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….
Vie says
Hi and thank you for sharing this easy simple bread roll recipe. I have been trying many bread roll recipe and so far non of it had been successful until I tried yours. Do u have any tips on how to keep it soft for the next week because my family loves bread rolls and I would hate to make it every other day. I am wanting to make a big batch enough for a week at a time.
Sandra D says
Freeze them. Bread freezes wonderfully, even more than once.
Sandra D says
And bread thaws pretty fast 🙂
My three foods? Like yours: 1. bread’nbutter. 2 spaghetti’nmeatsauce. 3. rye’ndietpepsi.
Wow, I love your way of making things ONE thing 🙂
Nagi says
I’m so pleased to hear that Vie! Thank you for letting me know! N xx
Dayana says
I just made them and I love the results. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Nagi says
Fantastic to hear Dayana! Thank you for leaving a review. N x ❤️
Tammy says
OMGoodness, these are awesome!! I made them last night with my meal of pot roast and my family thought they were store bought. Love, love, love. Oh and my 3 food items would be #1 cheese (for sure), #2 all kinds of potato foods (come on, the variety is infinite and goes so well with cheese!) and #3 BACON!!!!!!
Nagi says
Fantastic to hear Tammy! N x ❤️
Beverly Flynt says
Do you know if high altitude (above 6500 ft) has an effect on the recipe? I would love to make these!
P.S. If you say ‘bread with butter’ then it counts as one! 😉
Nagi says
I love hearing that Marylin! Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x ❤️
Carl Sinclair says
These are great rolls. I made some in Melbourne, Australia today. I even did your dryer trick, which my son thought was quite amusing. Very good.
Carroll says
Oh, what is the DRYER TRICK, I must have missed it😬
Nagi says
That’s great to hear Carl! Thanks for leaving a review! N x
Julie says
Has anyone tried making a whole wheat roll using this recipe?
Nagi says
Hi Julie, yes quite a few readers have reported that it’s great with whole wheat!
Terry says
I have been making these often for a homeless feed since I saw the recipe about six months ago. I sometimes freeze them just after I shape them into whatever roll I am making them into that week then pull them out of the freezer and let them rise until double in size and bake just before the feed.
This Friday I made them into “Inside Out” BBQ Pulled Pork rolls and the guests were wild about them. I wrapped the dough around 1/2 cup of the pulled pork, let them rise then baked until golden. Next time I am going to do the same kind of idea but put an inch cube of mozzerella inside a meatball, put a little spagetti sauce on the dough, add the meatball, wrap the dough around everything and bake.
Nagi says
That’s so great to hear Terry! So happy to hear you enjoyed this – N x
Patty DeGroff says
Just made these – I had some whey I had frozen that I skimmed off of whole milk so I used half milk/half whey. These are delicious. Will definitely make again. So fast & easy.
Nagi says
WHOOT! ❤️
Aileen Gan says
Thank You for your Soft No Knead Dinner Rolls. They turned out beautifully. I hope the softness sustains the next morning. I would try to refrigerate the dough for second rise next round and bake in the morning. It would be heaven to have freshly baked soft bread for breakfast.
Jude says
The best and easiest yeast roll ever! Five stars!!
Nagi says
😂
Damarys de Alcala says
Los voy a preparar se ven deliciosos gracias por la receta
Nagi says
Espero que lo hagas!
Melissa says
Can the dough be frozen, for later use? And what about a half recipe, when 12 large rolls is simply too much?
Nagi says
Hi Melissa! Freezer directions are in the notes and yes, you can make half! 🙂 N x
Mike L says
Hello. Would these bake well on an oven stone?
Nagi says
Will you still use a pan though?? Need it to hold their shape 🙂 N xx
mike l says
Well, normally I use a pizza stone for breads. This time I followed your recipe, on a baking sheet, and they were the best rolls I ever made, as well as ever had. I will never buy rolls again. For me this is a major break through. I’ve been trying for years to make the right recipe. Many thanks!
Nagi says
Thank you for the review Mike, it’s so terrific to hear you enjoyed this! N xx
Wayne says
came across this recipe back in April and it has become a family favourite since then. Thanks for charging.
Wayne
Nagi says
That’s terrific to hear Wayne, thanks for leaving a review! N x
Carol Milano says
Thank you so much for this recipe. I was wondering if I could use this dough for Beerocks. I would be rolling it out and putting filling on it , cutting and then rolling into ball. Can this dough be rolled out and used?
Nagi says
YES! Just add a but more flour so it’s rollable!
sangita jain says
Thanks for d recepe. Will appreciate if u cld let me know how to make them eggless.kndly email to me as well.
Nagi says
I’m sorry but I don’t know how to make these eggless! 🙂
Jessy says
Hi i still dont get it how to make the bun rolls i try it but it turn out hard can you please show me how slowly and so i can understand… it my kids favorite that why..thank you
Nagi says
Hi Jessy! Which part are you struggling with? 🙂 N x
Sharron says
I don’t see why the dryer would stay warm as its vented outside but I turn the oven on low and rise on the stove top.
Nagi says
It’s a draught free place 🙂 That’s why! N xx
Jolene Dodge says
I had to laugh… I too have put my dough in my dryer to rise for years… we keep the house too cool for it to rise on the counter.
Nagi says
Ha! Love hearing that! N x