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Sneak Preview: Turn leftover jellied cranberry sauce into soft, slightly sweet dinner rolls flavored with lemon zest. Mix and knead the dough in your bread machine, then shape and bake the rolls in about 3 hours.

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Jellied cranberry sauce always had a place on my husband’s family Thanksgiving table, although not many people ate it. I continued the tradition at our house, which usually left me staring at half a can in the refrigerator after the holiday.

These rolls became my favorite way to use it. The cranberry sauce adds subtle sweetness and a rosy color, while lemon zest brightens the flavor. My bread machine handles the mixing and kneading; I shape the dough by hand and bake the rolls in the oven. They are especially good with leftover turkey or ham.

Shared & Loved
“Great recipe. We loved it!”—MARY

Ingredients & Substitutions

CRANBERRY SAUCE: Jellied cranberry sauce works best. Whole-berry sauce may also work, but I haven’t tested it.

LEMON ZEST: Fresh lemon zest adds brightness; orange zest is a good substitute.

FLOUR: Unbleached all-purpose flour produces softer rolls. Bread flour makes them slightly chewier.

YEAST: Instant or bread-machine yeast is easiest to use. If substituting active dry yeast, add an extra ¼ teaspoon.

DRIED CRANBERRIES: These are optional. Substitute raisins, dried cherries, or chopped dates. Toasted pecans or walnuts are another possibility.

After the DOUGH Cycle

⬇️ See the recipe card for exact amounts and complete instructions.

Removing the dough from a bread machine onto a lightly floured surface. — **❶ Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.**

dividing the dough into 16 pieces, then making them into balls. — **❶ Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.**

Cranberry Sauce Dinner Rolls (Bread Machine Dough)

By Paula Rhodes

These tender dinner rolls use jellied cranberry sauce in the dough for subtle sweetness. The bread machine handles mixing and kneading—just shape, rise, and bake in the oven. Lemon zest adds a bright touch, and optional dried cranberries boost the flavor. Perfect for leftover turkey sliders or a holiday bread basket.

5 from 2 votes

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Video

Prep time: 30

Cook time: 15

Rising Time: 2 15

Total time: 3

Ingredients

1 cup (296 g) jellied cranberry sauce
¼ cup (57 g) whole milk or half-and-half
1 large (50 g) egg
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup (57 g) cold butter, chopped
zest of 2 medium lemons
3 cups (360 g) all-purpose unbleached flour
2 teaspoons bread machine yeast or instant yeast
1 cup (130 g) dried cranberries (optional)

Instructions

Prepare the bread machine: Add 1 cup (296 g) jellied cranberry sauce, ¼ cup (57 g) whole milk or half-and-half, 1 large (50 g) egg, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ cup (57 g) cold butter, chopped, zest of 2 medium lemons, 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose unbleached flour, and 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast or instant yeast, to the bread machine pan in the order listed.
Select the DOUGH cycle and push the start button.
Check the dough early: After 1 minute, lift the lid to make sure the paddle is moving and the dough is beginning to clump.
Check the consistency: After 15–18 minutes of kneading, the dough should stick to the side of the pan, then pull away cleanly. If it sticks without releasing, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time. If it is dry and bouncing around the pan, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. Wait 1–2 minutes between additions.
Read more about this surprising secret to success with a bread machine.
Add the dried cranberries: Add the optional dried cranberries when the machine signals for add-ins or during the last few minutes of kneading.
Shape the rolls: When the DOUGH cycle ends, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Divide it into 16 equal pieces and shape each piece into a smooth ball. Arrange eight rolls in each of two greased 8-inch cake pans.
Let the rolls rise: Cover and let rise until nearly doubled.
Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake for 14–16 minutes, until evenly golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190–195°F (88–91°C).
Cool and Enjoy: Let the rolls stand in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to avoid wet bottoms.

Notes

To make a loaf: Shape the dough into a loaf and place it in a greased 8½ × 4½-inch or 9 × 5-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for approximately 30–35 minutes, or until the center reaches 190–195°F (88–91°C).

Storage and freezing: Store cooled rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days. For longer storage, wrap the baked rolls well and freeze. Thaw at room temperature and warm briefly before serving.

