This 4-ingredient dough takes five minutes to mix together, and from there, time does the work. After an overnight rise, the dough is ready to be portioned, balled up, and baked. Crusty with a light and airy crumb, these rolls are perfect for sandwiches!

Two Overnight Sandwich Rolls, halved.

Do you have access to a great bakery? Where you can buy freshly baked baguettes and light and airy ciabatta rolls? You do? I’m jealous.

When I crave a crusty roll to house sandwich fillings, I make my own. In short, I use the peasant bread recipe — but I give it the Lahey treatment: I cut the yeast way back, use cold water, and extend the rise to overnight (or about 12 hours).

Here’s a thought: set aside 5 minutes to mix this dough together this evening. Tomorrow, when you are rewarded with a delicious vessel to sandwich anything your heart desires, or perhaps balsamic-roasted eggplant and arugula, you will thank yourself. Effortless and delicious. You’re welcome.

These sandwich rolls are a simple variation of the peasant bread recipe. If you take 5 minutes to mix the dough together this evening, you will be rewarded with the makings of a super-simple Friday night dinner, delicious vessels fit for flanking whatever your heart desires, but may I suggest balsamic-roasted eggplant and arugula? It's so good. // alexandracooks.com

How to Make No-Knead Overnight Sandwich Rolls, Step by Step

First, gather your ingredients:

Ingredients for focaccia dough.

Whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast, then…

A bowl filled with flour, salt, and yeast for focaccia.

…add the water:

Water added to a bowl filled with the dry ingredients for focaccia.

And stir with a spatula until you have a sticky dough ball:

Stirred together focaccia dough.

Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes, then stretch and fold it. Video guidance here.

A bowl filled with stretched and folded focaccia dough, slicked with oil, ready for its fridge rise.

Cover the bowl, let it rise at room temperature for roughly 12 hours or until it looks like this:

The dough to make Overnight Sandwich Rolls fully risen, its surface covered with bubbles.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface:

The dough to make Overnight Sandwich Rolls turned out onto a floured work surface.

Then portion it out:

I like to use a scale to portion, which ensures each roll is roughly the same weight and which in turn will ensure the rolls will bake evenly:

The dough for overnight sandwich rolls divided into 8 equally weighted portions.

Shape the portions into rough balls:

Eight balled up portions of dough to make Overnight Sandwich Rolls.

Then transfer them to a floured vessel, ideally something like a lidded DoughMate, to rise. I use two of these DoughMates. Alternatively you could use two 9×13-inch vessels, which you can cover with a sheet pan or plastic wrap.

Four balled up portions of Overnight Sandwich Roll dough in a DoughMate.

Let the dough balls proof at room temperature until they feel light to the touch, at least 2 hours:

Four balled up portions of Overnight Sandwich Roll dough fully proofed in a DoughMate.

Using floured hands, carefully transfer the balls to a parchment-lined sheet pan:

Four overnight sandwich rolls unbaked on a sheet pan.

Then bake for 15 minutes @ 475ºF:

Just baked Overnight Sandwich Rolls on a sheet pan.

I like to bake one pan at a time, which helps the rolls bake more evenly. Let the rolls cool on the sheet pan:

Eight just-baked Overnight Sandwich Rolls on a sheet pan.

Once cool, the rolls can be halved and filled as you please.

A halved Overnight Sandwich Roll on a cutting board.

I love these rolls for these balsamic-roasted eggplant and arugula sandwiches.

These sandwich rolls are a simple variation of the peasant bread recipe. If you take 5 minutes to mix the dough together this evening, you will be rewarded with the makings of a super-simple Friday night dinner, delicious vessels fit for flanking whatever your heart desires, but may I suggest balsamic-roasted eggplant and arugula? It's so good. // alexandracooks.com
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Eight just-baked Overnight Sandwich Rolls on a sheet pan.

No-Knead Overnight Sandwich Rolls

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Description

This 4-ingredient dough takes five minutes to mix together, and from there, time does the work. After an overnight rise, the dough is ready to be portioned, balled up, and baked. Crusty with a light and airy crumb, these rolls are perfect for sandwiches!

Notes:

  • Update 9/5: Because this dough is super wet, I’ve reduced the water to 410 grams. If you have made the recipe before and like the higher amount of water, continue to use it. I find the smaller amount of water, which lowers the hydration to 80% makes the dough a little easier to handle while shaping. 
  • Yeast: In hotter months, you can get away with using 1/4 teaspoon of instant yeast. 
  • Second Proof: If you have time, extending the second rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours, will create a lighter, airier crumb. 
  • Sourdough Variation: Use 100 grams of starter in place of the yeast. 
  • I love these rolls for these balsamic-roasted eggplant and arugula sandwiches.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups (512 g) unbleached bread or all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup (32 g) for shaping
  • 2 teaspoons (12 g) kosher salt
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) instant yeast, see notes above
  • 1.75 (410 grams) to 2 cups (439 g) cold water (tap is fine), see notes above

Instructions

  1. Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast. Add the water. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the liquid is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. Cover the bowl, and let rest for 30 minutes, then stretch and fold the dough — this is an optional new step (1/14/2026), but if time permits, do it: I find it makes for an especially bubby dough. Fill a small bowl with water. Using a wet hand, grab an edge of the dough and pull it up and towards the center. Repeat this stretching and folding process 8 to 10 times, moving your hand around the edge of the dough with every set of stretches and folds. As you stretch and fold, you should feel the dough transform from being sticky and shaggy to smooth and cohesive. Find video guidance here. 
  2.  Let it rise: Cover bowl with a tea towel or bowl cover and leave to rise at room temperature overnight or for up to 12 hours.
  3. Prepare for baking: The following morning (or after about 12 hours), the dough will have risen, and its surface will be covered with bubbles. 
  4. Portion the dough: Spread the 1/4 cup flour over a work surface. Turn the dough out onto the surface. Using as much flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the board and your knife or dough scraper, divide the dough into 6 (155 grams each) to 8 (116 grams each) roughly equal portions: I prefer the size of 8 rolls, and I like to use a scale to portion the dough.
  5. Ball up the dough: Using as much flour as necessary on your hands and work surface, shape each portion into a ball. Transfer the portions to a floured vessel, ideally something like a lidded DoughMate, to rise. I use two of these DoughMates. Alternatively you could use two 9×13-inch vessels, which you can cover with a sheet pan or plastic wrap.
  6. Proof: If time permits, allow the balls to rest for 2-3 hours or until they are light to the touch. If you are pressed for time, you can proof for less time. 
  7. Prepare a pan and the oven: Line a sheetpan with parchment paper or a Silpat. If you are baking 8 rolls, line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 475ºF.
  8. Shape: Use two hands to stretch each ball gently into a rectangle—doesn’t have to be perfect—and transfer to the prepared sheetpan, spacing evenly. