No stand mixer, no knead, no special equipment required. These No Knead Dinner Rolls are perfectly soft and fluffy and are astonishingly effortless to make. Just combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon – that’s it! It’s the easiest recipe for bread rolls in the whole world!
This recipe for bread rolls will blow your mind!
These dinner rolls are:
made without kneading;
without a stand mixer or any other electric appliance;
take 2 minutes of active effort to mix the dough;
have golden tops and are soft and fluffy on the inside.
Every single time I make these, I am in utter awe of how effortless they are, and how amazing they taste. They are in every way just as good as classic dinner rolls, made by kneading the dough by hand (tired arms, tired arms!) or using a stand mixer.
I truly believe to my very core that only those with a refined palette and/or baking experts can tell the difference between these No Knead Dinner Rolls and traditional kneaded-tired-arms dinner rolls!
See how soft and fluffy they are??
Kneaded vs No Knead Dinner Rolls
In the interest of being completely open and honest, here are the differences that I notice between kneaded dinner rolls and these No Knead Dinner Rolls:
The kneaded rolls stay a wee bit more moist for longer. ie. they are slightly better the next day compared to the No Knead ones. But actually, homemade bread, muffins etc, being preservative free that they are, are always best consumed fresh so I don’t see this as a major disadvantage. Neither the kneaded nor No Knead rolls are great the next day. They lose their moisture and both need to be warmed up before serving to make them moist again. It is just that with the kneaded ones you could possibly get away with not warming up (but they aren’t great), whereas the No Knead ones definitely need warming up;
Kneaded rolls rise a wee bit more. Not noticeable for normal people, and you’d never say the No Knead ones aren’t soft and fluffy. They are, they really are. It’s just that the kneaded ones rise a touch more with the same amount of yeast.
I’m so convinced of the merits of no-knead breads however, that I have since posted No-knead Artisan Bread and Focaccia – both spectacular loaves in their own right that don’t require single minute of kneading!
Dump-and-mix NO KNEAD Dough
In terms of the prep, the batter is literally a dump-and-mix job. There is a major difference in rise time compared to kneaded dough which can rise in 30 – 45 minutes for the 1st rise, then around the same for the 2nd rise after forming the rolls. For these No Knead Dinner Rolls, the dough is much wetter than kneaded dough, so it takes longer to rise. 1.5 – 2 hours, depending on how warm it is where you are. If you use my ridiculous-but-effective tip of rising the dough in your (empty! warm!) dryer, it takes 1.5 hours. 🙂 (See recipes notes for details)
You can see in these photos how different the dough is compared to traditional bread dough. It’s not knead-able, it’s way too sticky. It’s almost more like a muffin batter!
Quick little tip: To get a beautiful golden surface, the dough needs to be rolled tightly and smoothly into balls. With sticky dough, this is tough to do. So here’s my work around: Press the dough down lightly, then bundle it up like a money-bag (mmm…Thai Money Bags…). Flip it over and you have a nice smooth surface with the dough stretched tightly = smooth golden surface. I demo this in the recipe video too (below recipe).
Make-ahead and bake on demand
Another big bonus for these rolls: you can roll the dough into rolls then refrigerate overnight (uncooked) and bake them fresh when you’re ready to serve! It’s quite amazing actually, I wasn’t sure it would work but it does.
Easter is coming up! That’s why I decided to squeeze these in so soon after sharing Hot Cross Buns (which you can make using this No Knead technique, the recipe is in that post). I know some people think baking with yeast is daunting. But I swear to you, watch the video. See how soft and irresistible these rolls come out. And be prepared to be blown away by how easy these are to make!
Carb Monsters unite! – Nagi xx
More No Knead Breads & Flavour variation options!
Cheese and Bacon Rolls (use this no knead dough for that recipe)
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
No Knead Dinner Rolls recipe video! No laughing at the Baby Hands – you’ll cop a serious eyeful in this video!
