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….
Good Morning :
Do you think they would work as a tool half the size – make 24 instead of 12 ? We are having a Tea Social
And Want to try them. Will let you know
Absolutely! It will probably rise faster for the 1st rise 🙂
Why won’t it let me email for free books
It won’t let me either.
Hi Linda! I’ll add you manually and you should receive an email with the links to download them. 🙂 If you don’t get that, then the links are also in every email I send out with new recipes!
Hello Sandra! I think your email must already be on the list! I will add you manually so you can get my free e-cookbooks 🙂 Expect to see an email from me shortly! N xx
Could you please add me too??
Barneyhooch@centurylink.net
Thanks! I have found many recipes in the past 10 minutes, that definitely sound like keepers!! 😋
Made for Easter, exactly by recipe, even put in dryer to rise, then 2nd rise overnight in fridge, all was beautiful……….but the tops and bottoms were soo hard. PLEASE HELP
Hi Liz! Is it possible your oven runs hot? 🙂 How browned was the top?
The rolls were just right with brownness’ I will try again soon
The brown was just beautiful, I`ll try again. Thanks for response
Also did you use the right oven temp for the oven type you have??
yes
Can you make loaves from mixture? Question was asked but not answered.
Hi! I have made baguettes / french stick size loaves but not sandwich bread. I am not convinced it will work so well making a sandwich bread, the bread is a little more fragile than traditional kneaded bread so I just don’t think it will slice as well. Also I have concerns about how well it would rise when it’s so much larger than a small roll. Hope that helps!
I have tried and tried to make bread. It always comes out weighing a ton. I had given up on this. My cousin posed this and I am so happy she did. This was the easiest and delicious bread ever!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. My favorite!! I will be sharing this also.
EXCELLENT! So pleased to hear that Birdy!!
The first time I made these, I used the yeast I had and apf. They were good, but dense. Didn’t rise very well, I believe my yeast was out of date. But I tried them again this morning and oh my gosh. I don’t think I’ll ever buy store bought rolls again. I wanna try it with wheat flour and flax seed next time
WHOOT!!!! So fantastic to hear that Amanda, thanks for letting me know! N xx
I used AP flour and two packets of yeast. OH MY GOD Becky, look at those rolls. They’re so round, so big.. they’re just out there. (Sir Mix A Lot puns aside) These are so perfect. I love making yeast breads, and kneading, but lately I’ve been too wiped out to do any kneading work.
I’m making these every week. Thank you!
Whoot! That’s fantastic to hear Mia, thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it! 🙂
Thanks a lot for the recipe. Almost give up making bread because I’m not expert in kneading dough and no space at my kitchen for heavy duty mixer. Just made it and the result was perfect. But I ran out of bread flour, so just made it half bread flour and half plain flour. Still nice. 🙂 Next time will make it with full bread flour.
That’s terrific to hear Mona! Thank you for letting me know! N xx
Hi Nagi, can this be made into a loaf of bread at all? (in a bread loaf tin).
Also my roles burned a bit dark on top (180c fan forced 15min) should I reduce the heat next time or not do fan forced? Thanks 🙂
Hi Jess – I haven’t tried in a loaf, I think it’s a bit too crumbly for a loaf. However, a french stick works great! If yours browned too quickly, sounds like your oven runs a bit hot, I use fan forced and they definitely weren’t dark brown at 15 min, they are exactly per the photos. 🙂 Try moving the shelf down, that helps reduce surface browning, otherwise yes try non fan forced, or reduce the fan forced temp by 10C. 🙂
Great, thank you!
These were awesome.
Touch sweet for me so might reduce sugar to 2tbs instead of 1/4 cup next time as you suggested?
Cooked them yesterday and turned out perfect! Thanks Nagi!
That’s terrific to hear Jess! Thank you for letting me know! And yes definitely reduce sugar a touch if they are too sweet for your taste 🙂 N xx
I made these rolls for Easter. They were great. Now the bad things is my husband wants me to make a butch ever week. Lol
BA HA HA!!!! Good problem to have! 😉
We are from Australia, but we live in Ecuador. Love getting your recipes, then adapting them for ingredients from our farm and from the local market and flour miller. I made this recipe yesterday with whole wheat flour.
Once the dough was ready for its second rise, I decided to make it into a calzone/stromboli thingy with spinach and tomatoes out of our garden, pizza sauce and the local fresh cheese. It was brilliant, but turned out so big, we shared it with two neighbours.
WOW you’re a long way from home! I absolutely love hearing from Aussies all over the world. 🙂 I love that you made it into a calzone! I can’t wait to share more recipes using this dough 🙂 It’s magic!!
Wow…i had given up making pav till i saw ur recipe….its such a perfect recipe…my dream of making a ladipav came true because of u….thank you for the recipe…..this gives me courage to try a kneaded pav too…..cant thank u enough
Kneaded…..PAV????
Can you half the recipe?
Yep! Use the scaler – hover over servings 🙂
The first time I made, I only used one pack of dry yeast and regular all purpose flour. Because I didn’t look at foot note. Came out good but not like I expected.
The second time, I used bread flour and two packs of yeast and they came out perfect
That’s so fantastic to hear Velvet! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it! – N xx
Can’t wait to try these!!!! Oh and you should say your #1 deserted island item is buttered bread. It will confuse them from grumbling
THAT’S BRILLIANT!!!! Definitely pulling that out next time! ?
Amazing! Even if you have never baked a thing in your life you could make these!
YESSSS!!!
Hi! I just made these for the first time and they are delicious but despite being brown on top and sounding hollow they are still doughy inside. The color was on the verge of too dark so I took them out at 15 minutes. I see you used a square metal pan and all I had was an 8×8 glass. Could this be my problem? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Yes, cooking varies with the pan, glass, non-stick, etc, that you use with any food. Also, not all ovens cook exactly the same so for time and degree.
I just had to say these look amazing I can just imagine the wonderful fresh taste!
>>>”…top 3 foods they would take to a Deserted Island to live on forever. You do not have to worry about nutrition and no one puts on weight on my island. And despite much pressure, I stand firm that you are unable to grow, catch or kill anything on this island. You can, however, trade foods with other people on your island.”<<<
If we could take it with us to live on forever that would mean we would have a lifetime supply so we wouldn't need to grow, catch or kill anything so that point is null. Lol.
So, in playing the game I would definitely gave a lifetime supply of these fresh baked buns! Bread is filling!
Second would be some chocolate! Have to have chocolate!! Lastly I would bring pizza! Yes, I know, more dough! Lol.?
You didn't mention beverages, but my lifetime supply would of course be water. If someone else had the "good drinks" we could always trade! 😉
Ha ha that was fun!
Now what would you like to trade with me, if anything? Lol.?
YESSS!!! COME ON MY ISLAND!!!!
Hi Megan – I’ve made rolls in glass before and they worked just fine. Did you use the right temp for the oven type you have? If your oven runs hot, try turning it down a touch, these rolls can take a slightly lower temp!
Ever tried these with gluten free flour?
I’m sorry, I haven’t, I would love to know if you try!
I don’t think this recipe is going to work for me :(. It wasn’t wet like in the video. I followed the recipe to a tea. I’m not sure why but I’ve never been able to make bread. Sadly this may be my last attempt..
Hi Patty, I’m sorry to hear that. Are you sure you measured the ingredients correctly?? I can’t imagine what could make the batter so different, even readers in high altitude places and super humid places have made this recipe with success! N xx