What could be better than freshly baked, soft and fluffy, buttery dinner rolls? How about totally simple, all you need is a bowl and a spoon no-knead dinner rolls? You need these amazing rolls in your life right now!
Hello, all!
Today I have for you my new favorite dinner roll recipe! It’s a combination of my old favorite recipe and the no-knead, wetter dough technique to make them even better.
A dinner roll awesome enough that my daughter is now lobbying for me to make them for Thanksgiving, Christmas, her birthday, and all other holidays.
How could we not love breads so easy that all we need is a bowl, a spoon, and container to bake them in? Plus being amazingly delicious!
A lot of people call no-knead breads magic or miracle bread and I get that. When every bread you know requires a mixer and kneading time or it’s going to be a sad mess of a bread, being able to just stir and wait and *BOOM* yummy bread (okay, you do have to shape into rolls) seems miraculous.
But it’s science, really.
Instead of us doing the work, we are using a wet dough and letting the yeast do the work. Little freeloaders, it’s good to put them to work. As they make gas and bubble up the dough, the gluten lines up and we get yummy rolls at the end. Isn’t science awesome?
What do you need?
- Flour – You can use either all-purpose or bread flour, or a mix.
- Yeast – One packet of instant rise, which is 2 1/4 tsp.
- Milk – This is an enriched dough so stick with whole milk.
- Butter – You will need butter both for the dough (enriched!) and to brush on top.
- Egg – For softness and structure.
- Sugar – And, yes, these are a bit sweet! 1/4 cup of granulated here.
How to make this
To make no-knead dinner rolls, mix together flour with yeast, sugar, warm milk, butter, and eggs. Let rise until doubled, then shape into rolls. Once the rolls have risen, bake them until golden brown.
- Heat up the milk and melt the butter, then add them along with an egg to a bowl with flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
- Mix everything together with a big spoon until the dough is all stretchy and soft.
- Let the dough rise in a warm spot and then punch it down and divide it into 12 rolls.
- Shape each roll by pinching the dough and then place it into a baking pan.
- Let the dough rise again, then bake them in a 375F oven until golden brown.
Let me just say right now: this is EASY. You’ve got this. Let’s go through the steps in a little more detail before I send you off to the recipe.
1. Make the dough
First up, you’re going to mix together all the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Do this in a fairly large bowl since your dough is going to more than double (I’d say about 2 1/2 times in size) and you’ll need the space.
Since this is one of those recipes where the exact amounts of things is important, make sure you know how much flour you are adding. If you have a kitchen scale – great! You are all set.
If you don’t, use the scoop and sweep method of measuring. Scoop that measuring cup right into the flour then sweep off the excess. This will give you ~5 oz cups. But, really, get a kitchen scale if you like to bake at all.
Once your dry ingredients are combined, add the wet ingredients to the bowl – the milk, butter, and egg. Stir it all together with large spoon until everything is combined and you have no dry flour left.
Now it’s time to let the dough rise. Cover the bowl with a cloth or some plastic wrap set it in a warm place for 1 1/2 – 2 hours. (I use plastic wrap and then reuse the piece to cover the baking pan later.)
Tip: I like to put the dough into my oven for the first rise. Turn on the oven for a few minutes while you’re mixing the dough, then shut it off and put the bowl in there. It’s warm and draft free.
2. Form the rolls
Once your dough is all puffy and bubbly, it’s time punch it down, cut it up, and pinch it. Sounds a little violent, doesn’t it? 🙂 But it’s all in the service of yumminess.
But anyway, punch down the dough and then move it to a well floured board. I have a large wooden board my husband made me, but any large pastry board or cutting board will work great.
Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. (Here is another great time to use a kitchen scale!)
Take each piece and gather up the dough and pinch it to make a ball. Then put it pinch side down and gently roll around a little.
3. Bake
Take a 9×13 baking pan and spray it with some vegetable oil then line it with parchment so the parchment paper overhangs the sides.
Place each formed roll into the baking pan, spreading them out so they are equally spaced. Then cover the pan and let them rise for about 30 minutes. Once they are ready they will be all puffed up and touching each other.
Bake in a 375F oven for 17-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Then take out the tray and brush the tops with a little melted butter.
