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….
love ,jove your sight
Thanks so much Sheila!
Are they cooked on parchment paper or right on the pan
Actually, right on the pan is fine too but to be safe, I use parchment paper. So put the raw dough onto the parchment paper IN the pan then bake as is! N x
Loved these rolls. My only question is the 390 temp. I can’t do that temp on my ovens. I can only do 25 degree increments. Any suggestions?
Hi Tamara! Just get as close as you can below 390F based on what your oven can do – 375F would be ideal! N x
I live in Florida which is very humid, my first try at these lovely rolls was challenging. The end result rolls were very good although they were a bit dense, but the dough was very fluidity and sticky. I couldn’t cut it with a knife like you did in the video. If I added more flour to the recipe, do you think that would give me a better consistency of dough? Or would adding a tablespoon of vital gluten help? Thanks
Hi Martha, you can add flour a little bit at a time to get the right consistency 🙂
Hi Nagi! I’m making these ahead for Thanksgiving and I don’t have unsalted butter can I use regular butter and just omit the salt?
Yes that’s exactly what I would do! – N x
Thank you!
I decided to give these rolls a try for dinner with the family on Saturday and they were a huge success! Everybody loved them including my grandson. Straight from the oven soft and light, yummy. What a great website Nagi with superb recipes.
These are amazing! And so simple to make. I have to admit, I have tried quite a few “no knead bread rolls” and they have not turned out well. So, having tried so many of your recipes that I and my family love, I gave it a try. My new go-to bread roll recipe now! Love them
Wahoo! That’s great Julia!!
I am making this right now, on 1st rise, dough is very dry and not at all sticky
I made the dough today also and mine was the exact opposite lol had to let it proof longer and add a little more glour because it was a liquidy sticky mess lol gonna bake tomorrow and hoping they turn out as good as the ones Nagi makes!
Omg just made these and they have turned out amaaaazing! Super soft. I might just reduce the sugar as it says in ur notes but still delicious. Just popped some Shakshuka in the middle and topped with feta and I’m in sandwich heaven 😍😍
Wooooo sounds great Tazzy!
Omg just made these and they have turned out amaaaazing! Super soft. I might just reduce the sugar as it says in ur notes but still delicious. Just popped some Shakshuka in the middle and topped with feta and I’m in sandwich heaven 😍😍
I was wondering if you could use different flours with this recipe? I have diabetes but love breads. Could you use a wheat, oat, or pumpernickel flour for all or a portion of the white flour in this recipe? Thanks.
Hi Sonya, wholemeal works well with this recipe, I haven’t tried any others sorry!
Hi Nagi!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I baked these dinner rolls the other day using your recipe and it turned out perfect! My husband and I enjoyed it so much along with your slow cooker pot roast recipe! (did that one too!) I love the way you present your recipes plus the tips and ideas/information that you extend to your readers/followers. Yours is a reliable and a winner food website. Happy tummy here :-). Hi! to Dozer too.
btw, do you have a recipe for apple pie? Thank you Nagi 🙂
Thanks so much for the great feedback! I have an apple pie in the works – not yet perfected though – N x
These rolls look so good, Nagi. Thank you for the recipe and all the tips!
You’re so welcome Priya!
Amazing soft and tasty rolls this is now my go to recipe
Perfect Toni!
We love them. I usually make them with stew and then use the leftovers rolls for deli sandwiches for school lunch for my teenager. He is slowing learning these also😂 I do sub in almond milk and vegan butter as I can’t have milk.
That’s great to know it still works Kimberly ❤️
Can’t wait to try these rolls! I’ve been known putting dough that needed to rise in my car or in the garage on hot days And in bathroom with heater on lol
YES!!! 😂
I made these exactly according to your directions. I swear, these are the best rolls I have ever eaten. They rose so much, I almost needed a larger pan. Thank you.
I am making these for a church event tomorrow evening! I am wondering if I can make the dough tonight and let it rise overnight and then do the second rise tomorrow afternoon?
This is one of those times I wish I could swear cause that is the only way to describe these: unf’ing believable! I so amazed mine turned out to look just yours. Tagged you on Instagram so you could see for yourself! Such a great recipe and I can’t believe how easy it was!
WOOT! You’re converted now! 😂
These are really good !! Going to make them for the holidays dinner
Perfect Erica!
These soft, buttery rolls don’t disappoint. My toddler helped and they turned out super. Our home smells wonderfully yeasty. Thanks for sharing another great recipe!
That’s awesome Elizabeth, glad they turned out 🙂