Overnight Spoon Rolls: Step-by-Step

November 8, 2021
No dough kneading, no punching down, make-ahead convenience, and the dough rises in the refrigerator overnight?? - That's right! Which makes these tasty little Overnight Spoon Rolls just about the easiest-to-make rolls around. They're a fabulous make-ahead holiday dinner choice to save kitchen time on the day itself.

Basket of Overnight Spoon Rolls Image

This Overnight Spoon Roll recipe is almost too good to be true. I mean, a homemade yeast roll recipe that requires no kneading, is easy to make, and is made in advance to save kitchen time on the actual day of a big holiday meal? -- It's like a cook's dream come true.

I just love that Overnight Spoon Rolls are super simple to make. All you do to make them is mix together the ingredients like a pancake batter, and then let the mixture rise into a dough in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, simply scoop the dough into a muffin pan to bake up the rolls. It's truly that easy.

Aside from the make-ahead convenience, another thing I love is Overnight Spoon Rolls can be made in two different sizes. Bake them in a regular muffin pan for full-size rolls, or in a mini muffin pan for bite-sized minis.

Spoon Rolls get their utensil-inspired name because of the fact the dough is simply scooped, or spooned, into a muffin pan to bake, rather than formed by hand for baking.

Our 11-year-old daughter goes absolutely bonkers for the minis. -- I think she thinks they're super adorable, and loves that she can just pop them right into her mouth. I mean, she's not wrong. I whole-heartedly agree with her.

But why are these beauties called "Spoon" Rolls, you ask? They get their utensil-inspired name because of the fact the dough is simply scooped, or spooned, into a muffin pan to bake, rather than formed by hand into balls or other shapes for baking. Again, which makes it just a really easy way to make a yeast roll.

So if you're looking for make-ahead recipes to help make your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner preparation a little easier, give Overnight Spoon Rolls a try. The convenience of making the dough the day before, and then simply scooping it into a muffin pan to bake the day of, certainly helps out with the kitchen prep. These spoon rolls are just about the easiest-to-make rolls around!

Muffin Pan of Overnight Spoon Rolls Image

What's to Love About This Recipe?
  • No kneading - Just mix the ingredients together like a pancake batter, and let the mixture rise into a dough in the refrigerator. No kneading required!
  • Easy to make - Just the stirring together of 7 simple ingredients is all it takes to make the dough. Then after refrigerator chill and rise time, simply scoop the dough into a muffin pan to bake up the rolls. 
  • Make-ahead convenience - The dough is made one (or two) days in advance, and rises overnight in the refrigerator to be ready to go the next day. Which is definitely a big kitchen time saver on the day of.
  • Can be made full-size or mini - Bake in a regular muffin pan for full-sized rolls, or in a mini muffin pan for bite-sized minis.

Inside Texture of Overnight Spoon Rolls Image

Overnight Spoon Roll Ingredients:

The ingredient list for Overnight Spoon Rolls is pretty straightforward as far as rolls go. To whip up a batch, you'll need:

  • Active dry yeast - Creates the dough's rise. One 1/4-ounce packet of active dry yeast is all that's needed. Instant/rapid-rise yeast also works fine.

  • Warm water - Use water warm from the faucet that's about 100℉ -- it should just barely feel warm to the touch. If it feels hot to your skin, it's too hot for the yeast and will kill it.

  • Unsalted butter - Brings richness to the rolls.

  • Granulated sugar - Doesn't bring sweetness to the rolls, but rather serves as a "helper" to the yeast in the rising process.

  • An egg - The yolk from the egg helps tenderize the crumb (texture) of the baked rolls.

  • Self-rising flour - Forms the rolls' foundation.

  • Salt - Just a 1/4 teaspoon rounds out the flavor of the rolls.

Overnight Spoon Rolls Ingredients Image

How to Make Overnight Spoon Rolls:

As far as rolls go, Overnight Spoon Rolls are super easy to make. No kneading, no multiple rises and punching the dough down, just a little stirring and mixing is about all it takes.

Start by dissolving a packet of active dry yeast in warm water.

Take special care with the temperature of the water, at it's important so as not to kill the yeast. Use water warm from the faucet that's about 100℉. The water should just barely feel warm to the touch to be the right temperature. -- Remember that our body temperature is about 98.6, so if the water feels hot to your skin, it's too hot for the yeast and will kill it.

Dissolving Yeast to Make Overnight Spoon Rolls Image

Whisk the yeast into the warm water with a fork.  The water will turn a "milky" color once the yeast is dissolved.

You should see at least a few bubbles start forming on the surface of the water, which shows that the yeast is active and alive.

Set this yeast/water mixture aside while you work on the next step of the dough.

Dissolved Yeast to Make Overnight Spoon Rolls Image

Place 12 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter and some granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Combine them with an electric mixer. Then add an egg and mix again with an electric mixer until these three ingredients are well mixed together.

By hand, stir in the yeast/water mixture.

