No Yeast Dinner Rolls
No yeast dinner rolls are the perfect solution when you need bread, but you don’t have time to make real dinner rolls. Skip the brown-and-serves and make a batch of these quick bread style rolls. You’ll love how easy they are to throw together.
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Sometimes you start dinner 30 minutes behind schedule. Sometimes, your husband is standing on your heels looking in all the pots and won’t go away and all you want to do is smack him.
You need dinner done before you lose your sanity, and you need it done now. These little rolls will help.
These rolls follow more of a quick bread style, and use so few ingredients, you’re bound to have most if not all of them on hand right now.
There’s no yeast to kill, no kneading to do–just mix and drop spoonfuls into greased muffin tins (I like this one to get just the right size). Bake ’em up, spread them with butter or jam and you’ve got a fast, easy option.
Why mayonnaise makes these rolls amazing
Mayo in bread dough? Yep! It’s a wonderful binder and, as such, does a great job of bringing all of the ingredients together into moist rolls with a nice, tender crumb.
Mayonnaise also adds a subtle tang to these rolls, making them wonderful accompaniments to rich, savory dishes.
Chemically speaking, in order for baking powder to activate effectively, it needs to come in contact with some acid.
Mayonnaise is quite acidic and activates the baking powder beautifully, allowing it to work effectively as a leavening agent.
How to Make Self Rising Flour at Home
If you can’t find self-rising flour, make it at home from all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
Sift together 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Is your baking powder fresh? Are you sure?
If you want your rolls to rise properly, it is important to start out with fresh baking powder that is less than 6 months old.
Have a look at the expiration date and think back on whether or not the baking powder has been stored in a cool, dry place. If the expiration date hasn’t passed and the baking powder has been properly stored, you’re in the clear.
Still unsure? You can test it by mixing 1 teaspoon of baking powder with 1/3 cup of hot water. If the mixture bubbles vigorously, your baking powder good to go.
Tip: Make sure they rise
Rolls that don’t rise usually fail because the baking powder in your self rising flour is old. Even if you just bought the bag, it could have sat on the store shelf for a while and lost its mojo. You can always add a bit of fresh from your pantry to your self rising flour if you are unsure how long it’s been sitting around.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Dinner Rolls without Yeast
Combine self-rising flour and sugar in a medium bowl.
Mix the milk and mayonnaise in a second smaller bowl.
Add the milk/mayo mixture to the flour and sugar and stir until just blended.
Drop by spoonfuls into a greased muffin tin and bake.
Tips for success
Here come a few pearls of wisdom that will help you achieve the best no-yeast dinner rolls you’ve ever had.
- Don’t overmix. Overmixing can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, ending you with tough, overly dense rolls.
- Handle gently. When working with the dough, use a light hand. Be careful not to press any air bubbles out of the dough as this can keep it from rising properly.
- Preheat all the way. Be sure that the oven is preheated all the way before baking. I like using an oven thermometer for good measure.
- Position matters. Position the rolls on the middle rack of the oven. They will bake more evenly, helping you avoid burnt bottoms or tops.
How to store and freeze leftover rolls
Make a double batch of these dinner rolls and store them for later. Allow them to cool completely before sealing them in an airtight container. You can keep them at room temperature for up to 3 days. Do not refrigerate them. They will dry out.
If you would like to freeze the dinner rolls, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap before sealing the wrapped rolls together in a freezer bag and popping them in the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the rolls to thaw at room temperature before unwrapping and reheating them in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5-10 minutes.
3 ways to add flavor variations to your bread
I love these dinner rolls as they are. They go with pretty much anything. That being said, you can easily add a pop of flavor to tailor them to your meal.
- Cheese. Add shredded cheddar or parmesan cheese to the dough. ⅓ cup will do.
- Herbs. I love adding rosemary or thyme to these rolls, especially during the holidays. Just mix your favorite into the dough and bake as usual.
- Make it sweet. Fold in a handful of raisins and a teaspoon of cinnamon for a sweet twist on the classic.
- Try a flavored butter. Brush garlic or honey butter over the top of the rolls the moment they come out of the oven.
