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    Home » Recipes » Bread and scones recipes

    No-knead soft dinner rolls - so quick and easy

    Published: Mar 4, 2021 · Modified: Jun 16, 2024 by VJ · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

    Jump to recipe

    These no-knead soft dinner rolls are fantastically easy to make. They are made with yeast, but there's no kneading and no waiting around for them to proof! Just mix, shape, rest and bake. It couldn't be easier!

    A pile of soft dinner rolls fresh from the oven.
    Jump to:
    • You really can make bread rolls without kneading
    • Recipe notes
    • The ingredients
    • How to mix the dough
    • Shape the rolls
    • How long do they last?
    • Save for later
    • Related recipes
    • 📋The recipe

    You really can make bread rolls without kneading

    I know it's hard to believe, but even though there is yeast in this recipe for soft dinner rolls, you don't have to knead at all.

    Once you've tried this recipe, I guarantee you'll be making these soft dinner rolls time and time again.

    • You don't need a stand mixer or any other mixer for that matter. Just dump all the ingredients into the mixing bowl and give them a quick mix with a wooden spoon.
    • There's absolutely no kneading involved.
    • These dinner rolls have a fluffy interior and a soft golden crust.
    • Not only are they perfect for mopping up the last of the gravy, but they also make the perfect lunchtime sandwich.
    • And best of all, they are incredibly quick to make - you don't have to wait for the dough to prove. Just mix, shape, rest and bake.
    Close up of half a dinner roll spread with butter.

    This is my go-to recipe for quick bread rolls. I love the texture. It's soft and spongy, perfect for soaking up gravy or dunking in a bowl of soup or stew.

    And because the texture is so firm, you don't have to throw these rolls away when they go stale. Just cut them in half, and pop them under a hot grill or broiler. Then slather them with butter and enjoy - they make the perfect toasted bread roll!

    Recipe notes

    • Prep time - 20 minutes
    • Rising time - 1 hour
    • Cook time - 20 minutes
    • Yield - 12 soft dinner rolls
    • Calories - 230 per bread roll
    • Main equipment -
      • Mixing bowl - for mixing the dough. You will need a large one.
      • Baking tray - for baking the rolls
      • Silicone baking sheets - to line your baking tray - or you could use baking parchment. Failing that, brush the tray lightly with oil to prevent the rolls from sticking.

    The ingredients

    **Get the complete recipe for these soft dinner rolls on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.**

    You don't need anything special and you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry anyway.

    This recipe will make 1 dozen dinner rolls, about the diameter of a baseball, but you can make smaller rolls if you prefer.

    ingredients for dinner rolls.
    • Plain flour - don't use self-raising flour - we are going to add yeast to make the rolls rise.
    • Instant yeast - this is dried instant yeast granules, not the blocks of fresh yeast.
    • Milk - this helps create a soft texture. I use full-fat milk, but you can use semi-skimmed too. The milk should be lukewarm, as the warmth will help activate the yeast.
    • Sugar - if you prefer a less sweet roll, you can use less sugar than the amount specified in the recipe.
    • Melted butter - to make for easy mixing, the butter should be completely melted before being added to the rest of the ingredients.
    • One egg - to enrich the dough.
    • Salt - if you don't use salt in your diet you can leave this out.

    How to mix the dough

    This couldn't be simpler.

    Steps for mixing the dough.
    • Start by warming the milk in the microwave for a few seconds until it is barely lukewarm, then pour the milk into a mixing bowl.
    • Stir in the yeast then add the egg, butter, sugar and salt.
    • Whisk with a balloon whisk to combine (image 1 above).
    • Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until you have a thick, slightly sticky dough (image 2 above).
    • Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and sprinkle the dough with a little extra flour. You won't need too much, about a tablespoon should be sufficient.
    • Knead lightly until the dough comes together in a soft non-sticky ball (I know I said no kneading, but this isn't really proper kneading - you are just bringing the dough together). You can add an additional tablespoon of flour if the dough is very sticky, but you shouldn't have to.
    • Note - the dough may still be slightly sticky inside, but don't worry - this is how it should be. When you shape the rolls you can use a little additional flour.

    Shape the rolls

    • Divide the dough in half and then in half again so you have 4 pieces. Then divide each piece into 3, giving you 12 equally sized pieces of dough. If you prefer slightly smaller dinner rolls, divide each quarter into 4, giving you 16 pieces.
    • Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with baking parchment, or greasing it with a little oil to prevent the rolls from sticking.
    Steps for shaping the rolls and baking.
    • Roll each piece of dough into a ball then flatten slightly to about half an inch thick and place on a baking sheet. My baking sheet measures 25cm x 36cm (or 10" x 15"). You may need to dust the dough with a little extra flour if it is too sticky to handle.
    • Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
    • 5 minutes before the hour is up, preheat the oven to 180C / 350F.
    • Brush the rolls with beaten egg and bake them for about 20 minutes until nicely browned on top.

    How long do they last?

    These soft dinner rolls will stay fresh for 2 days, and any rolls left over from dinner time can be turned into sandwiches for lunch the next day.

    After 2 days they do tend to dry out somewhat.

    However, because they are meant to be soft rolls, you can freshen them up by popping them into the microwave for about 15 seconds to rejuvenate them.

    Store the rolls in a plastic bag to help keep them from drying out.

