How to Make Homemade Sandwich Rolls

You definitely want to stock your freezer with these Homemade Sandwich Rolls. They’re soft, tender and so perfect for almost any sandwich.

Repurposing Grandma’s Buns!

I am so excited about these sandwich rolls! To start, I have a wonderful family recipe for dinner rolls (click here for those tasty treats) that my Grandma used to make. They’re great to accompany a dinner, but not quite what you would want in a sandwich roll (a little too small and sweet).

To be honest, we mostly make our sandwiches on a pretty delicious sourdough sandwich bread we get at our local grocery store. Same thing with our hamburger buns and any sandwich rolls we might use.

But, the more I thought about my Grandma’s buns, the more I thought I could make my own homemade round sandwich rolls. I just needed to make a couple of tweaks.

Tweaking the Original Dinner Roll Recipe

As I mentioned, my Grandma’s original dinner roll recipe is for smaller rolls that are slightly sweet. I needed these homemade rolls to be less sweet and larger.

So, I cut down on the amount of sugar. Then, I increased the size of the rolls so they are better suited for sandwiches.

The result is a soft and tender roll that is PERFECT for a sandwich!

Tips for Making the Perfect Homemade Sandwich Roll

Making Perfectly Shaped Rolls

Once you’ve divided up the dough into equal pieces, take each piece of dough and make a smooth round shape. Now, press down to slightly flatten each of the dough balls. 

This allows for a slightly larger and slightly flatter roll. The perfect size and shape for sandwich use!

Getting a Beautiful Glossy Sheen

Ever wonder how they get that wonderful glossy look on a sandwich roll? It’s pretty easy.

Simply whisk an egg with 1 tbsp water. Then right before putting the rolls into the oven to bake, brush the mixture on the top of the rolls for a golden glossy finish.

Patience with Rise Time

The recipe calls for an hour for the first rise. However, it is more about making sure the dough has risen enough rather than the exact time.

You know the end of the rising time when the dough ball has roughly doubled in size. Sometimes that may take more than an hour and that is ok.

The second rise is pretty much around an hour. The dough will rise some, but we aren’t looking to double in size like the first rise.

​Why Use Active Dry Yeast?

In the baking aisle, you will find active dry yeast and instant yeast. Both active dry yeast and instant yeast work as a leavening agent in bread making (i.e., helps the dough rise). 

However, you have to “proof” the active dry yeast with water before using (so the yeast is no longer dormant). Instant yeast can be added directly into your dry ingredients without putting it into water first.

Instant yeast was introduced into baking in the early 1970’s. It’s made in basically the same way active dry yeast is made, yet milled into finer particles. Because of this finer milling, there is no need to proof first.

Instant yeast is known as a quick-rising yeast due to the smaller particles and the enzymes and additives included to help dough rise faster. As such, you can skip the first rise of the dough and shape your bread immediately after kneading. This is good if you have a quick baking project.

My Grandma grew up with only active dry yeast available to her and she believed this second rise was essential to getting the right consistency of the bread dough. She was not one to cut corners. So, active dry yeast it is for me (Red Star Yeast is pretty popular)!

How to Use Homemade Sandwich Rolls

These sandwich rolls are so versatile. There are so many things you can do with a wonderfully soft and tender sandwich roll:

• We made burgers the other night and served them on these rolls. They tasted ah-maaz-ing!
• When we have anything Italian, we love to split the rolls in half, drizzle each half with a little olive oil, toast them up and sprinkle with a little sea salt.
• Of course, these are first and foremost sandwich buns, which means they work with any type of deli sandwich. Just layer on your favorite sandwich fillings and toppings. 
• They are perfect for large gatherings. Make a double batch, triple batch, go crazy! Basically, you can make them in batches over several days and freeze until needed. They are a foundational item in our Graduation Party Menu and Tips post, which is all about feeding many on a budget.

