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….
Hi. I made these today. Dough was very sticky on second rise – I got it everywhere! BUT did as you suggested added more flour to cover and handle and viola – big fluffy perfect rolls!!! And sooo delicious!! We had one each with our creamy zucchini soup!! 🥰🥰
Wahoo, I’m so glad you got it to work Sue! N x
Hi! Can’t wait to try this! Do you cover the bread during the second rise in the dryer? Thanks!
Hi Jeanette, yes they are covered- this is noted in step 1 of “rise 2” in the instructions. N x
Nagi, those are the best soft rolls ever. They’re huge, pillowy and soft and the easiest thing to make. Oh, and delicious. Oh, and they do stay pretty fresh for a couple of says. And, they freeze and thaw beautifully. My husband and I find half a bun each is enough with dinner. So, they’re economical, to boot. I’ve front-step-dropped batches for friends along with your printed recipe. I’m now called the bun/bread queen. (I also bake a mean French Bread). Thank you for this marvelous recipe AND video which helped see how the dough should look.
😂 That’s great to hear Suzanna!!! N x
Another Nagi win. Had my 2 year old help me put it together. They were so soft inside, I wanted to eat the whole rack. We made ahead and baked today, still cannot believe how well they turned out with little effort.
That’s great Davinia!! N x
Hi Nagi, thank you so much for this great and easy to follow dinner roll recipe! I have baked this twice and all went really well. Only that I don’t have square pan like yours so I had to use a round pan. Anyhow, can I use glass-base pan e.g. pirex for the baking? If yes, any changes in heat and time for baking? Thanking you in advance for your reply. Cheers!
Made these today and lowered the sugar to 2 tbsp and they still turned out amazing!! Super easy and such a great hack with the dryer! 😊
Perfect Cho! N x
Hi Nagi!
Thanks so much for this great recipe, it was my first time attempting to make dinner rolls! It was a stormy day out and wanted some confort food and this hit the spot! I was really happy with the result!
Perfect Dani, that’s great! N x
One word only….fantastic ! I baked your rolls tonight,I’m super happy with the results.Thank you kindly for sharing your recipes. Bless.
You’re so welcome Shiraz! N x
I’ve hardly baked bread in my life and I succeeded using this recipe! Nothing beats freshly baked bread for the kids. Thanks Nagi!
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Yen!! N x
These were beyond incredible. My family loved them and I’ve since shared the recipe with my extended family and group of friends. This will be a staple in our household. Thx.
How would I substitute dry milk powder for the liquid milk?
Hey there made these buns 4 times now and I love them even added some garlic and Parmesan cheese on top. Can I add cheese to the inside of the bread like cheddar ? If so how can I do it?
Thanks Nagi! Another delicious and amazing recipe. Made these today. First attempt at bread and was so easy and quick. Will do these again and again. Tonight we used these for pulled beef and coleslaw ‘sliders’,
Hey Nagi! I have said this before, but no harm in repeating; I simply looove your recipes! They are easy to follow, and the videos always give a boost. Using yeast always make me a little apprehensive, but I enjoyed making these bread rolls. Everyone loved the finished product, and I was so proud of my accomplishment.
Thank you, Nagi!
Thank you SO much Terry!! N x
Hello, can i replace the butter with palm oil or any clean neutral oil? If yes how many tablespoon? will the bread become even more softer?
Hi Eve, not for this recipe sorry! N x
Hi Nagi. Love your recipes! Does this no knead bread roll recipe work with wholemeal flour please. Many thanks
Hi Linda, it does, however they aren’t as light and fluffy, they are more dense. N x
Hi, thanks for the amazing recipe. Never knew rolls could be made this way. I always have trouble kneading and shaping to get a smooth surface. Can we half the quantity for each item to make less or would you recommend using these quantities and refrigerating the extra dough? Thanks.
Hi Samir, this recipe is fine to halve 🙂 N x
This is the first time I am making bread and it was a great confidence booster! The rolls turned out wonderful….so fragrant and soft even on day 3 with a quick reheat in the toaster oven. Thanks for providing this recipe!
I’m so glad you loved them Nancy!! N x
Can this be done without eggs?
Hi there! Like many people right now i am struggling to find yeast. A friend of mine has Saf-Instant Lesaffre yeast she is willing to share but I am confused on how to use it in this recipe. She says you add it directly to dry ingredients and do not add water. Can you help me?
Amazing:) Made them with my 5yo daughter as a project / experiment and not only it was fun, but also turned out quite delectable:) Might make 16 instead of 12 next time, so they are a bit smaller and easier for my girl to form:) Thank you
Perfect Filip!! N x
Can you make these with any other types of flour? I love love love light rye & caraway bread so wondering if you can add caraway seeds and substitute light rye flour for all or part of the flour? Thanks