These Lion House rolls may have originated in Utah, but you can now make them at home with the same soft, fluffy and buttery taste. The perfect indulgent dinner roll!
More homemade roll recipes we make include dinner rolls, French rolls or these perfect potato rolls!
Table of Contents
Lion House Dinner Rolls
Lion house rolls may have become famous at the Lion House restaurant in Utah, but now you can make this incredible recipe at home! They are super soft and fluffy with buttery taste. I love to serve them with Thanksgiving recipes and Easter recipes or for any special occasion.
If I’m in charge of making rolls…this is my go to recipe! They are so tender and soft fresh out of the oven with melted butter and homemade strawberry jam. Once you master these, you can also make my favorite Hawaiian rolls recipe, Parker House roll recipe or Texas Roadhouse rolls recipe!
Recipe Ingredients
These lion house rolls are legendary because of their soft, buttery flavor and texture due to using not only flour, yeast, and water in the dough but also butter, egg, and dairy.
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Flour: You can use bread flour or all purpose flour in this recipe. Learning how to measure flour accurately is key in baked goods!
- Warm water: Not cold, not hot, just right at at 105 degrees F. Use a thermometer to measure accuracy if you are not sure.
- Nonfat instant dry milk: Nonfat dry milk powder gives these rolls a tender texture and better rise.
- Yeast: Active dry yeast is necessary for the rolls to rise.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is food for your yeast to properly activate.
- Salt: Elevates the final taste of the rolls.
- Butter: Softened butter will mix properly with the other dough ingredients. You will also need some to brush on the top of rolls after baking.
- Egg: Binds your dough together and supplements the gluten, a necessary ingredient for an enriched dough.
How to Make the Dough
Any baked-from-scratch rolls take patience, time, and a bit of love! The results and smiles of your family will be well worth it, though, when they taste these light and fluffy lion house rolls.
- Proof the yeast. In the bowl of your electric mixer, combine water and instant milk powder until the milk dissolves. Sprinkle yeast on top, stir, cover with plastic and let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes.
- Mix together. Using a dough hook or dough whisk add sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2-3 cups of flour then mix on low speed until combined. Adjust your mixer to medium speeds and mix for 2 more minutes.
- Continue to add flour. Add additional 2 cups more of flour and mix on low speed until combined, then mix on medium speeds for 2 minutes. Continue to add flour in 1/2 cup increments until dough is soft and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
- Rise. Scrape your dough off the sides of the bowl and grease bowl with oil. To prevent sticking, turn your dough over so it is covered with oil on all sides. Cover with plastic and rise in a warm place until double in size for about 1 hour.
How to Shape Lion House Rolls
- Roll the dough out to make a long horizontal shape, similar to the picture above. Divide the dough in half horizontally.
- Make vertical cuts down the dough from one end to the other. This should make about 18 individual strips of dough that are 2-2.5 inches wide.
- Shape each roll individually by taking the dough strip with both hands and stretching it out vertically. Then flip the dough around from the bottom up. You can also roll in crescent rolls shape.
Recipe Tips
- Milk vs. dry milk powder: You may substitute instant dry milk with regular milk, however use 2/3 cup less water.
- Don’t kill the yeast. This means using the correct water temperature. You will be able to tell your yeast is alive as it will dissolve in the liquid then after about 5 minutes become foamy and float on top of the milk mixture. If your yeast has sunk to the bottom, it’s dead and you need to start over.
- Check your yeast. Make sure it’s not expired. If it is, toss it and get some fresh to use!
- Double batch: If you need more rolls for a larger crowd, it’s best to make multiple single batches as it will be very hard to double this in a home stand mixer.
- Spread on top. These already taste like they could be for dessert, so why not take them over the top with cinnamon butter, apple butter, orange butter or garlic herb butter.
Favorite Meals to Serve Alongside
This Lion House rolls recipe tastes amazing with just about anything, but here are a few of our favorite dinners to serve them with:
- Chicken pot pie soup
- Chicken broccoli rice casserole
- Mississippi pot roast
- Chicken and dumplings
- Homemade meatloaf
- Roasted chicken
- Swedish meatballs
Treat your family to these other homemade rolls – easy garlic knots, one hour cinnamon rolls, ciabatta rolls and homemade biscuits!
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Lion House Roll Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water (about 105°F)
- ⅔ cup nonfat instant dry milk
- 2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ⅓ cup softened butter , more for top
- 1 large egg
- 5-6 cups bread or all-purpose flour , more or less as needed
- oil
Instructions
- Proof yeast. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine 2 cup warm water and 2/3 cup milk powder and stir until the milk dissolves. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons yeast on top, stir and then cover with plastic. Let it sit for 5 minutes, or until the yeast has started to proof.
- Add butter and egg. Next add 1/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/3 cup butter, 1 egg and 2-3 cups of the flour. Using a mixer with a dough hook (can also stir with a dough whisk), mix on low speed. Then turn to medium speed and mix for 2 minutes.
