These are wonderful dinner rolls with beer in the dough. They have a soft crumb and fantastic crust, and they taste delicious! Use them to accompany hearty dishes like stews and chilies or for sandwiches. They freeze well.
Leftover beer rolls
This is a different dinner roll recipe that uses beer as the liquid, making them unique but simple enough to accompany everyday meals.
With a marvelous white, creamy crumb, they can be made ahead and frozen, so you can warm them up when the need arises.
They're a close relative of one of my favorite sandwich and dinner breads, the semolina rolls.
They're our go-to rolls for our hearty lentil stew or when we cook rosemary steak with garlic, to sop up those juices.
Ingredient Notes
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Bread flour: it has more gluten and can be easily purchased online.
- Semolina flour: is very finely milled durum wheat flour and adds color and texture.
- Beer: use a regular, blonde supermarket one.
- Yeast: I use active dry yeast, which needs to be hydrated before (foamed). You can use instant yeast (¾ of the amount given for active dry) and add it directly to the flour, then add the liquid; no need to foam it first. If using fresh yeast (the ratio is 3:1 to dry), and is used in the same way as the active-dry, you need to hydrate it first and let it foam.
What kind of beer works best for these rolls?
A light or medium-bodied beer with mild bitterness and a touch of sweetness works well. Pilsners, lagers and amber ales are the most recommended. I generally use Heineken.
How to make sure the yeast works
Check the expiration date on the yeast package. It's best to get a new package if it's past the expiration date.
Appearance: Yeast should be beige to light brown and granular or powdery, depending on the type (instant or rapid rise, active-dry or fresh). If it appears grayish, clumpy or has any signs of discoloration, it may be old or expired.
Smell: it typically has a mild, slightly sweet smell. If it has a strong or unpleasant odor, it may be old or contaminated and should not be used.
If in doubt, don't use it! Buy new.
Proofing test:
- In a small bowl, dissolve ½ teaspoon of sugar in about ¼ cup of warm or tepid (not hot) water. You should be able to dip your pinky finger.
- Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of yeast over the water and sugar mixture.
- Gently stir the mixture and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes.
- If the yeast is active and fresh, it should begin to foam and bubble. This indicates that the yeast is alive and can be used for baking. The amount of activity will depend on the type of yeast. Instant yeast will bubble less than active-dry or fresh.
Steps to make beer rolls
What type of beer works best? A light or medium-bodied beer with mild bitterness and a touch of sweetness works well. Pilsners, lagers and amber ales are the most recommended. I generally use Heineken.
- Ingredients are stirred together in a large bowl.
Stand mixer: if using it, and it's highly recommended if you don't knead by hand, mix the ingredients directly in the mixer's bowl.
- At first, it's a shaggy mass that feels like it will never turn into a smooth dough, but it will.
- The dough will be coarse after kneading it for a few minutes. Keep on kneading some more until the dough is firm and quite smooth and forms a ball.
Transfer it to a clean large bowl where it can rise comfortably upwards.
- Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel or loose plastic wrap and let rise until doubled. This is called proofing the dough.
- The formed rolls are placed in the baking tray and need a second rise.
- They will puff and bump into each other, and that is the signal that they're ready to be baked.
Uses and variations
- It can be adapted to any shape, be it rolls, loaf, baguette, breadsticks or even pizza; use water or beer, use all bread flour or half semolina like I did.
- Add chopped herbs (basil and oregano are great), onions, or grated cheese to the dough, and have savory little rolls to soak up that sauce from your plate. I told you it’s very adaptable to personal taste.
- I love these to make meat sandwiches. The crumb is the right texture for those meat juices, and it works with cold meats well too.
Kitchen Notes
Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, utensils and equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend keeping track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Storage
Room temperature: transfer the cooled rolls to an airtight container, resealable plastic bag or cover with plastic wrap to avoid dryness. Be careful not to squish them. They keep for 2-3 days.
Refrigeration and freezing: either works for longer storage. Wrap or cover as explained above. They keep in the fridge for a week and in the freezer for a month.
Related recipes you might like:
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Dinner Rolls with Beer (yeasted)
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Ingredients
- ¾ ounce active-dry yeast, same amount of instant yeast or 1 ounce (28g) fresh yeast
- 2 tablespoons honey or sugar
- 2 ⅔ cups tepid beer, regular blond beer from the supermarket like Heineken or similar
- 4 ½ to 5 cups bread flour
- 2 cups fine semolina flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- extra flour and semolina, for dusting
Instructions
- Dissolve ¾ ounce active-dry yeast in a bowl with 1 cup tepid beer and 2 tablespoons honey or sugar. Leave a few minutes until foaming. If using instant yeast, add it directly to the sugar below with the flour, no need to make let it foam.
