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!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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’ve already made them! Amazing! So soft and delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that Sylviyia, thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
Can you use whole wheat flour?
Yep! 🙂 N x
I’m going to try it too in a while😋. Hoes I’ll get the same softened and moist like the one in the video
You will! Continues to amaze me when I hear reports from readers about how forgiving this dough is!
Sodium level is out of sight. If you make your own broth without much salt and lower amount added in recipe, how much will this alter taste?
Hi Jeannie! Broth….??? In rolls???
Who sells the block yeast? I know Coles & Wollies don’t…
Hi Mari! Nope, at least to to my knowledge 🙂 You’ll find it at some artisan bakeries, sometimes at markets and also speciality places like Essential Ingredient 🙂 N xx
I am trying these tonight!! Cannot wait! Thank you so much for such a manageable and easy recipe!!
I hope you enjoy it Michelle! 🙂 N xx
Can this be put on Pinterest? If so how?
Absolutely! There’s a Pinterest button at the top and bottom of every post! 🙂 N xx
Can the eggs be substituted in this recipe?
Hi Giann! I’m not sure I’m afraid 🙂
Can you substitute whole wheat flour instead of the bread flour?
Hi Angela! You definitely can! 🙂 N x
I just made these rolls and they were awesome! My better half isn’t much of a bread eater but complimented me on the rolls. I plan on freezing them but of course had to try one. Thanks for such a great recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed these Caroline! Thanks so much for letting me know – N x
Has anybody tried this with gluten free all purpose flour? If so how were they?
Hi Karla, not that I recall but I will put that on my list of things to try out with these! 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi!
First time trying out your recipe! Baked the no knead bread roll last night for today’s breakfast! Surprised at how soft and fluffy this turned out! I’ve also wrapped some tiny bits of ham and spring onion during the second proofing.
I’ve also bookmark some of your quick simple recipes for busy weekdays ! Have a great weekend ahead.
That’s so fantastic Lay! Thanks for letting me know! N x
I’ve never had success when it came to baking bread. But I decided to try these anyway. And they came out beautifully! And it was so awesome to have the smell of baking bread wafting through the house.
There are several recipes of yours that I will be trying but top of the list are going to be the cinnamon buns. 😀
p.s I noticed in one of your posts about results at high altitude. I live at 1800m above sea level and so I can certainly attest to the fact that this recipe works at higher altitudes.
So thrilled these worked out great for you Elsje, and thank you so much for your feedback re: high altitude baking! N xx
If I want to halve the recipe, do I have to reduce the yeast too? Thank you
Yep. Use the scaler – hover over servings and slide!
Trying these for the first time today. The dough is rising now. I’m concerned because my batter is MUCH drier than yours. Not sure what I did wrong – I measured everything according to the recipe. Hoping they turn out anyway. Fingers crossed!
Have faith Jennifer! It’s a surprisingly forgiving recipe 🙂 N x
Yay! Success! You were right — they turned out great! They were a huge hit with the family and our guests. 🙂
HIGH FIVE!!!! N xx
Can you freeze these and if so and what point would you freeze them?
I like freezing them once cooked 🙂
Can you substitute almond flour instead of the bread flour?
Sorry I haven’t tried (yet!)
regarding note #4 for those that don’t have a dryer (or like me it is in a nasty buggy out building) turn you oven on to 350 for 1 minute then turn off and put bowl of dough inside to rise….WORK GREAT
High five! I do that too – when my dryer is busy! N xx
Love the recipe… Great also for the older cook like my Mother who used to enjoy making her own bread but has found it too difficult of late as she is unable to knead the dough as she once did… Every time I have made it it has received rave Reviews… Thank you so much
That’s fantastic to hear Sher! Thank you for letting me know – N xx
Nagi, I’ve made these many times and they come out perfectly every time! I was wondering if you have ever made them half size? I’m making them for a get together and would like smaller rolls. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi Debbie! I sure have 🙂 They work great, just reduce cook time by a couple of minutes!