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If you’re after soft, fluffy bread with a chewy crust these French bread rolls are going to be your go-to recipe. They’re perfect alongside soups, salads or holiday dinners and the dough is simple enough for beginner bakers to master right away. With a golden crisp exterior and a perfectly tender crumb inside, they’re irresistible fresh from the oven. You can enjoy them as dinner rolls, sandwich buns or a snack with butter. They’re versatile, quick to prepare and absolutely worth making.
Soft, fluffy French bread rolls with a golden crust are the perfect accompaniment for soup, salad or main dishes. This easy recipe makes bakery-quality rolls right at home.
Also try crusty rolls, yeast rolls, 30-minute dinner rolls, chocolate loaf bread, cheddar chive dinner rolls, cloverleaf rolls and Parker House rolls.
Why You’ll Love It
Versatile: This French bread rolls recipe is a treat for weeknight dinners, holidays or sandwich rolls.
Easy to make: Straightforward steps make this beginner friendly and you don’t need a bread machine, just a stand mixer (or a lot of elbow grease!)
Bakery quality: Golden crust with a soft airy interior.
Customizable: Shape as rolls or a loaf to suit your plan.
French Bread Dinner Rolls Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Active dry yeast: Helps the dough rise for light, fluffy rolls.
Warm water: Activates the yeast and brings the dough together. You can use bottled, tap, or filtered water in this recipe without any changes. You will want to make sure the water is no hotter than 110°F, as anything warmer will burn the yeast, affecting the dough rise.
Honey: Adds gentle sweetness and supports a steady rise in bread recipes. I like the mild sweetness the honey adds to the dinner rolls but you can omit it if preferred (or try my jalapeno hot honey for a spicy result!)
Salt: Balances flavor so the rolls taste full and rounded. You can use kosher salt or any other kind.
All purpose flour: Builds structure for a tender crumb without heaviness. For a more accurate measurement, use a digital scale or fluff the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a butter knife.
Hot water for steam (optional): Helps to create a classic crisp crust during baking.
How to Make French Bread Rolls
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Activate the yeast: Stir warm water, honey and yeast in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, then let the yeast mixture foam.
Make the dough: Mix in salt and flour until a dough forms that’s pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Knead with a dough hook until smooth.
First rise: Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a towel or lightly greased plastic wrap and wait until it’s doubled in size.
Shape the rolls: Divide into equal pieces, form tight round balls and set on lined baking sheets.
Second rise: Cover and let the shaped rolls puff until noticeably lighter. Preheat the oven.
Bake: Bake your yeast rolls until the tops are a lovely golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped. Let them rest for 10 minutes and then serve (I love serving mine in a fancy bread basket!)
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten free option: Use a 1:1 gluten free bread blend and adjust hydration as needed.
No honey: Swap in sugar for a neutral flavor or omit for savory rolls.
Instant yeast: Feel free to use instant yeast if preferred.
Bread flour swap: Use bread flour if you want a slightly chewier bite.
Bread loaf variation: Shape as one loaf instead of rolls and extend the bake time to 30 to 35 minutes.
Egg wash: Whisk eggs with a little water and use a pastry brush to brush it on top of the rolls before baking for extra shine.
Serving Suggestions
With soup: Freshly baked bread rolls are delicious with ham and bean soup or hamburger soup.
With a main course: Pair your fresh dinner rolls with any kind of meal such as lamb stew or fennel orange chicken.
Make sandwiches: Use these rolls as burger buns, perhaps for gorgonzola buffalo burgers. You could also pile rotisserie chicken salad or pimento cheese in a split roll, as French bread is sturdy enough to hold pretty much any filling.
How to Store French Bread Rolls
Store: Keep leftover homemade bread in a bread bag or an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can store the rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze: You can store leftover rolls in the freezer. Once the rolls have baked, allow them to cool completely, and transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat: To reheat the rolls, warm them in a 300°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until soft and warmed through.
Top Tips
Measure flour accurately: Spoon and level so the dough stays soft. Adding too much flour during kneading can make the rolls dense. It’s okay if the dough clings slightly to your hands; it will firm up during rising.
Steam for a crispy crust: Set a pan of hot water in the oven to boost shine and chew.
Don’t skip the knead: Kneading helps develop the gluten and gives you bread that is soft and fluffy in the middle.
Don’t overproof: Bake once the rolls are puffy and nearly doubled. Over-proofed rolls can collapse or turn out overly airy and soft.
Cool briefly: Resting for 10 to 15 minutes sets the crumb so the texture stays light.
French Bread Roll FAQs
Yes, use the same amount and skip the separate activation step.
Weigh each portion of dough so all pieces match, for even baking.
Yes. After the first rise, you can shape the rolls, place them on a baking sheet, cover them well, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Let them sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes before baking to allow them to come back to room temperature and finish proofing.
Crusty Bread Rolls Recipe
French Bread Rolls
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Dough Hook Attachment
- Baking Dish Optional
- Digital Scale Optional
Ingredients
- 1 Package active dry yeast, 2 ¼ Teaspoons
- 1 Cup water, warmed to about 90°F
- 1 Tablespoon honey, optional
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 3 Cups all-purpose flour, 360 Grams, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 4 Cups hot water, for baking, optional
- cooking spray, for greasing
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl, stir the yeast, honey (if using) and warm water.
- Allow to sit for a few minutes to allow the yeast to soften.
- Once a few bubbles start to form in the bowl, after 3 to 5 minutes, add 2 cups of the flour and the salt.
- Stir to fully combine. The mixture should resemble a wet, shaggy dough.
- Add the remaining flour and stir to combine until the flour has become fully incorporated. The dough should be slightly sticky but pulling itself away from the sides of the bowl when being mixed.
- Fit the dough hook attachment, set the stand mixer to medium and knead the dough for 5 minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean, dry surface.
- Grease the bowl lightly with some spray oil and transfer the dough to the greased bowl.
- Cover with some plastic wrap or a tea towel.
- Allow to rise in a warm place for about 1 ½ to 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Set aside.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, divide it into 12 equal pieces.
- Roll each dough piece into a ball and space out these rolled dough balls on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Cover and allow to rise for 30 more minutes.
- About 10 minutes before the rolls have finished rising, adjust the oven racks so there’s one rack placed in the lower spot and one rack placed in the upper spot.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Optional step: Place a baking dish on the lower rack of the oven with 4 cups of water in it. This will give you the classic French bread crust.
- Bake the rolls for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Steam for a crispy crust: Set a pan of hot water in the oven to boost shine and chew.
Don’t skip the knead: Kneading helps develop the gluten and gives you bread that is soft and fluffy in the middle.
Don’t overproof: Bake once the rolls are puffy and nearly doubled. Over-proofed rolls can collapse or turn out overly airy and soft.
Cool briefly: Resting for 10 to 15 minutes sets the crumb so the texture stays light.
Nutrition
Homemade crusty French bread rolls elevate any meal with minimal effort. The French bread roll dough dough stays manageable, the crumb turns out tender and the crust bakes up with that classic bakery finish. Make a batch for dinner, slice them for sandwiches or stash a few for breakfast rolls. Once you see how consistently they rise and how good they taste warm with butter, you’ll keep this recipe in steady rotation.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
