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….
jOHanna says
I used the dough to make Cheesymite scrolls for my kids’ lunches after being inspired by your delicious cinnamon scrolls.
My old recipe called for that horrible short-crust type dough and some Cheesymite or cheese spread mixed with vegemite but when I looked at the ingredient list and saw all the additives I nearly fainted.. (that’s my “crazy mother” thing.. I like my kids to have natural food) ..
anyway… to sub the Cheesymite I made your nacho dip, plain though, and whisked a bit of vegemite (to taste ) to about one cup dip. I spread it on the dough, sprinkled more cheese.. nd followed the rest of the cinnamon scroll recipe.
Results : delicious! and NATURAL !!! (Or with very minimal additives anyway)
Now I’m yet to freeze them and see how it goes once thawed for lunches. I’m expecting the texture to change and not be as good as fresh. But at worst I’ll keep them for weekends where I can microwave them.
Nagi says
Whoot! Fantastic to hear Johanna! Thanks for sharing how you adapted this! PS LOVE Cheesymite scrolls!!
Carmelita Cassandra says
This recipe is incredible! I tried it and the rolls were all fluffy and tasty. My friends tried the roles and they loved it..thanks for sharing the recipe
Nagi says
That’s wonderful to hear Carmelita! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this! N x
Cristina says
I will definitely try this recipe. But I have a question, do I really need to use bread flour or I can substitute it with all purpose flour? I mean to use APF not only for dusting, but for the whole recipe. Thanks!
Nagi says
Hi Cristina! It’s fine with all purpose too 🙂 The thing is, because we don’t knead with this recipe, you do lose a bit of texture compared to kneading so I make up for it by using bread flour. But it’s still beautifully fluffy made with normal flour! 🙂 n x
Coll says
Srry that was meant to say so much not Sophie lol thnks
Nagi says
Ba ha ha! I’ve had some epic auto corrects in my time…. that was nothing! N x
Coll says
I wanted to put a pic of the rolls I made but don’t know how to do it X
Nagi says
Hi Coll! Are you on Instagram? If so, please share the pic and tag me and I’ll see it!! N x
Coll says
Thank you Sophie much for this recipe 😋😋😋 I have been using different bread roll recipes for the last 4 days 😵 grrr then I came across yours when I was going to give up and boy. Am I glad 😀 😀 I absolutely love it 😍😍😍 lol your recipe worked perfect and no kneading woowoo lol thanks Agen such a relief 😅
darlene says
I’ve tried making yeast bread a million times and this was the first time it came out light and fluffy! While eating her second roll, my daughter asked when I would make them again! So glad I found this site and I can’t wait to try the cinnamon version!
Nagi says
That’s great to hear Darlene! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x
Audrey says
I tried this recipe yesterday! It’s great eating fresh, but it was quite hard this morning. Is it because the way I store? Or is there a way to still keep if fluffy?
Nagi says
Hi Audrey! There’s no denying that all homemade breads are not as soft and fluffy 24 hours later 🙂 store in an airtight container and warm before serving so they go nice and soft again! N x
Jo says
These rolls are absolutely amazing and such a breeze to make. My entire family is in love. They’ve become a staple in our home. Thank you for sharing!!
Nagi says
That’s great to hear Jo! So glad you enjoyed it! N x
Netty says
You’re a genius! They’re awesome!!
Jitkairon says
Super recipe for me to try. Can I add walnuts and raisins.
Sharm says
Can we bake the bread without using egg?
Nagi says
unfortunately I don’t think that will work Sharm. 🙂
Lisa-Jane says
Fantastic recipe, loved by my family and friends. I just wanted to know if they freeze well, or is that a bad idea??
Nagi says
They freeze great! 🙂
Sissy says
(I’m not a cook so… ) do you mean freeze before baking, or after… or both? I’m actually not sure there will be leftovers, to be honest… thank you for sharing this great – and easy – recipe with those of us who are culinarily challenged. Looking forward to trying your other recipes!
Candace Blanton says
My deserted island food??? Chocolate…definitely, chocolate. Love your recipes.
Janiece says
Can this be made in a bread machine up until the forming of the rolls and baking?
Nagi says
I’m not sure about making this in a bread machine Janiece, sorry! 🙂 N x
soma samlal says
Is there a substitute for the egg in this recipe?
Ella Rampersad says
Hello Bag, can I use Almond flour instead and no suger
Lise says
I made these for dinner last night – they were amazing!! Best dinner roll recipe ever, hands down. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. I am looking forward to try some more.
Nagi says
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Lise! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback! N x ❤️
Loretta says
I just wanna say THANK YOU for this wonderful recipe!
Nagi says
You’re so welcome Loretta! N x
Linda says
I’m ready for your deserted island. I take after my dad. Bread and butter can replace dessert anytime!
I look forward to making these.
Nagi says
😂
Vini says
Can we use whole wheat flour instead ?
Nagi says
Yep you sure can! 🙂