Lion House Rolls

Who doesn’t love a good roll? This recipe came from the Lion House in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Lion House restaurant and pantry no longer exist, but you can still get these rolls at restaurants on Temple Square. For those of us who don’t want to drive to Salt Lake, or can’t, luckily they published their recipe in one of their cook books years ago.

These rolls are pretty easy to make, especially if you have a stand mixer. I love my KitchenAid for making bread. It literally does all the hard work for me.

I will make these for big family dinners fairly regularly and there are never any left overs. They pair great with my homemade honey butters.

Print Recipe

Lion House Dinner Rolls

A delightful, fluffy dinner roll sure to please everyone. These are amazing right out of the oven and so good for several days afterward.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Rest Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread, dinner rolls, holiday rolls, Lion House Rolls, roll, rolls, side dish

Servings: 27 rolls

Equipment

• 1 Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer (or similar) (If you don't have a mixer, you can knead the bread with your hands.)
• 1 Large Cookie Sheet

Ingredients

• 2 cups Warm Water Approximately 110℉
• 2/3 cup Instant nonfat dry milk
• 2 tbsp Active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/3 cup Butter softened
• 1 Large Egg
• 4.5-5.5 cups Bread Flour all-purpose flour will work too

For rolling out the dough

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour

Instructions

• In your mixer, combine 2 cups water, 2/3 cup dry milk, and 1/4 cup sugar. Stir to dissolve and combine.
• Add the 2 tbsp of yeast and stir to combine again. Cover the bowl with a towel and let the yeast proof for about 10 minutes.
You want it to look foamy. This step also lets you know if your water was the right temperature. If it doesn't get foamy and bubbly, then the yeast isn't active and there is no point adding the rest of the ingredients. You'll want to start over if it doesn't get bubbly.
• Next, add the 2 tsp salt, 1/3 cup butter, egg, and 2 cups of flour. With the dough attachment on, mix on low speed until the ingredients are wet, then turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for another minute. Be sure to stop the mixer to scrape the sides as needed.
• Add another 2.5 cups flour. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are wet, then turn the mixer back to medium speed for another 1-2 minutes. The dough will be getting stiffer at this point. You will want to make sure you scrape down the sides and hook as needed to make sure all the flour gets incorporated and doesn't clump in one area.
• Add up to 1/2-1 cup of flour. You might not need to add it all. Just slowly add it until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl if using a mixer.
This should put you at about 5 cups of flour. The dough should be soft, not overly sticky but not too stiff. You want it to stick to your finger but not stay on your finger in a big clump.
If you don't have a mixer, you can do this part by hand, as well.
• Transfer the dough to a bowl that is 2-3 times the size of the dough ball you have made. Be sure to spray the bowl with cooking spray or vegetable oil so the dough doesn't stick. Be sure to turn the dough over so it doesn't stick or dry out while rising.
• Cover the dough and let it rise until double in size. I like to cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.
In the winter it can take about an hour. In the summer months, it can double as quickly as 30 minutes.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, punch is down so it collapses. Then, sprinkle a large cutting board, silicone mat, or your cleaned counter with flour and put the dough on the spread out flour.
You need to use enough flour on the dough so that it's workable and doesn't stick.
• Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough in a large rectangle about 1/4 inch thick and roughly 15×22 inches in size. I use my thumb and pointer finger to make an "L" as a measurement tool. If you can get 3 rows and at least 8 or 9 columns, it's the right size.
• Brush the dough with the melted butter (about 1/2 cup but you can use less). If you don't want to do one large rectangle, you can divide the dough into 2 sections instead.
• Cut the dough into 2"x4" rectangles. Again, I use my finger "L" to guage the size of the rectangles I'm cutting. If you are using a silicone mat or cutting board, a pizza cutter will really speed up the cutting process.
• Grease your large cookie sheet, then roll the rectangles up like a sleeping back and place them open edge (or the tail) down onto the sheet.
• Cover and let rise again. This will take anywhere from 45 minutes to just over an hour, until they are double in size.
• Bake at 350℉ for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. The time can vary depending on the size of your rolls.
• This part is optional, but really takes the rolls to the next level. When they come out of the oven, brush the tops with additional butter. Then cut them apart and enjoy!