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….
Why do most of your chicken recipes call the thigh
Because it’s juicier than breast!!
I have al was want to make this now I can thank
Hope you try it Retta! 🙂 N xx
Si lo intentare
Gracias!!!!
Thank you so much, this recipe is great, I did it…. My children love it so much!
Regards from Jakarta, Indonesia,
Mic
That’s wonderful to hear Mic, thank you for letting me know! N xx
Can you substitute almond flour for the regular flour?
Hi,
Tried no knead buns for the first time …. came out really well & delicious too…thanks for a wonderful recipe…
That’s wonderful to hear Sangeeta, thank you for letting me know! N xx
Can you make without the sugar or recommend a substitute?
Hi Amy! Use 2 tbsp honey or skip it and add an extra touch of salt. 🙂
After not making rolls for years. I tried this recipe to use up some bread flour. They were light, fluffy , delicious and easy. The clothes dryer trick was a great tip.
So fantastic to hear that Anna, thanks for letting me know! N xx
This is the best bread rolls, so soft and fluffy 👍, thank you so much!!
Love your recipes, already made some of them, they all very delicious.
So fantastic to hear that Helen, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Thank u so much for the recipe…your baby’s hands look just like my girls hands….luv it…it was just like watching my girl make ghen….thank u for sharing.
BA HA HA!!!!! 😂
You published biscuit recipe when I first found you. It was simple and I am finally able to try it. I wrote I down but lost it when I moved. Could you tell me the ingredients again?
Hi Barb! What kind of biscuit recipe was it??? 🙂 N xx
can these be made in a bread maker and can they be made into a loaf for bread?
Do you mean the dough or cooking it?? Yes it can be made into a loaf but I’m working on a “better” recipe to use this for a loaf, if you can wait a bit!
Can you make the bread mixture but freeze it fresh ( not cooked )
Hi Diane! You can but it won’t rise quite as well. I would recommend freezing cooked rolls. 🙂 N xx
What kind of yeast? Active dry or rapid rise
Active dry is my go to but it works with rapid too 🙂 I’ve used both! N x
Hello, these look wonderful! I am wondering if you can use salted butter instead of unsalted?
Yes! Just reduce the added salt a touch 🙂 N x
I tried the till but it has a yeast taste. I followed your receipe so not sure what co tribute to it. I’m from so galore so the weather is too warm n the dough are real sticky.
Hi Esther! Can you clarify for me what you mean by “I tried the till “? 🙂
This recipe is a keeper! Easy for people without a mixer and I baked my bread using airfryer. Turned out pretty good!
I’m so pleased to hear that Kee! Thank you for letting me know! N xx
Did you use tap water or filtered? And by filtered,I mean bottled. I don’t use tap water where I live to bake because of high mineral content in the water.
Another issue might be your butter. If there’s an off-flavor in your fridge and it’s in your butter (no matter what it is) then it’ll transfer to it.
I’ve never had yeast give an off flavor unless I used too much for the recipe.
Good luck!
Hi I’m going through the recipes and loving them,
But I’m diabetic so i have to be careful what I eat, do you have any recipes that are more suitable for persons with diabetes
Thank you
Colleen
Hi Colleen, I’m so pleased you enjoy my recipes! I’m sorry I don’t have a specific section for diabetics but if you leave a question on any recipe I can try to help you amend it 🙂 N xx
Hi Chris, I can honestly not imagine what would contribute to a bitter taste!! Perhaps your pan, is your yeast past it’s due date or another ingredient???
hi- if your flour is old, it turns bitter- i know cuz it happens often w whole wheat flour that goes rancid faster- sometimes within a few weeks.
use fresh bread flour.
Hi Grace! So pleased it worked out for you 🙂 The dough is still very soft and sticky after the 1st proofing, so you need to sprinkle enough flour on to handle it. I’ve also found that the climate affects the stickiness of the dough – the warmer the dough, the sticker it is, so in summer I needed more flour and now that it’s winter here, I don’t need as much. 🙂 So just sprinkle with enough flour so that you can handle e. N x
WOW are you good! I’m not a baker, but these came out awesome!! My Husband loves them. Thanks!!!
So you ARE a baker!!! 🤔
Can these be frozen? At what point?
Hi there! Please see note 6 🙂
I made these yesterday and they came out perfectly.thank you so much. So easy and yet yum.
Fantastic! So pleased to hear that Milo, thank you for letting me know! N xx