Heads-up: Do not double this recipe. Six cups of flour is too much for most bread machines to knead properly and may cause the motor to overheat.

Stand mixer: Add all ingredients except the dried cranberries to the mixer bowl in the order listed. Mix on low until moistened, then knead with a dough hook on speed 2 or 3 until smooth and elastic. Add the cranberries near the end of kneading. Cover and let rise until doubled, then shape as directed.

By hand: Combine all ingredients except the dried cranberries into a shaggy dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, adding the cranberries near the end. Place in a covered bowl and let rise until doubled, then shape as directed.

Equipment

Nutrition

All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for SaladinaJar.com

Final Thoughts

The best leftovers are the ones nobody recognizes as leftovers. Set a basket of these rosy rolls on the table, and no one will guess how they started.

— Paula, Home Economist
Homemade Food Worth Sharing

Need help troubleshooting?
Email me: Paula at saladinajar.com — photos help!

Looking for more slightly unusual dinner rolls? Try one of these:

Easy Bread Machine Brown Bread: Steakhouse Style Without Rye – A rich, flavorful option.
Herb and Garlic Yeast Rolls – Savory and aromatic.
Overnight Yeast Rolls with All-Bran – Soft, wholesome, and easy.

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9 Comments

Hi, I am a great follower of your site. I love love your bread machine recipes. Made your corn meal rolls for Thanksgiving. They were excellent. Everyone loved them. I have always had great success with them until this loaf. It is just not rising in the machine. I now measure everything in grams as you suggested. This recipe included. It has 4 min left in the dough cycle. I am leaving it in the machine for 10 extra min. to see what happens. But I think I will have a weapon instead of a great loaf of bread. Any suggestions as to what might be the problem? Thanks so much Paula for all your great bread recipes. Your explanations of how to do your recipes are excellent. Oh, 1 more thing. None of your videos come up. Do I need to do something special. Thanks again Paula.

Paula says:

at

Is your kitchen cool? Sometimes, that can really slow down the rising. I would move the machine or pull the dough out and move it to another bowl in a warmer place until it actually doubles. Even if it takes a long time to rise, it won’t hurt the bread. In fact, a long rise will improve the flavor.

Has the dough risen at all? If not–did you remember to add the yeast? (It’s happened to me more than once–I wrote a post about it.)

Reply

I made these in a stand mixer + they are delish! Thank you.

Paula says:

at

Hi Carol,

Thanks for coming back to say so. Even though I spend a lot of time talking about bread machines, stand mixers can do the same job just as well, but without the handy timer.

Reply

Great recipe. We loved it!

Ok – these sound so yummy-I will figure out how to make them without a bread machine. I’ll let you know how they turn out.

Beth P

Paula says:

at

Hey Beth,

Great to hear from you. Do you have a Kitchen Aid mixer? If so, just dump all the ingredients into the bowl in the order listed. Use the dough hook. Turn on slowly at first to mix things up. Turn up the speed a bit and knead for several minutes. This is where you will have to use your experience to know when it has been kneaded long enough. If too dry and dough thumps around like a heavy ball, add liquid–1 tablespoon at a time. If dough is too wet, and it won’t turn into a ball after 10 minutes of kneading but looks very sticky, add flour–1 tablespoon at a time. The goal is for the to dough stick to the side, then pull away. When sufficiently kneaded and dough is elastic, cover dough and set in a warm place to double in size. Follow the directions I give for the bread machine from there. The cool thing with a bread machine is that you can dump the ingredients in the machine and walk away once you are satisfied the moisture is right. When you come back and dough cycle is finished, it is time to make into rolls. So easy, especially for beginners.

Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving with all your grands!

Reply

Paula, it is the same at my house. My husband and son love this canned cranberry sauce, but I never ate it again after making my first batch of homemade cranberry sauce. So easy, and so much better. So this is timely. If there are leftovers, I will definitely make these buns, or maybe I will just buy some for that purpose. Thanks!

Paula says:

at

Becky,
I couldn’t agree more about homemade cranberry sauce. However, I would prefer to eat the requisite cranberries in these rolls. 😉

Reply

Paula Rhodes, Owner and Author Salad in a Jar

Paula Rhodes, Home Economist & Owner

As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to prove that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my favorite ways to do that.