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.
Wow these were incredible! Not only are they pillowy soft and easy to chew (baked about 13…the baker’s dozen!) …but they are great for my partner’s mum who is quite elderly and doesn’t have all her teeth anymore. She loved them with some butter and tasty cheese. They’re going to be great for a Boxing Day spread with some delicious cold ham and turkey and some prawns with seafood cocktail sauce. Can’t be beat!
Your story about Ted is so touching…I was moved to tears about how you came up with this recipe for him…thank you for sharing Ted’s story and this bread recipe.
All the best,
Nick.
Hi Nick, every now and then I get a comment that really touches me and our family, so thank you. It’s always a pleasure to share Ted’s story and my soft rolls recipe and it’s great to hear your partner’s mum loved them. Hope you enjoyed your Boxing day spread, it sounds delicious, Sarah.
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
Thanks for the recommendation Matthew it really means a lot to me and my family. Definitely cheered up a wet and windy day for me, Sarah.
Wonderful!!!! I’m an Aussie who moved to the US and was craving Bakers Delight Bap rolls. This is it! Super soft! Perfect for a roll! For anyone in the US, I used a packet/square Fleischmann’s instant yeast (with the dough conditioner). I also substituted the rapeseed oil for 90g of crisco lard and added 2 tbsp of dough conditioner. Cooked at 350F in a gas oven for 22-23mins and this was PERFECT!!!!!! My rise times were longer because it’s a bit chilly. Thank you so much for this recipe this was such a nice taste of home!
Hi Suzanne, you’re most welcome, it’s always a pleasure to share my recipes. I’m so pleased Ted’s Rolls brought to you a taste of home. Thanks for the US recipe substitutions, Sarah.
Will make these today, they look wonderful!
Pleased to see some proper measurements too, though even here guesswork slips in, imperial tea/tablespoons for the oil or US, (they are not the same) I’m going for 85ml of oil (why on earth would you use a spoon?). For yeast, searching I get answers varying from 4.6 to 7g for a teaspoon. Who knows.
Hi Steve, pleased to hear your bread rolls are looking good. I didn’t realise there was a difference between UK and US teaspoons and tablespoons, I’m aware Australian tablespoons are different. I’ve had a search and there are varying measurements, something for me to take into consideration for US measurements in the future. I’ve just checked the weight of the instant yeast, it’s 5 g and measured the oil it’s 90 mls. Thanks for your feedback, I’ve added the extra info to the recipe, Sarah.
@Sarah James, These are exactly what I was looking for, there was an article in the Guardian about ‘smash’ burgers and in a btl comment about the unfortunate ubiquity of brioche rolls there was a link to your page, for perfect burger buns.
Re spoons, I have a thing about them (and cups), seems bonkers that people still insist on using them when you can pick up really good scales for practically nothing.
That’s interesting to know about the link to my page, thanks for letting me know.
I must admit I usually use scales to weigh most things. The spoon measurements are in the recipe from when I was developing the soft rolls for my father in law. It took a few attempts to get a soft bun and it was easier to add a tablespoon of oil at a time to the dough to get the right texture. The recipe was added to my blog from my recipe notes back in 2014. It was about time I updated it, Sarah.
These rolls turned out exactly as I wanted. I’ve been making bread for ages, and it’s so rewarding. But the soft roll has been eluding me. The only other way that I’ve come close is with butter, egg and milk enriched doughs, but that has its own unpredictability.
I used a no knead stretch and fold process for this recipe, which made the hands on time just a pleasurable few minutes. Also divided ingredients by 4 as I only wanted a couple of rolls.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, borne of love for Ted. Love and bread – a match made in heaven.
Hi Amanda, good to hear from a fellow fan of bread making. Glad to hear your rolls turned out well. It’s always a pleasure to share my Ted’s rolls recipe, Sarah.
Just made these as my husband loves bread but like Ted struggles with crusty types. They went down a treat. Great recipe.
Just made my second batch of these rolls, first batch were a bit heavy, but that was probably due to having to put dough in fridge for a couple of hours through some bad time management. Second batch have come out loads better. Made with 500g white and 250 wholemeal. Definitely recommend this recipe.
Fabulous rolls – best recipe I have ever tried thank you ! Great for vegetarians and vegans too !
You’re most welcome Rachel, it’s a pleasure to share my recipe. Thanks for taking tome to post a review, it’s much appreciated, Sarah.
I have been trying many recipes without success until these.
I gave my sister a batch and she said if I hadn’t told her she would have thought they were shop bought. Every time I eat one I think these are so good.
The only thing I find is the dough is quite sticky and I have trouble deciding if it is kneaded enough or too much and if I need to add slightly less water as it sticks to the side of the bowl of my mixer.
Hi Kathy, that’s great to hear. I’m so pleased you and your sister are enjoying my soft bread rolls. A sticky dough is not always a bad thing it does give good results in the finished bread. However, if you are finding it too difficult to handle I would recommend using a little less water, say 25 mls. Brands of flour do differ in the amount of water required to make dough, humidity can also affect water quantity. Do let me know how you get on, Sarah.
This is amazing 🤩 – I have been trying to convert my children to home made bread for a while to no avail but they loved these rolls and said they were better than shop bought! I literally bake and cook everything from scratch and this was the final challenge I had left to crack so thank you! Could you tell me what the ingredients would be for a loaf in a tin? Assuming this can be adapted with the floury top and soft, light texture? Many thanks!
Hi Debbie, thanks for such a lovely comment. Pleased to hear you’re children enjoyed them. The recipe amounts for a 2lb loaf are 500 g strong white bread flour, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon instant yeast, 4 tablespoons rapeseed oil / Canola oil, 300 ml tepid water.
I have used this dough in a loaf tin and baked for 35 to 40 minutes at 180 C Fan. You won’t get quite as soft a top as the rolls but it will be a softer crust than my crusty farmhouse. Hope this helps, Sarah.
@Sarah James, thank you! I’m going to make 4 rolls today for tonight’s tea and use the rest to make a Freeform loaf – I’ll let you know how I get on! 😀