Air Fryer Rolls – these delicious dinner rolls are light, fluffy, buttery and absolutely delicious. I guarantee that once you make these air fried milk buns you will be hooked!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Rising1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Total Time2 hourshrs10 minutesmins
Course: Bread, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: air fryer dinner rolls, Ir fryer breas rolls
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.
Video
Notes
TIPS FOR BAKING BREAD IN THE AIR FRYERAn 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 but 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.