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SOFT NO KNEAD Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
Buns:
- 1 tbsp dry yeast (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup caster/superfine sugar , or sub with normal white sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water (Note 2)
- 4 cups bread flour + extra for dusting (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt , cooking/kosher salt
- 1 cup milk, lukewarm, whole or low fat, (Note 2)
- 50g / 3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter , melted and cooled
- 2 eggs , at room temperature, beaten with fork
Brushing:
- 1 tbsp butter , melted
Instructions
- Place the yeast and 2 teaspoons of the sugar in a medium bowl, then pour in water. Leave for 5 minutes until it froths.
- Place flour, remaining sugar and salt in a bowl. Mix to combine.
- Make a well in the centre. Add milk, butter, eggs and pour in the yeast liquid, including all froth.
- Mix until combined with wooden spoon – it will be like a thick muffin batter. Not pourable, but thick and sticky.
Rise #1:
- Leave dough in the bowl, cover with a wet (clean) tea towel and place in a warm place (25C/77F+) to rise for around 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until almost tripled in volume. See Note 4 for how I do this (you will laugh – but it works every time!). Dough surface should be bubbly (see video or photos in post).
Forming Balls (watch video, it’s helpful):
- Line a 31.5 x 23.5 cm / 9 x 13″ tray with baking paper with overhang.
- Remove tea towel and punch dough to deflate, then mix briefly in the bowl to get rid of the bubbles in the dough.
- Dust work surface with flour, scrape dough on work surface. Dust top of dough then shape into a log. Cut log into 4 pieces, then cut each piece into 3 pieces (12 in total).
- Take one piece and press down with palm, then use your fingers to gather into a ball, flip (so smooth side is up) then roll the dough briefly to form a ball. This stretches the dough on one side and that’s how I get a nice smooth surface on my roll. (For this step, use as much flour as needed to handle dough and avoid piercing inside into the wet dough)
- Place the ball with the smooth side up on the tray. Repeat with remaining dough. Line them up 3 x 4.
Rise # 2:
- Spray surface of rolls (or cling wrap) with oil (any), then place cling wrap over the tray.
- Return tray to warm place and leave for 30 – 45 min, until the dough has risen by about 75% (less than double in size).
- Partway through Rise #2, preheat oven to 200C/390F (standard) or 180C/350F (fan/convection).
- Bake for 15 – 18 minutes, or until the surface is a golden brown and the roll in the centre sounds hollow when tapped. The surface colour is the best test for this recipe.
- Remove rolls from oven. Brush with melted butter.
- Use overhang to lift rolls onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool to warm before serving.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
When he got sent to the naughty corner and he was wondering whether he was allowed back in….
Lisa says
Yowza! Not only were these easy and delicious, but oh so much fun to make – from putting them in the dryer to using your workaround to shape them into balls. Thank you so much, Nagi, for making my day!
Nagi says
That’s lovely to hear Lisa, thanks so much for letting me know! N x
Marilou says
I laughed so hard when reading the note about letting the dough rise in the dryer! I live in an apartment building with a washing room, and I would just love to see the face of my neighbours if they were to open one of the dryers and see a bowl of bread dough! 🙂 Can’t wait to try these!
Nagi says
Haha could you imagine?! I hope you give the rolls a go – love to know what you think 🙂 N x
Tina Arato says
Hi do you think I can use this dough for vegemite scrolls???? I adore everything you make!!!!!
Nagi says
Yes you can!!! Use this method for rolling out – https://www.recipetineats.com/no-knead-cinnamon-rolls/ Then spread Vegemite and top with a sprinkle of cheese in place of the cinnamon sugar.
Jo says
These are amazing! I made them twice last week (finishing up old milk that was on the turn). The most simple bread roll recipe I’ve found.
The first batch stayed fresh for 3 days (slightly going stale on the third day), and the second batch I froze – defrosted portions worked absolutely fine.
Delicious with slices of leftover ham.
Nagi says
Wahoo! You wont look back now, they’re so easy!
Anne says
Hi Nagi,
I made this yesterday and baked this morning. It’s very fluffy and moist! I will definitely make this again! Thank you!
PS: can I use this ingredients to make loaf bread?
