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….
Made these yesterday. They were amazing! The only thing is, the tops had a beautiful color and they were perfectly done, but the underside had no color. That didn’t bother us too much, but I would like to figure out how to do this in the future. Mine baked at 390 for 15 minutes on the middle rack. Should I maybe lower them to the bottom rack, half way through baking?
Made rolls today. They look beautiful, soft, and perfect texture. But they are tasteless like 4 other recipes from other sites I have tried. Someone must have a recipe like the typical buffet restaurants serve. Will keep searching. I really hoped this was last roll recipe I had to try. But from All Recipes to Sally Baking addiction everyone is using this same recipe with slightly different amounts of ingredients so as to call it their on. But all tasteless.
Hi Joli, I know I’m a little late in the game but I’m giving it a go anyway! 😁😁
The typical ‘buffet-style’ rolls have a LOT of sugar & more salt in them than these rolls, and I think all no-knead rolls follow this same approximate recipe. You could try doubling the sugar up to ½ cup & increase the salt. I would do this by using salted butter & adding up to an extra teaspoon or so salt to the recipe. Just be careful that it doesn’t interact with the yeast before the milk is added, as it can inhibit the yeast. You can do this by adding the salt to the flour first, then whisking it to evenly disperse the salt. Then add the other ingredients.
I know some people don’t like it, but taste the dough as you go along. It won’t taste like the final result but it will give you an indication of whether the dough is too bland for you or not.
Hope this helps!
Please do not send Dozer to corner. You are a guest in his house. Not other way around. 😂 I know, I have two big 4 leggers I live with.
These rolls were awesome!!! Easy to make and tasty as can be!
Nagi, you are a treasure!
I make these often for my family and some day will try this recipe to make Hot Crossed Buns.
Hi Susan, you’ll love this recipe here: https://promotown.info/hot-cross-buns-recipe/%3C/a%3E 🙂 N x
Hi! I want to try! Can I use quick rise yeast? I have the packets.
Hi Helena, yes that’s the instant yeast that I use. N x
Can you make dinner rolls witth self rising flour? I make biscuits with this flour.
Hi Joan, sorry not for this recipe – the raising agent is the yeast (not baking powder) N x
I made these tonight for Father’s Day. We are a family of six and I wasn’t sure whether to follow your recipe using the default amounts (serves 12) or halve the recipe to make (just) six.
My daughter suggested following your recipe as written because “Nagi’s recipes are always good and what if we want more than just one roll?”
So I made 12.
These rolls were SO light and fluffy and delicious. BUT, they’re also very large and filling, so one per person was enough.
I also made your Slow-Cooked Roast Lamb and your Super Crunchy Potatoes with the rolls to have for our Father’s Day dinner.
Thank you!
Can I use cream if I don’t have milk?
How do I shape these into buns? Would love to make burgers with it!
Hi Nagi, does this recipe work with wholemeal flour?
Fabulous recipe. I live on my own so have frozen most but oh, they are so light, delicious and scrumptious. Thank you so much.
Hi Debbie, unfortunately the rolls aren’t as light and fluffy when using wholemeal flour. N x
Hi! Can I add cheddar cheese to the bread for a variation?
Thank you for this lovely and easy recipe. I made half a dozen today, reduced the sugar and they came out perfect. My husband loves them and I’ve shared your recipe with a good friend and she’s now following you on Instagram, I’ve tagged you on Instagram.🙂
These didn’t work for me sadly. The tops overcooked and the bottom was still raw dough. And the texture was a bit dense not fluffy. Not sure what went wrong 🙁
Hi Lis, that doesn’t sound right at all! Did you follow the second rise? What kind of oven are you cooking them in? N x
Hi Nagi! I’ve made them these countless times. They are THE most amazing dinner rolls I’ve ever had. I have the following question in case you know: what will happen if I knead the dough for approx. 10min before the first rise? Will they become even fluffier or I shouldn’t bother? It is very sticky indeed, but I’ve seen videos of people kneading such sticky doughs. Thanks!
Hi Nick, it’s really not needed here & won’t make the dough any fluffier. N x
Can this be made with bread flour? Will it taste chewier or softer?
Hi! You can use bread flour for this recipe, bread flour has a higher amount of protein and may yield a fluffier roll depending on the percentage of protein in the flour used 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi!
Big fan here! Just cooking these rolls (for the second time) I don’t keep plastic wrap, last time i covered with a tea towel for he 2nd rise. Is this ok? Thanks!
Yes completely fine Lauren! N x
thanks for awesome hassle-free recipe. I am not good with baking but first time trying this recipe and loving the result. Super soft and wonderful texture. I followed exactly.
Made these tonight for my first time ever making bread rolls. It is so easy, foolproof and tasty – soft, fluffy and milky. Still can’t believe it was no knead. I’m going to try with atta flour (in attempt to make me think it’s healthier, hope it comes out nicely, have you any tips for this? Thanks so much for sharing and inspiring!
Did This recipe for 1st time. I just finished baking it. It was a success for a beginner like me! I even followed your dryer technique and boy, it worked! Thank you!