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….
Can the dough be frozen, for later use? And what about a half recipe, when 12 large rolls is simply too much?
Hi Melissa! Freezer directions are in the notes and yes, you can make half! 🙂 N x
Hello. Would these bake well on an oven stone?
Will you still use a pan though?? Need it to hold their shape 🙂 N xx
Well, normally I use a pizza stone for breads. This time I followed your recipe, on a baking sheet, and they were the best rolls I ever made, as well as ever had. I will never buy rolls again. For me this is a major break through. I’ve been trying for years to make the right recipe. Many thanks!
Thank you for the review Mike, it’s so terrific to hear you enjoyed this! N xx
came across this recipe back in April and it has become a family favourite since then. Thanks for charging.
Wayne
That’s terrific to hear Wayne, thanks for leaving a review! N x
Thank you so much for this recipe. I was wondering if I could use this dough for Beerocks. I would be rolling it out and putting filling on it , cutting and then rolling into ball. Can this dough be rolled out and used?
YES! Just add a but more flour so it’s rollable!
Thanks for d recepe. Will appreciate if u cld let me know how to make them eggless.kndly email to me as well.
I’m sorry but I don’t know how to make these eggless! 🙂
Hi i still dont get it how to make the bun rolls i try it but it turn out hard can you please show me how slowly and so i can understand… it my kids favorite that why..thank you
Hi Jessy! Which part are you struggling with? 🙂 N x
I don’t see why the dryer would stay warm as its vented outside but I turn the oven on low and rise on the stove top.
It’s a draught free place 🙂 That’s why! N xx
I had to laugh… I too have put my dough in my dryer to rise for years… we keep the house too cool for it to rise on the counter.
Ha! Love hearing that! N x
Me! I want to be on your deserted island! Those three things sound delicious! I would bring more bread and butter, more cheese, and perhaps a nice prosecco or red wine – different wines for different cheeses after all!
Oooh – YES! Come on MY island, we will have a blast! 😂 N xx
I went be culinary school and learned there that using kitchen scales your recipes came out so much better, and it is so true, I love recipes that use metric so I can use my scales. I don’t know metric but my scales do and my recipes turn out fantastic, this one is no different, awesome as predicted
I like using my scales too Wendy. Especially for things like peanut butter!!! So irritating to have to measure it out! 😂
These look yummy and I will try them. Only wish the measurements were not in metric! Have to convert to American measurements!
Both measurements are there, I’m going to make them now.
Hi Rosanna – no need to convert, use the measurements as they are, I promise it is fine, I’ve tested this recipe very thoroughly. 🙂 It’s actually quite forgiving – even if you mix up metric and American between ingredients, it comes out the same. N x
Thanks for the great review Bonnie! I’m SO pleased to hear you enjoyed it! N xx
This is an amazing recipe! Ever since I came across your recipe 2 weeks ago, we have made 4 batches of this babies already! We usually half the recipe so that we can finish in time, and it still comes out great! We even managed to variate the recipe by mixing wholemeal flour, adding filling, etc. They all turned out awesome!! This recipe is definitely a keeper and we have since stocked up on bread flour just for this hehe. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!! 🙂 I have also shared your link with my friends!
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the great review Cinthia! N xx
By the way, do you have any tips on reducing the mess on your hands? After punching down the dough, plenty of dough sticks to my fist :(. Flour on my fist doesn’t seem to do much help!
I don’t I’m sorry!! It’s just the way it is! 🙂 N x
Nagi, if I use wheat flour is it the same measurement? I just want to know before making. Thank you .
Hi Marmi! Yup, same amount 🙂 N x
This rolls are excellent and a big hit with everyone!!
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the great review Jude! N xx
Your recipe looks terrific! I’ll try it as soon as my oven is fixed. I want to play the deserted island food game. Pick 3 foods. Ok. What about trading with friends? Do we pick a friend too? Does the friend have to agree to share? What more can you tell me?
BA HA HA! Now you’re trying to be cheeky with the rules, just like I do! 😂 Official rule is no trading with friends until after everyone declares what they are taking, then everyone always says who they want to be on the island with!
The buns just came out from the oven. Couldn’t resist taking one for a bite. The moment I pull a piece from the tray. I can feel it softness and fluffy texture. I do not need to go further . Great recipe and thank you for the sharing.
That’s great to hear Ai! Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback! N xx
At what point could you make ahead & freeze ? For like TG dinner rolls ??
Hi Karen! I would bake the rolls, cool then freeze. I found this works better than freezing the dough – though you can freeze it. But freezing cooked rolls is better I find, just ensure you warm them before serving!
Hi Nagi,
Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I followed the recipe closely but used my stand mixer to knead , divided the dough into 24 instead of 12. They turned out beautifully! Soft, fluffy, bouncy & tasty baseball-size dinner rolls. You are amazing!
That’s great to hear Vivian! Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback! N xx
This recipe is amazing less work its quick and easy. The rolls are so soft and delicious. For my first try i felt the salt was too much as we dont use these for dinner.so imade them again and put 1/2 teaspoon of salt and it was perfect. Every time I make them they finish so quickly my family and friends love them. Thanks again for sharing. And the tip about the dryer is excellent.
That’s terrific to hear Barbs! I’m so pleased to hear that. 🙂 N xx
Anxiious to try
Hope you do! N x
These turned out amazingly soft and tasty. I omitted the sugar completely except for the 2 tsp to proof the yeast, and less 1/2tsp of salt. Will definitely try the same recipe with half white flour and half wholewheat next time.
I’m so pleased to hear that Jane! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on this recipe 🙂 N xx
Thank you for your comment, I need to not use sugar when I can help it.