Move them to a cooling rack, and (here comes the HARD part), wait until they are just warm before eating them. This gives the crumb time to finish forming and the rolls time to firm up. (Yes, they are soft, but there is such a thing as too soft!)
Want a few other no-knead breads? I have a few!
If you try my recipe for No-Knead Dinner Rolls, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.
– Happy Baking, Annemarie
Super Soft No-Knead Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 4 cups (20 oz) bread flour or all-purpose flour, see note for measuring
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast, or one packet
- 1 1/2 tsp table salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 large egg
For brushing on the rolls
- 1 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a saucepan (or in the microwave) until it is just warm, 100-110F.
- Mix together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large bowl.
- Make a well in the center of the flour. Pour in the warm milk, melted butter, and egg. Stir vigorously with a large spoon until combined. The dough will be thick and sticky.
- Cover the bowl with either a damp cloth or plastic wrap and put it in a warm, draft free place to rise. Let rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. The dough will more than double in size.
- Prep a 9x13 baking pan by spraying it with vegetable oil and cutting a piece of parchment to line the bottom and overhang the sides.
- When it's doubled, punch it down and then turn it out onto a well floured board.
- Work it a little bit to deflate the bubbles, then divide it into 12 equal pieces. Dust with flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
- Gather up each piece of dough, pulling the it up and pinching it to make a ball. (The process photos in the post show how that's done.)
- Once you've pinched up the dough into a ball, put it pinch side down onto the floured board and gently roll it around a little keeping the same side down. Then place the roll into the prepared baking pan. Continue until you have made 12 rolls.
- Cover the rolls with a damp cloth or plastic wrap set it into a quiet spot in the kitchen to rise for 30-40 minutes. Or until just about doubled and the rolls fill the pan.
- After the rolls have risen for 20 minutes, preheat the oven to 375F.
- Bake the rolls for 17-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
- While they are still hot, brush the rolls with melted butter.
- Use the parchment paper to lift the rolls onto a cooling rack and let cool until warm or room temperature.
Notes
- Measuring the Flour: To measure the flour, either use a kitchen scale for perfect accuracy or use the scoop and sweep method of filling the measuring cup. To scoop and sweep, scoop the measuring cup into the flour so that it's full, then sweep off the excess. This will give you cups which weigh approximately 5 oz each.
- Heating the Milk: You can use a thermometer to test the milk if you wish, but it's easier to use your finger. It should be warm, not hot to your skin.
- Rising the Bread: I like to turn on my oven to about 200F for a few minutes (3-4), then shut it off and put the bowl in there for the first rise.
- Dividing the dough: If you want to be accurate in dividing up the dough, use a kitchen scale and weigh the pieces. Each roll should weigh about 3 1/4 oz.
- Equipment: I like to use my kitchen scale and my bench knife for this recipe.
Sarah says
So full disclosure, we are not bakers in this household. My husband tried to make these last night (first attempt at baking ever). And while they were good, they were not fluffy, and ended up tasting like a biscuit instead of dinner rolls. We had brand new yeast. What did we do wrong?
justalittlebitofbacon says
First, congratulations on starting to try your hands at baking! And I wish these rolls worked out for you.
As for troubleshooting, I have few questions. Did you make any substitutions? Did the dough and the rolls rise as I describe and show in the pictures? What was the temp of the milk? And, I know your yeast is new, but if you mix about a half cup of water with a teaspoon of yeast and some sugar it should start to bubble after about 5 minutes.
GERALD HARRIS says
I would guess a cold egg…I will be making this recipe later this week…Hopefully they are nice and FLUFFY!!!
justalittlebitofbacon says
That’s what I’ve been doing, but a room temp egg might be better for quick rise now that you mention it! And they should be so long as you let them rise like the photos. 🙂
Sierra says
Why cant I find the amounts for anything?
justalittlebitofbacon says
The amounts are in the recipe card! 🙂
Ashley says
Can I make the dough the night before and bake on Thanksgiving day? Where would I stop at?
justalittlebitofbacon says
Yes. Make the rolls through the first rise and shape them into rolls. Then take the baking dish of rolls, cover with plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge. The next day (up to 24 hrs later) let them warm up on the counter at least 30 minutes (or until you happy with the rise) and then bake them as directed.