What to serve with no yeast dinner rolls
You can’t have dinner rolls without dinner so here are a few of my favorite entrees to serve these warm, fluffy rolls with.
- Pot roast. I love dipping these rolls in the juices from my Dutch oven pot roast.
- Spaghetti and meatballs. Sop up the last of the sauce from my spaghetti and meatballs recipe with these dinner rolls.
- With breakfast. I usually serve my homemade breakfast sausages with biscuits but these rolls make a great substitution.
No Yeast Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup self rising flour see note below
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon sugar cane sugar or honey also works here
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Instructions
- Mix the flour and sugar together in a medium bowl.
- Add the mayonnaise and milk and stir to combine.
- Spray a 6-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or brush with oil of your choice. Spoon batter into the tin, filling 3/4 full.
- Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown on top–about 12 to 15 minutes.
- You can double the recipe to make a dozen.
Notes
Nutrition
Delicious! Will definitely make again. I also added the extra baking powder and they turned out great
Good job Sheri, I’m glad you liked them! –Rachel
Fantastic rolls! I made 4 large rolls and added garlic powder and dried parsley. There’s only the 2 of us so this was a great recipe for us. Served with spaghetti and salad. Thank you for this!
Tried your no yeast rolls yesterday and they were very good. So light and fluffy!!!! Went well with our pot roast
Yes they are! I’m glad they worked for you! –Rachel
I followed the recipe although I didn’t use self rising flour I added a tsp of baking powder and they came out perfect! Nice flavor, nice texture!
Great to hear that Johnna!
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for this recipe. The rolls/biscuits were great. We added shredded cheese to them. This is a very versatile recipe; I can imagine many variation for them. Honestly, if you added more sugar to the recipe, you could easily make these into delicious shortcake biscuits for strawberry shortcake. I’ll give that a try and follow up to let you know how it turns out.
I made these as shortcakes, for strawberry shortcakes, today by adding 2 Tbs. of sugar. I’ve had better shortcakes before, but they definitely do in a quick pinch.
Thanks for the update Susan. I have a great shortcake recipe here on the site you could try next. 😉 –Rachel
@Rachel Ballard, Thanks! Those are a bit more involved, but I’m sure better. I was hoping I could do a quicker version using this recipe. I probably could have added more sugar, but I do like my shortcake to be on the less sweet side. The other thing I noticed is that I probably should have added more fat. Well, it was worth a try. I like these “in a pinch” type of recipes that you can throw together really quickly. Thank you.
It’s one bowl just like the rolls, and much better. Maybe you’ll try those soon enough! –Rachel
I don’t see baking powder in the list but I read the comment about 1 that added 2 tsp of baking powder bc they didn’t have self-rising flour & nor do I. Is that why the list of ingredients don’t show baking powder?
Yes Judith that’s why. Self rising flour is a combination of flour, baking powder, and salt. Therefore no additional baking powder is needed. However if you do not have self rising flour and need to use all purpose, baking powder and salt will need to be added to the recipe. –Rachel
@Rachel Ballard, they are in the oven now. I did not add salt though. We’ll see!
@Rachel Ballard, my rolls came out good. Very easy to make & I am sending your recipe to friends. I made a pot roast & I needed rolls for the gravy. Will definitely ? make
again.
Wonderful Judith!
I ran across this site by chance. I have tried many of your bread recipes. They turned out great. Do you do any videos on canning?
Christine I had hoped to do a whole series on YouTube this year on canning and honestly I just got bogged down in the work and didn’t make the videos! I canned close to a hundred pints of various foods this year. I will get that on my list to show as soon as I can. –Rachel
Fantastic. Thank you
Loved the recipe I made it tonight and my family just loved them
Wonderful Schylar!
Hi Rachel! I’m really grateful for this recipe. Made it last night with my children and they were prefect. Made 36 rolls from 3 cups of self raising flour, 1 heaped tbsp baking powder, 5 squirts of Mayo, 2 tbsp of sugar and 1 and 1/2 cups milk. First time. All loved them with soup. Thanks and may the good Lord bless you for sharing it. Joy, Kenya.
You’re very welcome Joy! Thank you for joining me all the way from Kenya! –Rachel