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….
This is my only website if we need something different for dinner, and these dinner rolls are the softest I’ve ever cooked and taste, it goes with everything. Thank you Nagi, you’re the chef to go to in our house hold. 🙂
These are simply amazing! I used this recipe as the base, and topped it with all sorts of toppings…bacon & cheese, sugar & cheese, even stuffed mini hotdogs in it to make mini hotdog rolls for the kids’ lunch box. Simple recipe, but so good! 5 stars!
Hi Jennifer,
Did you wrap the hotdogs in the rolls after the first rise?
This is something my kids would love in their lunchboxes.
Been eyeing this recipe for months, and finally made them yesterday.
Soft, squishy, tiny bit sweet – everything you promised and so, so easy!
Everybody loves them, already planning on another batch for the weekend 🙂
I will surely bake the little b uns they look so Good
You’ll love them Annette! N x
Hi Nagi, after making your gorgeous artisan bread over and over again with fantastic results, I decided today to make your bread rolls. Oh my word, they have turned out perfect and taste divine. My husband is due in from work and no doubt most of them will be gone by tonight. He has two for his lunch tomorrow as a surprise 🤫 Thankyou Nagi for continuing to make my baking and cooking experience so enjoyable. I love all your recipes. From Julie-Ann. X
Nagi, huge thanks!
I am a TERRIBLE baker, and these rolls just turned fantastic! Not so beautiful as in your picture, but sooooo good! Will do them often… <3
WAHOO!!! That’s great Mireille!! N x
We have a child with an egg allergy. Any chance we could do this egg free successfully?
Hi Renee, I haven’t tried sorry – it’s something I’d need to test! N x
I used Lowan dried instant yeast and followed everything except for air frying at the end. The rolls turned out great!
Hi Nagi,
I don’t have Lowan dried instant yeast. Should i use Fleischmanns active dry yeast or Fleischmanns instant dry yeast instead?
Literally love all your recipes!! Can’t wait to try this one out!
Hi Nagi! This is long overdue, but I absolutely love your recipes, have tried so many and they are always perfect.
Just a question relating to this recipe, if I wanted to knead this dough, what changes are needed in the ingredients?
Thanks!
Hi Dina, as the dough is quite sticky here – it’s not necessary to knead. Put your feet up and relax instead! N x
I felt like a rockstar turning out these!
Thank you
Hi Nagi,
I used all purpose flour and the rolls didn’t brown at all. The base started getting burned. I use an OTG.
Also, do you suggest baking bread in the middle or lower rack?
Made these tonight and WOW!! They are huge! They are more like slider rolls than the dinner rolls you get at the store. Light, fluffy, and they taste divine!! Yet another amazing recipe, Nagi!!
Success! super happy as the rolls turned out soft and fluffy compared to my previous trials. I tried a few stuffed with peanut butter and it turned out well too, so yummy. Can I use wheat flour or mix it with bread flour? Suggestions for healthier flour option please. Thank you.
Soooo fluffy, soooooo delicious. I used the dryer trick (my husband was kinda worried about me) and they turned out perfectly! My dryer is my new bread/dinner roll friend!! 😂
Wahoo, that’s awesome Elly!! N x
Hi Nagi,
I haven’t baked these yet but rolled and refrigerated them for baking tomorrow and the dough is spot on, very pillowy and soft (I can already tell they will be excellent) I have made alot of bread and also prefer the no kneed variety. Less work, same enjoyment.
Thanks again,
Holly xx
Thanks for another great recipe.
I’ve made a few different rolls recipes across the internet and I have to say this is my favorite! They’re just as good as rolls that take much more effort (probably even tastier) but they’re easy. My husband says I’m welcome to make these any time I want. I think the dough might make great cinnamon rolls too!
Hi Navi, I live in Canada now and cannot buy cream buns or iced buns. Do you think your no knead buns could be adapted to make either of these. Thankyou, I love your recipes!
Hi Jeannie, the dough would be sweeter in these types of buns, something for me to put on my list though! N x
My dough turns out quite firm, but still turns out great as buns. I first made them as dinner rolls. The next time, I filled them with a spicy fish and potato mixture just before the second rise, and got double the quantity of rolls! Also, I brushed the tops with egg wash just before baking instead of butter after.
Delish! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Yum, that sounds fantastic Shanali!! N x
I made these today and it turned out great except they weren’t brown on top. I may not have sprayed enough oil ?
My dough turns out quite firm, but still turns out great as buns. I first made them as dinner rolls. The next time, I filled them with a spicy fish and potato mixture, and got double the quantity of rolls! Also, I brushed the tops with egg wash just before baking instead of butter after.
Delish! Thank you for this amazing recipe!