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.
We had these rolls on Thanksgiving Day. They were so delicious!!
Yay, so glad you enjoyed them! They are always on our Thanksgiving menu as well :)
These are my family’s favorite rolls! I’ve made them four times since September and I always get asked to bring them to family dinner/dinner parties! 💕💕💕easy and yummy!
Yay, this makes me so happy to hear! They are our favorite rolls too :)
Just made these today. Yum. I’ve made quite a few rolls recipes over the past couple years. I think I will stick with this one. I like that it only calls for 1 egg and less than a stick of butter. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! I’m so glad this recipe worked for you :)
I had to come back and post that 3 days later and they’re still so soft!!
Love to hear that!! Thank you for sharing :)
I made a around last year holiday it was the best dinner roll My family lives .thank you .
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for the comment, Elaine!
I make these all the time, and my whole family loves them. I make them as they are written, never anything but perfect 😊 Thank you so recipe
Thanks so much for the nice comment! They are a family favorite at my house too :)
Wow!!!! First time using dry milk in baking , so I was a little nervous, but these were SO worth it!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! :)
One if my favorite rolls for the holidays – and the rolling process is extra fun!
Hi, can you use whole dry milk in this recipe instead of non fat dry milk? How would it change the recipe?
That should be fine!
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. I made them this morning and they are delicious, the only thing that I would change is to add a little bit less salt, I thought they were a bit salty for my taste. Other than that, they were perfect.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for leaving a comment Irina. :)
Can you make the dough in a bread machine
I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure! Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
I asked a question, but haven’t heard any reply so asking again and adding another question: When you say wrap in foil, are you speaking individually wrapped? Also, Can you leave out or replace the nonfat dry milk? I need to alter the recipe for allergies. TIA
Hi Kari! I’m sorry for the delayed reply. I like to wrap them individually in foil so I can pop a few out as needed, but you can also flash freeze them and then put in a freeze bag if you prefer. I’m not sure of a good substitute for the dry milk in this recipe unfortunately.
I have used regular milk in the amount of water called for When I was out of dry milk and these turned out great!
Thanks for sharing your substitution, Heather. So glad they turned out great for you!
This is my all time favorite roll recipe!! Thank you, you have no idea how great you make me look with this delicious recipe. Its practically the go to recipe everytime.
I tried it yesterday. I used shortening and all purpose flour. It was so soft and fluffy. 👍🏼
I am printing this recipe as I write this! These look so soft, tender, and simple to make! I love it!
I love these soft buttery rolls. So good with last nights broccoli cheese soup.
It’s yummy I’ve substitute with coconut cream powder it’s turn out good thanks for this receipy
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
It’s yummy I can get milk powder to I’ve substitute with coconut cream powder it’s turn out good thanks for this receipy
Best roll recipe ever thank you
I’m so glad to hear you love it! Thanks for leaving a comment and review Terry!