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….
Hilda says
super duper easy and the result so amazing super soft and fluffy 😀 so happy cos my first time making bread roll
Nagi says
Wahoo! I’m so happy they worked out for you Hilda ❤️
b says
Hello, These bread look amazing.so soft and fluffy. I haven’t tried the recipe yet. I want to know how it becomes so fluffy if it’s not kneaded.thx
Nagi says
Hi B, I hope you give them a go – it’s the yeast which makes them super soft and fluffy – N x
k says
Hello, The dough is very sticky. Will it be manageable after the first rise.thx
Nagi says
Hi K, yes the dough is very soft – just like the recipe video ❤️
Pamela says
Thank you Nagi for sharing this recipe.
Have tried other recipes and rolls came out hard. With your recipe, the rolls were perfect and absolutely soft! Very easy to make as well.
Nagi says
I’m so glad you loved them Pamela!
Tiffany says
Amazing!!! They were wonderful. It’s worth doubling the recipe . I will make these for all my special events now.
Nagi says
Wahoo Tiffany, I’m so glad you love them!
Sam says
Can we use instant yeast directly mix with flour?bread flour and all purpose flour s same?
Nagi says
Hi Sam, yes it’s instant dried yeast that’s used in this recipe. You can use all purpose or bread flour if you like – N x
Shirley Gregory says
These rolls are perfect. OK I did the in dough in your bread
maker but everything else I followed your recipe. I did knead and also added to sesame seeds before baking.The best rolls forever now xxx
Nagi says
Sounds great Shirley, I’m so glad you loved it!
Trish says
No knead bread rolls, i have just made, the best recipe i have ever used, easy & they turned out the best i have ever made. Taste delicious too, awesome. Thanks.
Nagi says
That’s great Trish!!
Fabiola Desarzens says
Thank you for your recipes! I’ve loved the ones I’ve tried so far. My question is: How long can you refrigerate the uncooked dough in the fridge? Your notes say overnight but can it be longer? I usually prep on Sunday for weekday dinners. Thank you. Fabi
Nagi says
Hi Fabiola, you can even freeze these and then let them thaw and bake – N x
LeaLea says
Love this recipe. I baked these hops/ buns twice so far and both times were perfect.
Zeal Chow says
Hi Nagi. I followed your recipe to make no knead dinner rolls. But it came out hard top and down at the bottom, esp after it completely cold down….I always have this problem, even when I tried to make wholemeal bread(with 1/3 part of all purpose or self-rising flour)….It confuses me all the time…I do appreciate if you can help out….
Nagi says
Hi Zeal, sorry you are having issues here – are you following the recipe and ingredients exactly? It could be due to the yeast – is it in date? – N x
Lisa says
I took a pic of my rolls from your recipe…they came out gorgeous…can’t wait to dig in.
Nagi says
I hope you love them Lisa!
Deborah Lloyd says
Nagi: This is a very versatile recipe. I use my microwave for letting the dough rise. I use release spray on the inside of a plastic tub with a tight fitting lid. I boil some water in a glass in the microwave then set the sealed tub inside. This insures a good environment for the dough. It works extremely well on both rises.
By the way I really enjoy your work.
Nagi says
Great idea Deborah!!
Raya says
I love all your recipes.
In all your recipes
U are so thorough with directions and tips !😍😍😍😍
Yolly says
Been trying a lots of buns but no luck it hard as rock when its already cold. But this one it is reall perfect. Soft and fluffy even for 3 days. Thank you ao much for this easy and awesome recipe 🙂 I followed all your instructions and turned out really good.
Nagi says
Thanks so much for the feedback Raya!
Zab says
Hi there
I want to try this! Can I use a glass dish to bake the buns?
Will the baking time increase?
Thanks
Amanda says
I have made this several times. I always use a glass pan, so yes, glass is fine! I bake as instructed.
Zahabia says
Amazing – thanks for that!
Nagi says
Hi Zab, I honestly haven’t tried – I don’t think it would make too much of a difference – N x
Zahabia says
Thanks Nagi, I’ll give it a shot..cannot wait!
Sam says
Can we use instant dry yeast instan5 of disolving it in water can we mix it in the flour directly? 2ndly bread flour and all purpose flour are same?
Linda says
Excellent!
Nagi says
Thanks so much Linda!
Linda says
I have been making so many of your recipes and we LOVE them. These buns are fantastic and easy. Thanks! 5 stars
Sandra says
Just want the recipe!
Nagi says
It’s all in the recipe card above Sandra 🙂
Shanice White says
The best dinner rolls I’ve ever tasted!!! I’ve been following the your recipe for a while now and they turn out amazing every time! I’m making these tonight as a matter of fact and I know my family will completely devour them! Thanks Nagi❤🤩
Nagi says
Wahoo, that’s awesome Shanice!
Jay says
Just finished making these and it was so easy , so fluffy and soft , I followed the recipe but I did add my own lil technique , it was the best ever 😍
Nagi says
Wahoo! Great Jay!