- Add flour until dough develops. Stop the mixer and add 2 more cups of flour and then mix on low speed until the ingredients are wet. Then turn mixer on medium speed and mix for 2 minutes. Add approximately 1/2 cup of flour until the dough is soft and pulling away from the sides of the bowl. It should not be overly sticky or stiff.
- 1st rise. Scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl and add 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil around the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough over in the bowl so it is covered with the oil (this helps prevent the dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour).
- Shape into rolls. Sprinkle the counter with flour or use a baking mat and put the dough on top. Roll out into a large rectangle. Brush with slightly melted butter if desired. Then cut into desired shaped rolls. For the lion house shape, divide dough into two and then roll each piece into a rectangle. Then cut smaller rectangles about 2×4". Then roll the dough up and place the tail on the baking sheet.
- 2nd rise. Place on lightly greased baking pans. Let rise in a warm place until the rolls are double in size (about 45 minutes).
- Bake. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until the tops and bottoms are lightly browned. Brush with melted butter when taken out of the oven.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
These rolls were made famous by Utah’s Lion House restaurant. They are well known in the region for their great food, but more famously known for these rolls!
The key to making light and fluffy homemade rolls is to proof the yeast, knead the dough and then let the dough rise. I like to roll my dough in a ball, place it in a large bowl and let it rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. Then I’ll roll the dough out and shape the rolls. I then let them rise in a warm place until they double in size (for about an hour). Then they are ready to stick in the oven and bake beautifully…super light and fluffy!
Yes! Simply roll them out and cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and place in the fridge instead of rising. When ready to bake, take them out of the fridge 1 1/2 hours before baking to rise. Then bake as directed.
These rolls will keep at room temperature in an airtight container or storage bag for about 2-3 days. To freeze, wrap them individually with foil and place in a storage bag in the freezer. They are best if reheated and eaten within about a month.
To reheat, keep the rolls wrapped in foil and bake at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes. Feel free to take the foil off within the last couple of minutes to brown the tops a little more.
Categorized as: American, Biscuits + Rolls, Bread, Christmas, Easter, Nut-Free, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian, Yeast Bread
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Easy to make, very tasty and freezes well
So glad you enjoyed the homemade lion house rolls!
Follow instructions and they will be amazing
So glad you enjoy the Lion House rolls!
I have made many a yeast rolls in my 65 years, but whether my error or the recipe, it was a total flop. Threw them out. Followed instructions, but this dough was like rubber! I should have videoed me trying to roll it out…would have went viral! Lol!
I think it was adding milk powder to water before proofing yeast, but just don’t know, but yeast did not proof. It was very fresh yeast & I even checked water temp before adding yeast. Puzzled to say the least.
Hi Debbie, I’m so sorry they did not turn out for you. It’s hard to say went wrong without being there. My guess is maybe the dough didn’t rise long enough (or the rising temperature wasn’t warm enough). Typically if my yeast doesn’t proof I throw it out and try again. The water could have been too hot or not hot enough. You could try adding the milk later on, but I’ve always done it this way with great results.
Family favorite! My go-to roll recipe!
Thank you Dana! It’s one of my favorites too :)
My mother handed down this recipe from her family. I remember helping hand neading the bread when I was little.These rolls are the best. She always called them Cresent rolls. I have enjoyed them since I was a kid(way back in the early 60s ) and an still making them today. There is nothing like one of these warm rolls with home made butter and jelly. Absokutely the best!
I love that memory Pamela! Cooking definitely brings people together :) I love these rolls as well, one of my favorites!
Can you shape the rolls then freeze before cooking, pull out and let rise a couple hours before let rise then cook?
Yes you can :)
i made these for thanksgiving the day before and refrigerated after i rolled them out, somehow i ended up with 34 rolls (definitely need some practice rolling and cutting) but they were still delicious! pulled them out 2 hours prior to baking;)
My family loves these rolls! Always a fan favorite at holidays meals or an everyday dinner :)
So glad your family enjoyed the lion house rolls!
These rolls are seriously the BEST!! They are soft, buttery and so so good. Plus they are not hard to make.
Truly the best rolls! I substitute the yeast & a little water for sourdough and it’s so yummy! My husband can’t get enough of these rolls, he always begs me to make more!
Can you explain how you substituted sour dough? I am brand new at bread making
Do you spoon in your flour into the cup or do you dip the measuring cup in the flour and sweep off the top?
I spoon and level off :) I try to go by how the dough feels if I’ll add more. It should be soft, not sticky.
These are so delicious! One of the best roll recipes out there!
Glad you enjoyed the rolls! One of our favorites too :)
curious if you can use the quick rise yeast and do you still proof it the same way, or what would the directions be
If you’re using quick rise yeast, no need to proof. You’ll just add in with the other ingredients (just make sure it isn’t expired).
I made these a while back and they were delicious fresh! I ended up freezing half of them (cooked and cooled) and pulled them out of the freezer for dinner tonight. I am happy to say they were just as delicious! Definitely making these again.
Yay, I am so happy to hear that! Thanks for your comment and review Wendy :)
Looking forward to these for Christmas dinner! They are my favorite rolls, soft and light and fluffy.
I hope you enjoy! Merry Christmas, Crystal :)