Easy Homemade Maddox Ranch Rolls

If you have lived in the Beehive State for any length of time, you’ve been to the Maddox Restaurant in Perry, Utah (close to Brigham City). My favorite meal at Maddox is fried chicken, Maddox Ranch Rolls with honey, and a slice of fresh strawberry or peach pie with whipped cream. Easy Homemade Maddox Ranch Rolls are out of this world, delicious and simple to make at home!

The Maddox opened in 1949, and their rolls are famous in our state. They’re light and fluffy, and best served warm from the oven with some honey or raspberry butter. I wanted to recreate the Maddox roll at home, so I set out to find a recipe that baked up like the rolls at the restaurant.

After one failed attempt (the rolls tasted alright but not similar in shape), I remembered my blogger friend, Bonnie, at City Home Country Home posted a recipe for Maddox Ranch Rolls a while back. I gave it a try. Jackpot. This is it! Ahhh, memories of driving home from Logan and scarfing down freshly baked warm rolls!

If you want to attempt making rolls for Thanksgiving, but are looking for an alternative to traditional shaped rolls, this is the recipe for you. No rolling or cutting out. Just mix, raise and plop into muffin tins. A true beginner recipe, with an experienced baker result! Thanks for sharing your recipe Bonnie 🙂

Originally posted in 2013, this recipe updated with new content and photos in 2021

Maddox Ranch Rolls

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin

Author: Si Foster

Course: Dinner, lunch

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

rise, shape: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 3 hours hrs

Servings: 30 servings

Copycat recipe for the famous rolls at the Maddox restaurant in Brigham CIty, Utah.

Ingredients 

• 2 cups whole milk, I use 1/3 cup of powdered milk and 2 cups lukewarm water
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup of warm water
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon yeast
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 5 1/2 – 6 1/4 cups flour

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Instructions

• Warm milk in microwave for 2 minutes. Place butter in milk and let melt.
• Add sugar to the milk and mix with whisk or fork to dissolve. Set aside and let cool a bit. The butter will continue to melt as the milk cools.
• Pour 1/4 cup of warm water into a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over top of water, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon sugar on top of yeast. Let sit for a few minutes until yeast bubbles.
• Pour the the cooled milk, (the milk should be warm- not hot), butter and sugar into the yeast mixture (never add a hot liquid to yeast).
• Add beaten eggs and salt to yeast mixture. Mix in flour with a large spoon 1-2 cups at a time, just until blended and no lumps of flour remain. Do not over mix. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth or Saran Wrap.
• Let the dough raise until doubled, about 45 minutes in a warm kitchen.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, place rack in middle of the oven.
• Spoon or scoop dough (grease the inside of scoop for easier handling) into well greased muffin tins and let the dough raise again for about 30-45 minutes.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.
• Yields about 30 dinner-size rolls.

Notes

• I often use powdered milk when making rolls or breads that call for milk. It’s a good way to use up the dry milk I have in my food storage. I buy dry non-fat milk and have found it mixes up best with warm or lukewarm water and a whisk.
• Make sure to thoroughly grease the muffin tins, this is a sticky dough.
• Use a large cookie scoop to fill the muffin tin. I greased the scoop a few times with cooking spray to prevent dough from sticking to the inside of scoop.
• Add just enough flour to take away the wet look of the dough. This should be between 5 1/2 to 6 cups of flour total. I add about 6 cups of flour total, keep in mind I live in a very dry climate. The dough should still be “scoopable”. The dough will be very soft. Do not add too much flour, or it will be difficult to scoop the dough out of the bowl. When in doubt, use less, not more flour.
• To create the perfect place for dough to raise, I use a trick my friend Frieda taught me in a bread making class. Place a cup of water in a microwave. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes. Remove cup of water. Place covered bowl (I use plastic wrap) in microwave, close door and let dough raise. I have an oven with a “proof” setting, but prefer Frieda’s method. This is also a great tip for making bread in a small kitchen!
• One tip (and a plus for some) while making this recipe, no mixer is required. This recipe is best made by hand, meaning, use a large bowl and a large spoon or spatula while folding in the flour. The dough will look a bit shaggy, or not completely smooth (as it would if using a mixer) which is fine. Make sure to fold the flour and wet mixture up from the bottom of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated!
• The first recipe I tried for Maddox Rolls had too much liquid and not enough flour in the dough. I believe this is why the rolls tasted good, but didn’t bake up into a nice dome shape. Also, after the rolls cooled a bit, they shriveled, which I believe was a result of not enough flour in the dough in relation to the liquid. I wanted a roll that looked beautiful even after cooling a bit. Not asking too much, right? The recipe from Bonnie had two tablespoons of yeast, I reduced it to 1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon, because I wanted the dough to have a little less of a rise and hold its shape better. If you are looking for a roll that is a bit puffier, use two tablespoons of yeast.

Equipment

• muffin tins (3)