Then also by hand, gradually stir in 4 cups of self-rising flour to form a thick, smooth pancake-like batter.

Overnight Spoon Rolls Batter Image

Cover the batter tightly and place it in the refrigerator to rise overnight. At this point, the dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, so it can be made up to 2 days in advance if you'd like.

The next day, the batter mixture will have thickened and risen into a dough.

Overnight Spoon Rolls Risen Dough Image

Spoon the risen dough into greased muffin cups. An ice cream scoop makes it super easy to spoon out the dough, and also helps keep the rolls all about the same size.

Scooping Overnight Spoon Rolls Dough Image

Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full. Or, if using an ice cream scoop, use one full scoop.

If you'd rather make smaller rolls, Overnight Spoon Rolls are also fabulous as mini rolls. Spoon the dough into a miniature muffin pan instead to bake up adorable bite-sized minis. (Sidenote -- Our daughter absolutely LOVES these as bite-sized mini rolls!)

Overnight Spoon Rolls Dough in Muffin Pan Ready to Bake Image

Pop the muffin pan in the oven and bake the rolls up until they're cooked through and very lightly browned, which will take about 25-27 minutes.

Overnight Spoon Rolls Baked in Muffin Pan Image

Then you're good to go with serving up hot-from-the-oven, super easy, super tasty yeast rolls! Truly, this Overnight Spoon Rolls recipe may just be the easiest roll recipe around.

Recipe FAQs:
  • Why are these called "Spoon" Rolls? - They're called Spoon Rolls because of the fact the dough is simply scooped, or spooned, into a muffin pan to bake, rather than formed by hand into balls or other shapes for baking.
  • How long can Overnight Spoon Rolls dough be stored in the refrigerator before baking? - Overnight Spoon Roll dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. In a pinch, it can be kept one day longer (up to 3 days), but may become a bit watery. If the dough does become watery, add a little more self-rising flour.
  • Can you use rapid rise/instant yeast instead of active dry yeast to make Overnight Spoon Rolls? - Yes, rapid rise/instant yeast will work just fine in this Overnight Spoon Rolls recipe.
  • What is the texture of the baked Overnight Spoon Rolls? - Overnight Spoon Rolls bake into a light, tender-crumbed roll that's slightly more dense than most yeast dinner rolls.

Check out these other super tasty bread & roll recipes:

Overnight Spoon Rolls Image
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overnight spoon rolls, overnight spoon rolls recipe, overnight yeast rolls, make ahead roll dough, make ahead yeast roll dough
Breads
American
Yield: 20-24 rolls
Overnight Spoon Rolls

Overnight Spoon Rolls

No dough kneading, no punching down, make-ahead convenience, and the dough rises in the refrigerator overnight?? - That's right! Which makes these tasty little Overnight Spoon Rolls just about the easiest-to-make rolls around. They're a fabulous make-ahead holiday dinner choice to save kitchen time on the day itself.
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 25 MinInactive time: 12 HourTotal time: 12 H & 45 M

Ingredients

  • 1 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast
  • 2 c. warm water (about 100℉)
  • 12 T. unsalted butter, melted (1 & 1/2 sticks)
  • 1/4 c. granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 4 c. self-rising flour
  • 1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions

  1. Dissolve yeast in warm water; set aside.
  2. Place melted butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl; combine with an electric mixer. Add egg; mix until well combined.
  3. By hand, stir in yeast mixture.
  4. Add salt to flour. By hand, gradually stir in flour until smooth. (It will be like thick pancake batter.)
  5. Cover tightly and place in refrigerator to rise overnight.
  6. The next day, grease 2 12-cup muffin pans. Spoon dough into each muffin cup, filling each about 3/4 full.
  7. Bake at 350℉ for 25-27 minutes, until cooked through and very lightly browned.
TRACEY'S NOTES:
  1. Use water warm from the faucet -- it should just barely feel warm to the touch to be the right temperature. If it feels hot to your skin, it's too hot for the yeast and will kill it.
  2. An ice cream scoop makes it super easy to spoon the dough into the muffin cups, and also helps keep the rolls all about the same size.
  3. Overnight Spoon Rolls dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, so it can be made 2 days in advance if needed.
  4. Overnight Spoon Rolls are also fabulous as mini rolls. Spoon dough into a miniature muffin pan (a small cookie scoop makes this really easy), filling each mini cup 3/4 full. Bake for 20-24 minutes. The recipe makes about 48 mini rolls.
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Overnight Spoon Rolls ~ No dough kneading or punching down, make-ahead convenience, & the dough rises in the refrigerator overnight! Which makes these tasty little Spoon Rolls just about the easiest-to-make rolls around. A fabulous make-ahead holiday dinner choice to save kitchen time on the day itself. www.thekitchenismyplayground.com


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3 comments

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. I had to pin this one and can't wait to try it out this weekend. Thanks for linking up this week. #HomeMattersParty

    ReplyDelete
  3. Do these rolls freeze well after baking?

    ReplyDelete

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