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
I love no-knead bread too! This is a great recipe, Annemarie! These rolls look so fluffy and tender. Definitely going to try!! Pinning!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thank you, Thao! They are incredibly fluffy. I’ll be making them on Thanksgiving.
Mary says
Instead of rolls could you use this recipe to make a loaf of bread or croissants??
justalittlebitofbacon says
I can’t say if the recipe could make croissants since I’ve never made croissants (it’s on my list, but the list is long!). As for sandwich bread, the amount of dough is a bit much for a 9×5 loaf, 20 oz and I usually use 17 oz flour, but it might work? Maybe you could make a freeform loaf?
John Tonge says
I would like to take these to Thanksgiving dinner. I am wondering if the rolls can be made ahead and how long will they stay fresh.
justalittlebitofbacon says
As with most fresh breads, they are best the same day. That said, you can definitely make them the day before. Just wrap them in foil before dinner and warm them up in the oven once the turkey is out and that will refresh them. That is what I am doing this Thanksgiving myself.
Marguerita Currier a.k.a. MOM says
The only thing easier than making this recipe is to have someone else make them for you! .
Pictures are really professional and recipe instructions are well written and very easy to follow.
This is a five-star recipe.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Is this a hint, mom? 🙂
Amanda says
These are most certainly going in my holiday bread baskets, for everything from breakfast and brunch to dinner. They look so golden and fluffy, and that schmear of butter is calling out to me through the screen. Thanks for breaking down the process in such an easy-to-follow way, both with your written instructions and photos. Looking forward to making them!
Dana says
Is there anything more beautiful than fresh golden puffed dinner rolls? These look like perfection and with the holidays coming, this was the perfect time to stumble upon this recipe. These would be perfect as a holiday dinner side and for all of those leftover turkey sammiches 🙂
Lisa says
Now you tell me. I literally have a bowl of dough rising at this very moment — and it’s going to require all kinds of rolling, measuring, folding and gymnastics to get what I want. And here you’ve had this little gem of a recipe the whole time. I almost feel like ditching my dinner rolls and making yours right now. This definitely will be making it onto our Thanksgiving table. Nicely done.
Stef says
I am with you on the no knead bread. I was shocked when I first learned how well it works. Those rolls look absolutely perfect! I’m adding them to my holiday menu right now.
Sean@Diversivore says
I was totally on board with this right from that first rhetorical question. I mean, what IS better than a fluffy buttery dinner roll? Rolls like this always get me (by which I mean that I can eat way too many of them – like, I can make a meal of these). We’ve been making more and more bread around my house but we haven’t really tried rolls yet. I’m thinking it’s time to change that up. Cheers!
Debra says
Well if it’s that simple, I’ll have to try it. Thanks for the step by step clear directions along with the photos. Who knew it could be so easy?
Carmy says
You had me at no knead! I love homemade bread but I hate kneading. These dinner rolls look so soft, fluffy, and perfect!
Tina says
I love the step by step pictures, this is great! These look so easy to make, I often wonder why I don’t make bread more often. It’s recipe like this that gives me confidence to try. Thanks for sharing this!
Tracy Koslicki says
Your daughter is definitely a smart girl!! These look incredible. AND no knead?? Perfect for all holidays and any day in between!
Traci says
Oh hello gorgeous rolls…I cannot even WAIT to give this recipe a go! I love the step by step instructions, as well as the pics. These are downright sexy and are going to make so many people very happy! Thanks for sharing this easy recipe with us…just pinned!
Gloria says
I am printing this off right now. I am a bread fanatic, and this recipe looks fantastic. Nothing beats the aroma of bread baking, and my grandson will love helping me make these.
Tina says
These look so delicious I can smell the fresh baked bread through the computer screen! I love the short lead time on these rolls. So often when I make bread it’s a day long process before we get to enjoy it. I think I’ll put this on my to-do list for this weekend so we can enjoy these wonderful rolls for Sunday dinner.
Debbie Spivey says
These are the way to my heart!
justalittlebitofbacon says
I understand, Debbie. They are the way to my daughter’s heart too. 🙂