    The cooled dinner rolls can be frozen in a plastic bag for up to 6 months. To use, allow them to defrost and warm them in the microwave or place them on a baking tray in a hot oven for about 5 minutes.

    If you'd like to be notified of new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter? To say thank you, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.

    A dinner roll spread with butter on a plate with a knife.

    Save for later

    Why not pin this no-knead bread roll recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can make it later? Just click the image below.

    Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

    Related recipes

    If you enjoy baking bread and rolls you may like to try some of my other easy recipes too:

    • A large pile of hot dog buns.
      Homemade hot dog rolls (buns)
    • Two slices of chese and onion bread, one buttered and the other unbuttered to show the cheese and onion laminations.
      Cheese and onion loaf
    • 8 ciabatta rolls on wooden board.
      Easy ciabatta rolls
    • Close up of a baked seeded bread roll.
      Easy no-knead seeded bread rolls

    You can find these and many more recipes on my bread and scones recipes page.

    📋The recipe

    A pile of soft dinner rolls.

    No-knead soft dinner rolls

    These no-knead soft dinner rolls are fantastically easy to make. They are made with yeast, but there's no kneading, and no waiting around for them to rise twice! Just mix, shape, rest and bake. It couldn't be easier!
    Recipe by: Veronica
    Bread
    British
    Calories 230
    Prep 20 minutes minutes
    Rising time 1 hour hour
    Cook 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 dinner rolls
    Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
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    4.59 from 12 votes

    (Click the stars to rate this recipe)

    Equipment

    • Mixing bowl
    • Balloon whisk
    • Wooden spoon
    • 10" x 15" baking sheet

    Ingredients

    • 4 cups (560g) plain flour
    • 1 tablespoon instant yeast granules
    • 1½ cups milk lukewarm
    • 3 tablespoons (40g) sugar
    • 3 tablespoons (40g) butter melted
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 teaspoon salt optional

    Instructions

    • Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with baking parchment, or greasing with a little oil to prevent the rolls from sticking.
    • Warm the milk in the microwave for a few seconds until it is just luke-warm, then pour the milk into a mixing bowl.
    • Stir in the yeast.
    • Melt the butter and add.
    • Add the egg, sugar and salt.
    • Whisk with a balloon whisk until combined.
    • Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until you have a thick, slightly sticky dough.
    • Turn the dough onto a well floured surface and sprinkle with a little exra flour (approximately 1 tablespoon)
    • Knead lightly until the dough comes together in a soft non-sticky ball.
    • Divide the dough in half and then in half again so you have 4 pieces. Then divide each piece into 3, giving you 12 equally sized pieces of dough.
    • Roll each piece of dough into a ball then flatten slightly to about half an inch thick and place on a baking sheet.
    • Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
    • 5 minutes before the hour is up, preheat the oven to 180C / 350F.
    • Brush the rolls with beaten egg and then bake them for about 20 minutes until nicely browned on top.

    Notes

    If you prefer a less sweet dinner roll, reduce the sugar to 2 tablespoons
    The dough will be sticky - use a little extra flour to help you form the mixed dough into a soft ball.
    When shaping the rolls you may need to use a little extra flour too.
    These rolls will remain fresh for 2 days - after that, they will start to dry out.
    To freeze - The cooled dinner rolls can be frozen in a plastic bag for up to 6 months. To use, allow them to defrost and then either warm them in the microwave or place them on a baking tray in a hot oven for about 5 minutes.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories - 230kcal | Carbohydrates - 40.9g | Protein - 6.8g | Fat - 4.2g | Saturated Fat - 2.3g | Cholesterol - 25mg | Sodium - 235mg | Potassium - 94mg | Fiber - 1.5g | Sugar - 4.9g | Calcium - 47mg | Iron - 2mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

    Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
    All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
    Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I'd love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
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    About VJ

    Before I started my food blog I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, mostly made from scratch, using everyday pantry ingredients.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.59 from 12 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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    1. Roger Stepper

      September 20, 2021 at 3:37 am

      4 stars
      It went really well, soft and tasty.

      Reply
    2. Ldodds

      May 10, 2021 at 5:19 pm

      4 stars
      Sounds much easier

      Reply
    3. Mary Catherine Straka

      April 30, 2021 at 6:28 pm

      5 stars
      I've only recently started looking at and trying bread recipes. My main focus is easy and not too messy. These rolls are just fabulous! This is the second time I've made them, and
      just took the pan out of the oven and took a picture of them, but I don't know how to send it. Anyway, I can't wait to cut into these amazing, and easy rolls. Thank you for the recipe.

      Reply
      • VJ

        May 01, 2021 at 6:51 am

        My pleasure - so pleased you enjoyed them.

        Reply
    4. Maz

      April 19, 2021 at 12:10 am

      5 stars
      I love these rolls! We use them for sandwiches. After cooled, I put them in a big zip lock bag and keep in frig. They last me about a week because we slice in half and toast them. So happy about this great recipe.

      Reply
      • VJ

        April 19, 2021 at 10:45 am

        Thank you - what a lovely comment - you've made my day 🙂

        Reply
    5. Maz

      April 04, 2021 at 3:32 am

      5 stars
      Can I bake these in a cupcake pan instead of free form ?

      Reply
      • VJ

        April 04, 2021 at 10:49 am

        I haven't tried making them that way, but I don't see why it shouldn't work.
        If you do try and make them in a cupcake pan I'd be interested to hear how they turn out.
        VJ x

        Reply

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