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….
Mary says
Can you let them rise in a warm oven as well, instead of dryer?
Judith says
You totally can. My oven actually has a proofing setting. The problem is when you need to preheat the oven for the actual bake at the same time. But then I just put the pan/dough close to the gas oven heat exhaust. I used to put it in my microwave with the stove light on but then I switched the bulb to an LED so it no longer generates warmth.
Mary says
I did and they turned out great..My hubby likes to poke a hole in them and fill them with honey and butter.
CDS says
Hi Nagi,
LOVE your recipes… If I make these in the am..after rolling into balls…to serve with dinner that night, should I take them out of the fridge and let them rise?
Debra says
I love this recipe and so do my family and friends. I did make two dozen smaller rolls from your recipe and they are just the right size. I am wondering why little bubbles form after being in refrigerator over night. I usually just pop before baking but sometimes they form in oven. How do I prevent the bubbles?
Nagi says
Hi Debra – if you stretch the dough and tuck it under when forming the rolls as I do in the recipe then you should get a smooth surface without bubbles. I am not sure why you are getting bubbles on your ones. N x
Jan says
Best dinner rolls ever! Absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe. Next time I’ll the dryer tip 😊
Arifa Ali-Sinanan says
Hi can I use this recipe for garlic cheese bread.
Vicki says
Without a doubt this is THE Best dinner roll I have ever tasted… Whether it be in a restaurant or homemade! These are incredible and after 50 years and many many rolls later I will never make anything different for my dinner roll! Thank you so much
Sev says
The bread rolls are absolutely delicious! Followed the recipe exactly including using the warmed dryer and they were perfect. Had to stop hubby at bread roll number 3 and that was before dinner was even on the table! Thanks for another yummy, amazing recipe Nagi!
Linda Smith says
The first time I made these, the tops were golden brown within 18 minutes of baking but the bottoms didn’t brown at all. Then the very center of the batch sunk as they cooled. I tried again on Christmas Day. I baked them in a 13×9 pan without parchment paper and used Crisco to grease it. They turned out beautiful! Browned top & bottom.
Cameron says
I absolutely adore these rolls! I have been making them every Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter for a couple years now and absolutely everyone loves them! Great recipe!
Ana says
Yesterday I used Nagi’s recipe for the dinner rolls and definitely this is a keeper recipe. I have been looking for this recipe for long time. Today, I used the leftover dough to prepare a Ham bread (Ham, olives, raising) and it was yummy.
Thank You Nagi for your recipe.
Coral says
These are always a hit at the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner table. I usually use one of these rolls and make a “sandwich” with mashed potatoes, whatever meat has been cooked, and I little gravy. Perfection!
Justine Arifin says
Love the texture, just like a brioche, appreciate this very much and must be great for breakfast time🥰 with salted butter and homemade jam😉
Thanks again Nagi and so Dozer…
Steve Reindl says
if i do have a batch will it turn out and should i use full pack of yeast or 1/2 also ????
Jamie says
Been making bread for the last 4 months and trying different recipes. This one is definitely a keeper! Really good. Thanks Nagi – love all your recipes.
Nagi says
You are most welcome Jamie!! N x
Debbie Overstreet says
I can’t wait to make these Rolls they Look so Yummy😋
Kelly says
First time making bread rolls.. they came out gorgeous! Will definitely be making these again. Thank you for the recipe.
Janice M Remling says
11/28–tried these tonight and very pleased with the result. They look beautiful and appetizing with a lovely golden color. I used bread flour and will try with regular flour next time to see if they are any different.
Maria says
Can I use any tray and does the time change? I’d like to use an aluminum tray..
Yin says
Do you think it is okay to cut down on the butter and sugar? Thank you!
Nagi says
I never think it is ok to cut down on butter or sugar, lol! But seriously I don’t recommend it as it will change the texture of the rolls. N x
Judith Skehan says
These are the best rolls ever! Thanks for the recipe!