Anne says
Hi Nagi,
I’ve made this couple of hours ago and it’s sitting inside the fridge. I am planning to bake this first thing tomorrow. So far it’s looking fluffy and it rose beautifully. Anyway, I have a question. I have a leftover char siu. Can I use this dough to put the leftover as a filling then bake it? Thanks in advance!
Nagi says
Sounds like a fabulous idea Anne!!!!
Chung says
I’m a bread lover and would try any easy recipe the minute I come upon it. Yours is one of the easiest I’ve seen. These are really good. I have a second batch in the fridge which I plan to bake tomorrow morning for brekkie.
A note on easy rising. Put a big bowl of hot water in the bottom of your oven. Put dough on top shelf. Close oven door. Dough will rise in the quickest time. I don’t even cover my dough because the hot water makes air in oven very moist.
Adriana says
Made this for the second time tonight. Recipe is easy and delicious! I will say the rolls were slightly undercooked the first time. Tops were perfect, but inside was slightly gooey. Any advice? Tonight I’m cooking on 350 then plan on increasing temp after a little bit.
CateNY says
Outstanding and so easy!! Made for second time last night.
I’ve found using my warm oven Works…. i set for a couple minutes at 200, shut it off and use that to double… usually less then 1.5 hrs. (Damp towel on top over bowl) I would have used the dryer but it’s in the basement of the house and usually has a load of laundry waiting in it…..lol
So glad I’ve found you Nagi!
Martha says
All my family loved. Really easy to make just follow instructions. Thank you
HAnnah says
I don’t have any cling wrap, will foil or wax paper work instead?
Kelly says
I found this recipe a couple days before Thanksgiving. I wanted to do a test batch and ran out of time. So, I crossed my fingers they turned out as wonderful and delicious as your recipe and comments say. THEY WERE A SMASHING HIT!!!! While everyone laughed I was using the dryer, it was perfect, and I’ve told many people of this trick. So!!! Christmas is in a couple days and It’s been requested I make these amazing rolls. THANK YOU!!!!!!
Mary Louise Parlee says
I made these and they were nice and soft but I could taste the yeast. I know I didn’t bake them long enough . Could that be the reason?
Kimberly Mann says
We love these rolls especially with the beef stew we make😁 also I figured out how to make it in loaves. The only difference is you cut it in half and bake for 25-30 min. We also make ours with almond milk and butter substitute.
Lynne says
Hello Nagi. I have just baked your no kneed rolls and they are delicious. I’ve already one, warm with lots of butter. Heaven😊 Thank you for all your recipes.
P.s give Dozer a big hug from me. Another Golden Retriever lover
Brianna says
Just tried these last night and they’re great! We’re going to use the recipe for Christmas. I’m just curious, if we wanted to add honey to the recipe, would we omit some of the sugar or some liquid? Or would we just do the recipe like normal and just add honey?
claire says
Can you please tell me if I can leave the sugar out? and if I do should I replace it with something? I made a batch super easy and nice, but to sweet for me for say burgers. Thanks
Nagi says
Hi Claire, you can reduce the sugar but you do need sugar in there for the yeast to rise – N x
Jessica says
Such a yummy recipe, definitely gonna try this, thanks.
Nagi says
Enjoy Jessica!
Samantha says
I want to start by saying I have made 20+ of your recipes over the years, probably more with great success! I use your cakes as a base recipe for every birthday. But unfortunately my rolls came out extremely dense and flat? Any tips on what I did wrong? I’m in Queensland so possibly to do with the heat here? Or my yeast may have been too old? It did seem to froth normally. Any tips would be fantastic, I would love to nail this recipe!
Nagi says
Hi Samantha, sounds like your yeast wasn’t working as they should be light and super fluffy! Always store yeast in the fridge to keep it fresh ❤️
Greg Weber says
Just made these as a trial for Christmas dinner. My son is allergic to milk so I replaced the milk with unsweetened, unflavored soy (silk) and the butter with earth balance vegan “butter” and they came out amazing! Thanks for a great recipe!
Nagi says
That’s awesome to hear Greg!!!