mixing speed a few times to pull it free of the bowl. And I had to flour my hands to shape the rolls at the end, otherwise it was very sticky to handle. But I plan to experiment subsequently – but not much.
Absolutely brilliant recipe. Thank you.
Thanks for the lovely feedback Martin, it’s always a pleasure to share our recipe. I’m so pleased your rolls were so soft. I used olive oil when developing the recipe and found the only real difference to be in the taste.
Your dough does sound a little too wet, maybe try using 25 ml to 50 ml less water ? Flour hydration is affected by protein level and does vary between brands. Please let me know how you get on with your next batch. Sarah
Hi. I have been married 42 years and in that time I have tried many many bread roll recipes. My late mother in law made rolls every week and I couldn’t replicate hers either. Found this recipe….my goodness your rolls are brilliant brilliant brilliant. Thank you so much. Just putting some to rise now.
Hi Lynn, thank you for such a kind comment, it’s made my day. It’s a pleasure to share my recipe:-)
@Sarah James,
Hi
If I wanted to make brown wholemeal rolls would I need to adapt the recipe in any way?
Thanks.
Hi Lynn, when I make wholemeal rolls I tend to use a 50/50 ratio of wholemeal and white strong bread flour. I’ve found that all wholemeal bread flour tends to effect the softness of the rolls too much. I do use a touch more water for wholemeal rolls, 25 to 50 mls, I make the dough up first using 450 ml water and add more water if the dough is too dry.
Just made these for the first time, did half with cheese on top, they look absolutely great and taste just as wonderful.
That’s great to hear Chris and thanks for taking time to comment, it’s much appreciated. The cheese topping sounds a great idea, I bet they were really tasty.
These are the best soft white rolls I’ve made so far. Really soft and fluffy and my kids loved them. This has saved us from having to do bi daily shops for freshish rolls given that I can make a set and save them for a couple of days. Would heartily recommend trying them.
Thanks for the recommendation Rob. Great to hear your kids loved Ted’s Rolls and you’re saving on trips to the shops 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to comment, it’s much appreciated.
Found you on instagram ☺️ followed the recipe, they were deliciously soft and made gorgeous sausage butties yum …will be using this recipe forever now Ted’s rolls ????
Thanks Dawn, happy you’ve found me on IG and even happier you’ll be using my Ted’s Rolls recipe forever 🙂
Can you make soft crust bread rolls in a fan oven as I have read fan ovens aren’t great for these thank
Hello Gail, thanks for getting in touch. I bake mine in a fan oven, just bake them 10 or 20 degrees lower than the 200 depending on how hot your oven runs. I tend to find 20 degrees less works well for me. Another tip you could try to ensure really soft rolls is to place a teatowel over the rolls when they come out of the oven.