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….
clara simpson says
Thanks so much, i made it , superb, easy and delicious.
Nagi says
So pleased to hear you enjoyed it Clara! 🙌🏻 Thanks for letting me know. 🙂 N xx
Kamine says
Hello. Can I make this without the eggs.
Nagi says
I’m sorry Kamine, it won’t work 🙂
grace says
Thank you so much for the recipe it came out fine
Nagi says
That’s great to hear Grace!
Josie says
Thank you so much for sharing this. I made some this afternoon. They look and taste amazing. My husband asked had I been down the shops to buy some. I will definitely be making these gorgeous rolls again x
Nagi says
That’s so wonderful to hear Josie! ❤️ Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it! N xx
Angela says
I made these. It was a HUGE mistake because my island food is bread, too! I had to give them away or else the fire dept would be cutting me out of my house. Everyone I gave them to absolutely loved them. This is my go-to from now on. I’m making more today, but I’ll be freezing this batch.
Nagi says
BA HA HA!!! You are TOO FUNNY!!! So if we’re on a Deserted Island together, it’s going to be Carb City. YESSSS!!!
Mariette says
O my goodness! These rolls are just THE BEST EVERRRRR! Super easy (just need to get the timing right so they can be ready in time). I have tried many times to bake buns before with no success….these came out PERFECT the first time I’ve tried! My sons LOVED them! I couldn’t believe my eyes when they gobbled up the whole batch in one sitting! They begged me to make them again…..and so I did! I will NEVER use another recipe again! These soft buns are just perfect in every way! Thank you sooooo much! I feel like a pro when taking these out of the oven!
I am new to your blog and can’t wait to see what you are going to teach me next!
Nagi says
AWESOME!!!! 🙌🏻 Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know! N xx ❤️
Vera says
Do you have to use bread flour?
Nagi says
It’s better but still amazing with normal flour!
Clare says
OMG! These are amazing. Just made a batch and they are perfect. Will definitely be making again. Thank you for great recipe.
Nagi says
That’s wonderful to hear Clare! Thank you for letting me know! N xx
GJ Crawford says
I haven’t made them yet, but the instructions ate extensive for me too see it as easier than a regular dinner roll recipe. I was ready to make in 10min. And was surprised to see further down 3hrs?!? How is this easier?!? And who has bread flour just hanging around?!? The ones my mother used to make was the same, you had to start early in the day, to have rolls by dinner. This is the same… If I decide to make it, I’ll update my comment.
Nagi says
Hi there! It’s just easier in that you don’t need to knead it 🙂
Jamie says
How to substitute dry yeast to instant yeast please
Nagi says
Hi Jamie! Please see recipes notes 🙂
Josh says
Hi Nagi, what would you change to this to make Hawaiian rolls? Just add 1/2 cup sugar and swap water for pineapple juice? Would that work? Would love to see your take on Hawaiian rolls or sliders!
Nagi says
Hi Josh! I’d swap the water and half the milk for pineapple juice, add 2 tbsp of sugar, 1/4 tsp ginger powder, and 1/2 tsp coconut extract. And I would use an egg wash for the surface 🙂 To make it super golden!
Josh says
Sounds delicious! I’ll have to give them a go and use some of the leftover pork carnitas I’ve got in the freezer! Thanks for the reponse! 🙂
Elaine Hruby says
Loved your dinner bun recipe, it was easy to make, and they turned out to be plump and delicious.
Nagi says
Woo hoo!!! So fantastic to hear Elaine, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Ephy says
My first time baking anything ever. These are delicious and completely foolproof. Thank you!
Nagi says
WHOOT!!!!🙌🏻
B. Bunger says
Your Note #4 brings to mind the Thanksgiving I was trying to make rolls but they weren’t rising. I finally put the pan on a heating pad (that I usually use for my back!) It worked!! We had our tools for Thanksgiving dinner! I WILL keep the dryer in mind tho!. Thanks for the tip!
Nagi says
Your heating pad! I LOVE IT!!!!
Weelai says
They are sooo amazingly soft and fluffy! I just made them and was so pleased how easy and no fuss it was! Thank you for sharing, will be making them regularly now. Definitely a keeper.
Nagi says
WHOOT!!!! 🙌🏻
Patsy says
Just made these yesterday and was very pleased with the result. I haven’t made bread this good in a long time. Loved all the recipe notes. Warm water from the tap was perfect. Lining the pan with parchment paper. Never heard that before but it worked and saved all that messy greasing the pan and cleanup. Thank you.
Nagi says
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed it Patsy! Thank you very much for your message – N xx
ben phang says
On you 2nd note on “Rise # 2” , i wonder how you measured or estimated that the dough has risen by about 75% or less than double in size?
Nagi says
Hi Ben! I just went by eye – and you can also see in the photo in the post that it has not quite doubled 🙂
Lelia says
Hi,
you mentioned it can roll the dough into rolls then refrigerate overnight and be ready to bake anytime , kindly advise is to be refrigerated after the rolls rise or before it rise then put in fridge ?
Nagi says
Hi Lelia! Just pop them in the fridge straight after rolling, they will rise in the fridge 🙂
Linda Ulibarri says
It won’t let me email for free book.
Nagi says
Hi Linda! I added you manually – you should get an email shortly with links for the free e-cookbooks 🙂 The links are also in every new recipe email I send out! N xx
Pauline Chiew says
Hi Me too, cant email for free book. My email address is pauline@brdb.com.my
Thank you.
Marye Kandzor says
Good Morning :
Do you think they would work as a tool half the size – make 24 instead of 12 ? We are having a Tea Social
And Want to try them. Will let you know
Nagi says
Absolutely! It will probably rise faster for the 1st rise 🙂