The ideal combination of a fluffy dinner roll and a flaky biscuit, these buttery, soft rolls are stuffed with fresh rosemary and sea salt and will melt in your mouth! For a really comfortable lunch, pair them with Simple Instant Pot Corn Chowder or Instant Pot Carrot Ginger Soup.

We stayed at Hotel Wailea in Hawaii for our honeymoon. It was a fantastic adults-only resort. Our time there had nearly a million fantastic features, but one of the most unforgettable parts of our vacation was the cuisine.

The meal, oh my goodness.

It’s a Relais & Chteaux hotel with a Relais & Chteaux restaurant, so saying the cuisine is excellent is an understatement. The cuisine is focused on what is readily accessible from Maui’s farmers, with certain products being cultivated directly on the premises in their gardens.

Having said that, my favorite item from the restaurant was the dinner rolls. These soft, buttery, salty dinner rolls are packed with fresh rosemary and have a delicious scent. What’s my favorite item on the menu? The excellent dinners and desserts. The complimentary dinner rolls.

My husband and I had a reputation for devouring those dinner rolls. We’d be sitting at the bar, drinking, when they’d serve us a platter of rolls. That alone makes it worthwhile to return.

I’m just partly kidding.

Here’s why these rolls are so amazing…

I knew I needed to create my own when we got home, but I wanted to put my own touch on it since I’d go insane if I couldn’t get the recipe exactly the same. Instead, I chose to cook them in a dinner roll biscuit hybrid that was just as buttery, salty, and rosemary-y.

• They’re a bit sturdier than your average dinner roll, so they’re great for dipping in soups and chili.
• Every mouthful melts in your tongue, and eating them while they’re warm is utterly drool-worthy.
• As you make the dough for these rolls, the aroma is overwhelming, and it gets even better when they bake. When you have these, who needs potpourri?

Ingredients for rosemary sea salt rolls

• 1 cup buttermilk, heated to 110°F
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• room temperature unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary, divided
• 2clovesgarlic,minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 big room temperature egg
• split 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp sea salt

Making the yeast for the rolls

1. In a small basin, mix the sugar and yeast.
2. In a small sauce pan, heat buttermilk until it reaches a temperature of 105-115F. To check the temperature, I perch my ThermoWorks ChefAlarm (aff link) on the edge of the pan, with the probe just below the surface.

   If you don’t have buttermilk and don’t want to create your own, you may use whole milk instead, although the results may change significantly.

3. Whisk the hot buttermilk into the bowl with the sugar and yeast.
4. Let for around 10 minutes for it to double in size and bubble. It’s authentic.

Making rosemary sea salt dinner roll dough

1. With a stand mixer (aff link), cream butter for approximately 1 minute.
2. Add rosemary, garlic, salt, and sugar and mix for 3 minutes, or until everything is thoroughly incorporated and frothy.
3. Next, add the egg and beat it again to mix.
4. Next, add the prepared yeast mixture and 2 cups of flour to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until smooth.
5. Replace the paddle attachment with a dough hook.
6. Mix on low speed, adding the remaining flour a bit at a time, until it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 2 minutes.
7. Turn the dough to coat it in a basin sprayed well with nonstick spray or lightly oiled.
8. Cover the basin with a dishtowel and set it aside in a warm place for approximately an hour, or until the dough doubles in size.

   Tip: If your home is cold, turn on the oven to 150F and then turn it off to produce a warm atmosphere for the initial rise. Wait a few minutes before placing your bowl of dough inside and allowing it to rise. Preheat your oven to 375°F and lay the skillet on top of the burner for the second rise. The ambient heat will enough to keep it warm!

1. After you take off the dishtowel, the dough should have doubled in size.
2. Punch the dough down gently to deflate it, then turn it out onto a clean surface. A big nonstick silicon baking surface works well for me.
3. Roll the dough into a 10- to 12-inch log. Don’t worry if the dough is soft and spreads a little; it will not be a tight, stiff dough.
4. Cut the dough into ten equal pieces.
5. Finally, a biscuit hybrid. Form into loose balls. Again, they do not need to be firmly wrapped; this is what makes them the ideal dinner roll.
6. Grease or gently oil a 10-inch pan with nonstick spray, then place each dough ball in the skillet. If you don’t have a skillet, a 10 pie pan will suffice.
7. Arrange them so that there are 9 around the outer edge and 1 in the center.
8. Let them to rest for a few minutes while you melt the butter and prepare your sea salt and rosemary.
9. Brush the tops generously with melted butter.
10. Season with sea salt and fresh rosemary.
11. Ensure that everything is evenly coated throughout all of the rolls.
12. Cover the pan with a dishtowel and put it back in the warm position for approximately 30 minutes to set.
13. Remove the dishtowel and they should have almost doubled in size.
14. Bake for 22-27 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Admire your efforts and absorb the wonderful aroma from your kitchen.

And, try not to thrust your face right into the skillet.

Serving dinner rolls

Remove the rolls from the pan with care, pull them apart, and serve with a liberal knob of butter on top. They go well with almost any meal, but I like to serve them with my Quick Instant Pot Corn Chowder and Instant Pot Carrot Ginger Soup.

Take advantage of every salty, buttery mouthful!