- Mix 4 ½ to 5 cups bread flour, 2 cups fine semolina flour and 2 teaspoons salt in a stand mixer (or a large bowl if made by hand).
- Make a hole in the middle and add the yeast mixture and the remaining 2 ⅔ cups beer. With a wooden spoon, mix until you have a shaggy mass.
- If using a mixer, attach the dough hook and knead for a few minutes until the dough starts to come together. Adjust liquid (add water by teaspoons if the dough is too dry and won’t come together) or flour (add by tablespoons if the dough is too wet) if needed.
- Knead for 5 minutes until smooth.
- If making by hand, dump the mix onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 1 minute, adding teaspoons of water (if too dry) or tablespoons of flour (if too wet).
- Knead for 5 to 7 minutes, pushing and folding the dough over and over until smooth.
- Shape into a ball, cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap (it will rise faster), and let double in size, about 30 to 40 minutes depending on how warm the kitchen is.
- Gently punch the dough down to release all air inside, and knead for 1 minute.
- Cut into equal pieces (12 if using them for sandwiches and 20-24 for dinner rolls), shape each into a tight ball, and place in two greased round tins.
- Dust the tops with some extra flour and semolina. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled again.
- While they’re rising, preheat the oven to 425ºF (225ºC).
- Bake bread for about 20 minutes, until golden and dry. If you tap the bottom it should sound hollow. Remove from pan onto a wire rack and let cool.
Notes
This is an adapted recipe from Jamie Oliver's first cookbook, which I loved.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Lynn! Yes, it's a typo and should've been 2 teaspoons. It's corrected now. Too much salt limits the power of the yeast, so the rolls didn't rise as they should. I sent you an email just now.
AVI says
I like this bread very much. great aroma and texture, and relatively easy to make in a short time.
I have not found fine Semolina flour, but using fine, but a little grainier Semolina mill worked great too. Should I have made any correction for that?
Paula Montenegro says
Glad you like it Avi. A grainier semolina gives the bread more texture, but that's fine.
Carol says
I’m having a hard time converting the flour measurements into cups. So is that like 4 cups each of bread flour and semolina ?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Carol, I changed the recipe and included the ingredients in cups, much easier. As a guide, 1 cup of flour is 140g and 1 cup of fine semolina is 170g. Hope this helps!
Patricia says
Hi Paula. What type of beer do you recommend? eg a traditional one like Corona?
Paula Montenegro says
Yes, any regular blond beer, like Corona or similar. I think I used Heineken
Patricia says
Thank you!
Cocoa and Lavender says
Glad to hear about your new work adventures! And am also glad to have this recipe. I am excited that I am getting over my fear of yeast - these would be perfect for Thanksgiving! ~ David
Angie Schneider says
Excellent news, Paula. Congratulations!
These rustic beer buns look fantastic.
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
These rolls look fantastic but the prospect of employment even better! Go for it, Paula!
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
Congrats on the new jobs, Paula! As much as I'd love to read your wonderful posts every day, I totally understand when it comes down to lack of time. You should definitely spend it doing things that you need to do (work, eating, socializing, napping, getting massages, y'know, important stuff!). I barely keep it together to bake 'n post once a week (sigh). Good thing you had this recipe and these photos tucked away. I looooooove baking bread and even better when it includes beer! I'm definitely trying this.
Karen @ Lemon Grove Cake Diaries says
Awesome photos, that first one with the steam coming off the buns just makes me want to eat them now! I love crusty bread rolls so I will definitely give these a go. Good luck with the job!
Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons says
Congratulations on the new work developments, Paula! I'm sure once you get on a schedule for it, you'll rock it. But I can totally understand this post. I've bitten off way more than I can chew lately, but in a good way!
mividaenundulce says
El tiempo...no perdona verdad?...y es que a veces pensamos que los días tienen más horas.
me encantan estos panes, creo que en inglés los llaman pull apart..bueno, me gusta que estén así juntitos y uno los pueda ir "arrancado" del centro, además la parte que queda pegada es blandita.
Y a todo esto, no sé cómo es que llegué a tu blog en inglés y no al de castellano...cosas raras de la vida
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says
Congrats on the new jobs, Paula! I'd love to hear more about what you'll be doing.
Your rolls look incredible. Somehow, I've never made rolls. Bread, yes, but not rolls. I'm booking this recipe for our Thanksgiving feast. 🙂
Renee says
Holy WOW Paula at the photo of the steam coming off those hot out of the oven rolls. Now I need to get some beer to make the rolls. I know subbing wine would not be a good idea...
anna @ annamayeveryday says
Great news, well done! Life is always a bit of a juggle, finding time for everything.
thelittleloaf says
These sound absolutely wonderful and I adore the first photo with the steam!