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Butter Dinner Rolls 1

Sam’s Club–Style Butter Dinner Rolls

This recipe is surprisingly simple. With added milk powder for extra aroma and a single fermentation, these rolls come out incredibly soft, rich in buttery flavor, and beautifully fluffy with a pull-apart texture.
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Course Breakfast
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients

  • 500 g bread flour
  • 15 g milk powder
  • 80 g granulated sugar
  • 300 –315 g cold milk
  • 50 g beaten egg
  • 6 g instant dry yeast
  • 50 g unsalted butter softened

Additional Ingredients

  • 6 g salt
  • Balances sweetness and strengthens gluten
  • Beaten whole egg as needed (for egg wash)
  • 10 g unsalted butter melted (for brushing after baking)
  • 1 bowl of water for humidity during proofing

Instructions
 

Knead the Dough (Add Ingredients in Stages)

  • In a stand mixer bowl, add bread flour, milk powder, sugar, and yeast. Stir lightly with chopsticks or a spoon to combine.
  • (Avoid direct contact between yeast and sugar to maintain yeast activity.)
  • Add cold milk and beaten egg. Mix on medium speed until the dough reaches 70% gluten development—the dough can stretch into a thick membrane that tears with jagged edges.
  • Add softened butter and salt. Continue mixing on medium speed until the dough reaches full gluten development:
  • Smooth, elastic dough
  • Can stretch into a thin, translucent membrane
  • Tear edges are round and smooth
  • Check dough temperature after mixing: 24–26°C (75–79°F) is ideal.

Divide & Shape

  • Transfer the dough to a work surface. Divide into 30 equal portions, about 28 g each.
  • Shape each piece into a smooth ball by rolling gently with your palm.
  • (Lightly dust hands with flour if needed to prevent sticking.)

Pan & Proof

  • Place dough balls evenly into a 28 cm (11-inch) baking pan. No greasing needed. Leave 1–2 cm space between each ball.
  • Lightly mist the surface with water to prevent drying.
  • Place the pan in the oven using fermentation mode at 34°C (93°F). Add a bowl of hot water inside the oven to maintain humidity.
  • Proof for about 1 hour, until the dough expands and fills the pan.
  • Gently press the dough—if it slowly springs back without collapsing, it’s ready.

Bake

  • Preheat oven 10 minutes before baking.
  • Top heat: 180°C (356°F)
  • Bottom heat: 195°C (383°F)
  • Place the rack on the lowest level.
  • Brush the dough gently with a thin layer of beaten egg.
  • Bake for 18 minutes.
  • (If browning too quickly, loosely cover with foil.)

Finish

  • Remove rolls from the oven and immediately brush with melted butter.
  • Transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool until warm before serving.
  • Soft, buttery, fluffy—and beautifully pull-apart every time

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