Air Fryer Rolls – these delicious dinner rolls are light, fluffy, buttery and absolutely delicious. I guarantee that once you make these air fryer buns you will be hooked!
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Baking bread in an Air Fryer is my new obsession! My oven is feeling seriously neglected right now, I even bake my sourdough in the Air Fryer!
Today I am sharing a recipe for soft and fluffy milk buns which use a flour paste as their superpower. If you are not familiar with the Tangzhong technique you can read more about it in my Japanese Milk Bread recipe.
But if you want to skip that and go straight for the rolls I don’t blame you. All you need to know is that adding a small amount of flour paste makes from-scratch Air Fryer rolls extra soft and fluffy.
AIR FRYER BREAD ROLLS GROCERY LIST
Let’s take a look at what we need for this recipe, apart from an Air Fryer that is. You can make the dough in a stand mixer or using a hand mixer. I have even made this recipe using the “stretch and fold” method used in sourdough baking.
- Our starter is made with water and flour (or milk and flour). Easy peasy!
- White bread flour: also called strong bread flour, this type of flour has a higher protein content which helps create structure and rise in yeasted doughs.
- Rapid rise yeast: this type of yeast doesn’t need to be activated first, it is simply mixed in with the flour. Make sure the yeast is fresh!
- A little sugar for sweetness.
- Salt
- Milk powder – an optional ingredient. Adds softness and flavor to the bread and color to the crust.
- Milk, large egg and butter round off the ingredients list.
- Finally we need an egg to brush on the top of the buns plus sesame seeds.
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER ROLLS
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
MAKE THE STARTER
Combine the flour and water in a saucepan. Cook, stirring, over low heat until a paste forms and your whisk leaves trails on the surface of the roux. Cover with plastic wrap if you are not using straight away to prevent it from drying out.
PREPARE THE DOUGH
Add the milk to the starter and stir well to combine. Set aside until just barely warm. Place the bread flour, rapid rise yeast, sugar and milk powder into a mixing bowl (or your stand mixer). Stir to combine then add the milk / roux and beaten egg.
Start mixing on medium-low speed using the dough hook attachment. Add the salt and butter once a dough has started forming.
Continue to mix for 5-7 minutes until the dough forms a ball around the dough hook and is no longer sticky. You should be able to gently stretch the dough between your fingers without it tearing.
FIRST RISE
Transfer the dough into a greased bowl, cover and allow to rise until doubled, 60-90 minutes, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
After the proving, tip the dough on a lightly floured worktop and gently press down to deflate it. Divide the dough into eight equal portions. You can eyeball this or use digital scales to make sure each roll is the same size.
Flatten each piece then fold the edges towards the middle.
Roll in the palm of your hand to form a smooth ball. Repeat with the remaining dough.
SECOND RISE
Add a greased liner to the air fryer basket and mist the basket sides with cooking spray. Place the rolls in the basket, spaced slightly apart. Cover with a clean towel and set aside for 45-60 minutes or until doubled, puffy and touching each other.
BAKE IN AIR FRYER
Brush the bread rolls with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sesame seeds if using. Air fry for 25 – 28 minutes at 325°F (160°C).
At this point the rolls should be baked through but their bottoms will be paler than if you baked them in the oven. You can flip them over and air fry for a couple more minutes to brown them if you like.
Cool the buns slightly before serving. Delicious with butter as dinner rolls or you can use them as slider buns with my Air Fryer Pulled Pork.
TIPS FOR BAKING BREAD IN THE AIR FRYER
An air fryer is like a mini convection oven with the heat coming from the top. This can cause the bread rolls (or a cake) to brown too quickly on top while remaining doughy underneath.
I have seen a few air fryer roll recipes claim that they bake in 10 minutes. This is not my experience. Baking the rolls for around 25-30 minutes without preheating the air fryer first worked best for me.
Keep in mind that air fryers are all a bit different. A “trial and error” approach is necessary until you figure out what works best for your model.
You can open the air fryer basket to check on your rolls. If they are browning too much, drop the temperature by a few degrees.
If the bottoms are looking doughy and pale, flip the buns over towards the end of the cooking time and bake them bottom side up so that they brown evenly.
Check out my other Air Fryer baking recipes – from bread, to cake, to pavlova there’s so much you can make in an Air Fryer!
HAVE YOU MADE MY AIR FRYER ROLLS RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day! If you have any questions, message me on Instagram and I will do my best to answer them quickly.
Air Fryer Rolls
Equipment & Tools
Ingredients
For the rolls
- 350 g (2 ⅓ cups) bread flour, more if needed
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp skimmed milk powder (optional)
- 2 tsp rapid rise yeast
- 120 ml (½ cup) milk, semi skimmed
- 1 egg , lightly beaten
- 55 g (¼ cup) butter
- 1 tsp salt
- Cooking spray for the air fryer basket
Egg Wash
- 1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tsp water
- Sesame seeds or everything bagel seasoning optional
Instructions
MAKE THE STARTER
- Combine the flour and water in a saucepan. Cook, stirring, over low heat until a paste forms and your whisk leaves trails on the surface of the roux.
PREPARE THE DOUGH
- Add the milk to the starter and stir well to combine. Set aside until just barely warm (if it is too hot it can kill the yeast).
- Place the bread flour, rapid rise yeast, sugar and milk powder into a mixing bowl (or your stand mixer). Stir to combine then add beaten egg and milk/starter.
- Start mixing on medium-low speed using the dough hook attachment. Add the salt and butter once a dough has started forming.
- Continue to mix for 5-7 minutes until the dough forms a ball around the dough hook and is no longer sticky. You should be able to gently stretch the dough between your fingers without it tearing.
FIRST RISE
- Transfer the dough into a greased bowl, cover and allow to rise until doubled, 60-90 minutes, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
- After the proving, tip the dough on a lightly floured worktop and gently press down to deflate it. Divide the dough into eight equal portions. Flatten each piece then fold the edges towards the middle.
- Roll in the palm of your hand to form a smooth ball. Repeat with the remaining dough.
SECOND RISE
- Add a greased liner to the air fryer basket and mist the basket sides with cooking spray. Place the rolls in the basket, spaced slightly apart.
- Cover with a clean towel and set aside for 45-60 minutes or until doubled, puffy and touching each other.
BAKE IN AIR FRYER
- Brush the bread rolls with the egg wash and sprinkle with any toppings if using.
- Air fry for 25 – 28 minutes at 325°F (160°C). At this point the rolls should be baked through but their bottoms will be paler than if you baked them in the oven. You can flip them over and air fry for a couple more minutes to brown them if you like.
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