Freezing the Sandwich Rolls

Once baked, you want the sandwich rolls to cool to room temperature. You can either leave them on the cookie sheet or transfer them to a cooling rack or wire rack. They cooling rack will allow more air around the rolls and cool them a bit faster.

Once cooled, I like to put them in a single layer in a zip lock bag. However, even cooled, there is still quite a bit of moisture.

To combat this moisture, I nearly seal the bag around a straw. I then suck the air out of the bag, remove the straw and quickly seal the bag. This tends to greatly reduce the amount of condensation you will have in the bag.

Put in the freezer. Like any bread product, they keep well for 2-3 weeks. To thaw, simply take out of the freezer and let them come back to room temperature.

Tips and Tricks

• For best results, make sure the water you use is lukewarm, which is about 105 to 115 degrees. Any warmer than that and it can kill the yeast.
• After you form the dough rolls for the second rise, flatten them slightly with your hand. Since these are sandwich rolls, you want them to have a good amount of surface for the sandwich ingredients. If you don’t flatten them, they’ll end up in more of a ball shape.
• For a glossy finish when the rolls come out of the oven, brush on an egg wash before baking. This is just one egg whisked together with a tablespoon water.
• To freeze the rolls, cool completely and put in a single layer in gallon size zip top bags. Seal the bag almost all the way and insert a straw into the remaining space. Suck as much air out of the bag as you can, remove straw and seal completely. This will prevent condensation in the bag.

Ingredients Needed to Make Homemade Sandwich Rolls

• Warm water – Warm water helps the yeast to activate and the dough to rise. 
• Granulated sugar, divided – Some of the sugar sweetens the rolls just a touch and the rest also helps the yeast to activate.
• Active dry yeast – This is the leavening agent that causes the dough to rise.
• Vegetable oil – This helps to give the rolls a more soft and tender crumb.
• Salt – Salt will enhance the flavor of the rolls.
• Eggs – This will make the rolls lighter and fluffier.
• Flour – All-purpose flour works great with this recipe.

How to Make Homemade Sandwich Rolls

• Mix 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp sugar and yeast together in a glass measuring cup.
• Set aside to rise.
• Mix remaining water, sugar, oil, salt and eggs together in a large mixing bowl (if using a hand mixer) or bowl of your stand mixer.
• Add 3 cups of flour and mix with a mixer until smooth.
• Add yeast mixture to the mixing bowl when it’s almost risen to the top of the cup (the yeast gets really bubbly and expands while it sits).
• Add 1 more cup of flour still using mixer.
• Add last 2 cups of flour and mix with a spoon (if using a hand mixer) or the dough hook of your mixer, do not overmix.
• Spread 1/2 cup of flour on your work surface, placing dough on top of it.
• Knead the dough until flour is worked in. If it’s still really sticky, add flour a little at a time until it’s just slightly sticky – about 10 minutes.
• Drizzle some oil in a bowl, then add the dough and coat with the oil.
• Cover dough with a towel and let rise until it doubles (about 1 hour).
• To help with the rise, use the Proof feature on your oven if you have it, or heat oven to 200 degrees and turn off, then put dough in.
• Once dough has risen, take out of the oven and put dough onto a lightly floured board. Punch down, flatten and fold over forming a rectangle.
• Form the dough into 18 rolls and put on cookie sheets lightly lined with parchment or sprayed with cooking spray.
• I found the best way to divide the dough up to get uniformly sized rolls, was to divide it into 6 strips and then divide each piece into thirds.
• Then form each piece into a ball and press down to flatten slightly.
• Let rise again for about 1 hour on the baking sheet uncovered.
• (Optional: Brush with egg wash prior to baking – see Tips and Tricks above).
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15- 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

What to Serve on Homemade Sandwich Rolls

• Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
• Sweet and Savory Chicken Salad with Creamy Yogurt Dressing
• Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
• Easy Ground Turkey Sloppy Joe’s

Enjoy!