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
Hi Rachel. I tried these and they were delicious. I added cheddar cheese to mine. 🙂
Three cheers for you Pamella! That’s one more recipe you can add to your list of reliable go-to’s. I hope you’ll come back often for more! <3--Rach
What can you use in place of mayo?
Hi Adri. Unfortunately, nothing. The mayonnaise is the binder that holds these together and contains the eggs and oil you need. Sorry 🙁
Avocado is a great replacement for mayo
Good idea. All you vegans out there rejoice! Or, all the mayo haters too. 🙂 Thanks for the suggestion Karizma!
I have now made these 3 times, they are a favorite. I appreciate the ease of making them and now I recruit my 8 year old to do it!
I say anything our kids will help with is a win Heidi! I have an 8 year old too and I’m glad you all are in the kitchen together. I hope I can give you LOTS of favorites moving forward. –Rachel
My kids love these rolls. They kind of remind me of a corn muffin. I stirred some cheese and garlic in the batter and my kids thought they were Red Lobster cheddar biscuits. Yummy!
Wonderful Shannon! Isn’t it nice to have something that everyone will actually eat? Great job on the additions too–that’s a great way to customize them. Thank you for letting me know! –Rachel
I don’t know about ‘poon’ bread, but in Northeast TN and western NC, cooks in a hurry make ‘pone’ bread. You mix it up like your making biscuits but you add more milk, so you can spoon it onto a greased baking sheet and bake till browned. Nothing I like better than to crumble up pone bread and cover it with sausage gravy! It’s awesome!!
We always just called regular cornbread a pone here Donna but it’s good to know that it’s out there somewhere. And it sounds delicious by the way. I’d want mine crumbled in to fried apples I think. 😉
Hello, I was wondering if all purpose flour is okay for this recipe or should I simply add a wee bit magic baking powder?
T-Y!
Lina from Quebec
Hey Lina, Nope. You don’t want to use all purpose flour here unless you like to eat hard hockey puck rolls. Without something to make it rise you’ll be pretty unhappy with the final result. If you have all purpose flour at home, add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and a 1/2 teaspoon salt to every cup of flour you use. That will give you the same result as self rising flour. Just stir it in to the flour before you put it in your rolls. I hope you enjoy them! –Rachel
They were pretty good. Taste more like a biscuit. Only downfall is they are very dry and fall apart when you try to spread butter. But good when you’re in a pinch
Right Kristin–they are not real rolls because they don’t have yeast. That’s the key to a good roll but a lot of people are afraid to try it so this is a good option for them. I have to say that I don’t have any trouble spreading butter on mine…they don’t usually fall apart for me and I haven’t had trouble with mine being dry. Maybe you can give them another try and bake them a couple minutes less–that could help with the dryness.
Over mixing will make them dry too. : )
Love I’m a guy who enjoys to cook easy recipe and great taste my family enjoys them I make me a garlic butter to put on them as soon as they come out the oven bam good !!! lol
I am surprised this recipe has 5.0 stars. It is simple enough to make but I certainly would not call these rolls. being from the south we would call this a biscuit. I used self rising flour and followed the recipe exactly and again, while simple to make it is not the light and fluffy dinner rolls you would expect. flavor is very mild, perhaps if I ever decide to use this recipe again I would try buttermilk.
Gosh Candy–I’m sorry they disappointed you. I did make it very clear in the text of the post that these were NOT like a real yeast bread roll. I love yeast bread and I’m right there with you that these aren’t the same, but they are a good option for people in a pinch and a lot of people can’t make biscuits nor do they have time for yeast bread so this is a good option. I don’t think they are much like a biscuit though–more like a plain quick bread. Maybe the buttermilk will give you a little tang if you try them again.
Trying for the second time tonight. My son liked them and I found them to be a quick alternative when I forgot to start a yeast dough! (although more of a biscuit than a roll) Thanks for the recipe.
I totally agree about the biscuit thing Nancy–for those of us who truly appreciate a good yeast roll, they aren’t exactly the same but they are good in a pinch. I agree 100%!