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….
I make this into a loaf very often. Not exactly weekly but often! Never fails. I can’t tell you how many bricks I have made over the years even in a bread maker that failed. I do knead it a bit. I wish I knew how long it takes to become stale but it never lasts that long:). Thanks again:).
Another winner!!!
Made this yesterday to accompany lasagna and it was a hit!! Not one roll left! Here I am now, doubling the recipe and making it for two days in a row. Thanks again Nagi.
First time baking this bread and it’s a hit! Soft, fluffy – absolutely perfect! Thank you for creating an easy recipe for beginner like me.
That’s great to hear Kuting! N x
No second question (:
Hi, loved the way this was so easy. 2 questions – I was wondering what was the purpose of the cling wrap on the second rise? Just bc right now I don’t have any and am making them without that, just covered them up again.
Hey Sonia, the cling wrap is to protect the dough from the air as it wont rise as well if the top dries out, ive used baking paper of a well floured tea towel instead before jus make sure to oil the baking paper as you dont want it to stick to the top of your rolls.
I made these and they were delish!! Could I use this recipe and bake in bread pans for a loaf instead of buns?
I haven’t tried just yet Nancy, will have to test this! N x
Very good. Well done. Did it 4 times. My children asked me to add raisins the 2nd try.
Nice Ong! I’ll have to try it! N x
First time using this recipe. Turned out fantastic! Soft and light! Just like the photos!
Great recipe. The rolls were soft, fluffy and delicious. Thank you for another great recipe.
You’re so welcome Miranda! N x
こんにちは！I made this dinner roll yesterday for lunch and dinner. It was SO fluffy and delicious! My family loved it! I used my bread maker to make the dough though. This is definitely the best bread recipe I’ve ever tried! I’m happy that I found your recipes as I love your other recipes! Thanks Nagi san xx
Hi. Am going to try this one today bit am wondering if using all purpose flour instead of the bread flour is fine? Coz here in Finland, there’s no such thing as bread flour 😅
Hi Lucy, AP flour will work fine! N x
I’ve made these before and they were delicious. I feel like they’d be perfect for bbq burger buns and for hot dogs – do you think the process/cooking time would change much if they were rolled into hot dog rolls? Thanks!
Made this recipe for dinner rolls yesterday as hamburger buns and they were fantastic… light, flavourful and delicious. An easy recipe with clear and concise instructions. This recipe is magic Nagi and you are the Magician.
Trying these today for dinner do u think i can top with cheese for tommorows lunches as well?
Yes 100% Sasha! Enjoy! N x
is this 35 tablespoons of melted butter
never mind I see 3-5 sorry
super recipe! All your recipes are wonderful.I have to admit that everything I tried came out wonderful and a big thank you for being so genuine .it is hard to please my boys but with your recipes I can easily conquer them ! Your stories are never boring, especially that involves Dozer.
I tried this one and it was my first failure with any recipes I have tried of yours Nagi. They really didn’t rise much and the dough didn’t seem “wet” enough. Maybe I should try with less flour?
Hi Lana, sorry you’re having issues with this one! Did you follow the weights as per the recipe? If they didn’t rise it sounds like there may be a problem with your yeast – or they needed to rise for a little longer. N x
Love this recipe but how much instant yeast should I use instead of 1tbsp of active dry yeast
Hi Jojo, I use powdered instant yeast here – the same amount as listed in the recipe. N x
Is the temperature setting for baking the same if using convention oven? Can I bake the dinner rolls in glass bakeware?
Hi Julia, people have said they’ve successfully done them in glass – the oven temp is the same for all ovens here. N x
Amazing! I am not a baker by any means but these are easy & delicious. A friend shared the No Knead Bread recipe (which also turned out fantastic) so figured I would try this. Thank you … I’m scared to try the Cinnamon Buns!