Crock Pot Easy Homemade Yeast Rolls {Freezer Friendly}

These Crock Pot Easy Homemade Yeast Rolls are the best yeast rolls I have ever had, but I may be biased since they are made from my Momma’s tried-and-true recipe.

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Aunt Lou here.

Cris did a post a while back over on Goodeness Gracious about the famous (well, at least in our family) Benefiel Yeast Rolls. This year we have two Thanksgiving dinners back to back. One on Saturday at someone else’s house and one the next day at our house where a whopping THIRTY FOUR people are expected to attend! I have been asked to provide rolls for both. All in all, I will be providing yeast rolls for 56 people! While I usually cheat and just pick up something at the store, I thought I would surprise them all and make up Momma’s rolls, with a twist! I will be making the dough ahead of time, freezing it and using the cooking method I used with Crock Pot Dinner Rolls to bake up most of them. (Just wait for the jaws to start dropping! None of my in-laws have any idea I can cook…I don’t think most of them realize what I do for a living! Can you keep the secret for me? 😉 )

Crock Pot Easy Homemade Yeast Rolls Notes:

• This is a simple recipe. It scared me at first because working with yeast just seems difficult, but I have now made this recipe a number of times and can tell you with confidence that it is nothing to be scared of.
• I used Cassie (my 9 x13 casserole slow cooker made by Crock Pot) for this recipe with wonderful success.  I have not tried this recipe with a normal 6-quart crock pot, but I did use a 6-quart slow cooker when I made the Crock Pot Dinner Rolls and it worked great. However, I can’t fit quite as many rolls in a 6-quart as I can my Cassie…and well, since I am making rolls for 56 people, then I gotta use the most efficient crock pot! If you don’t need quite as many, then you can use a 6-quart.
• You will notice that there are TWO recipe cards below. I did this so I can give you clear directions on how to make the rolls if you want/need to freeze the dough first, as well as giving you the option to make them without freezing the dough. If I would have put both methods in the same recipe card, things would’ve gotten confusing fast! And no one wants that! 😉
• Now for my paper towel people. There is condensation that collects on the lid. I was very tempted to put paper towels under the lid to keep it from possibly dripping onto the rolls. However, I decided against it. Yeast does not like to be messed with once it is doing its thing. I swear I have seen rolls fall before just because I looked at it wrong (teasing…sorta).  So I didn’t want to risk the rolls being touched by the paper towel and falling. When I switched Cassie from low to high heat, I wiped the condensation off of the lid. About halfway through the cooking on high, I wiped the lid off one more time. This seemed to do the trick.

• I ran out of white flour on my first batch (sometimes I don’t plan ahead well enough…am I the only one?) and had to use part white flour and part wheat flour. They turned out just fine. So if you prefer to use wheat flour, I believe it should work just fine.
• People always ask us why would you use your crock pot for recipes like this. There are different reasons. If you are traveling and still want to have yummy baked goods, you can bring along your trusty crock pot and be in business! Also, if you have a lot of dishes going at once and want to free up your oven for something else, you can use your crock pot. However, if you want to make these in your oven, you can use this recipe. With the dozens and dozens of rolls I will be making, I will be utilizing my oven and my Cassie since I don’t have multiple Cassies and need to get these done in a short amount of time.
• One of the reasons I like using Cassie for this recipe is because her insert can be put in the oven for the broiling step. You don’t have to do the broiling step if you don’t want to. The purpose of that step is to brown the tops up and make them look all purdy. 😉 Speaking of the broiling step, please, please pay attention to your rolls while they are in the broiler. Set a timer for 30-90 seconds, turn on your oven light, pull up a chair and watch them like your rolls depended on it…because they do! In the broiler, your rolls can go from perfectly golden to black in a jiffy. This is not a step where you want to walk away and do something else while you are waiting.

5 from 6 votes

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Crock Pot Easy Homemade Yeast Rolls

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs

Total Time

2 hrs 15 mins

 

Use this Crock Pot Easy Homemade Yeast Rolls recipe to make these delicious rolls without freezing the dough.

Course: Side

Servings: 12 -15 rolls

Author: Aunt Lou

Ingredients

• 1 Package Dry Yeast
• ¼ Cup Warm Water
• 1 Cup Milk- Scalded
• ¼ Cup Oil
• ⅓ Cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2½-3½ Cups Flour- Divided
• 1 Egg Beaten

Instructions

1. Dissolve your yeast in warm water and set aside
2. Mix your scalded milk with your oil, sugar and salt and let cool to lukewarm
3. Add 1½ cups sifted flour to your your milk mixture
4. Then add your yeast and beaten egg, mixing until well combined
5. Blend into your mixture 1-2 cups of flour until a soft dough forms.
6. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat.
7. Set in warm place until your dough is 1½ to double in size.
8. Flatten with hands to ¾ inch thickness on a floured surface.
9. Cut with a glass and place rolls in a greased casserole crock or 6-quart crock pot. (I used my 9 x13 casserole slow cooker made by Crock Pot)
10. Cover and cook on low until rolls have doubled in size.
11. Once rolls have doubled in size, wipe the condensation off of your lid, replace lid and change heat setting to high
12. Cook on high for 45 minutes to one hour until the rolls are done
13. If desired, place rolls in broiler (on high if you have the choice) for 30-90 seconds, until tops are golden brown. *WATCH CLOSELY*
14. Top with butter.
15. Turn out on cooling rack and break apart once they are cool enough to handle

5 from 6 votes

Print

FREEZE AHEAD Method: Crock Pot Easy Homemade Yeast Rolls

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

3 hrs

Total Time

3 hrs 15 mins

 

Use this Crock Pot Easy Homemade Yeast Rolls recipe to make these delicious rolls when freezing the dough.

Course: Side

Servings: 12 -15 rolls

Author: Aunt Lou

Ingredients

• 1 Package Dry Yeast
• ¼ Cup Warm Water
• 1 Cup Milk- Scalded
• ¼ Cup Oil
• ⅓ Cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2½-3½ Cups Flour- Divided
• 1 Egg Beaten

Instructions

1. Dissolve your yeast in warm water and set aside
2. Mix your scalded milk with your oil, sugar and salt and let cool to lukewarm
3. Add 1½ cups sifted flour to your your milk mixture
4. Then add your yeast and beaten egg, mixing until well combined
5. Blend into your mixture 1-2 cups of flour until a soft dough forms.
6. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat.
7. Set in warm place until your dough is 1½ to double in size.
8. Flatten with hands to ¾ inch thickness on a floured surface.
9. Cut with a glass and place rolls on parchment paper lined cookie sheets
10. Place cookie sheets in the freezer until cut rolls are frozen solid.
11. Put frozen rolls in a freezer safe container
12. When you are ready to make your rolls, place frozen rolls in a greased casserole crock or 6-quart crock pot. (I used my 9 x13 casserole slow cooker made by Crock Pot)
13. Cover and cook on low until rolls have doubled in size.
14. Once rolls have doubled in size, wipe the condensation off of your lid, replace lid and change heat setting to high
15. Cook on high for 45 minutes to one hour until the rolls are done
16. If desired, place rolls in broiler (on high if you have the choice) for 30-90 seconds, until tops are golden brown. *WATCH CLOSELY*
17. Top with butter.
18. Turn out on cooling rack and break apart once they are cool enough to handle

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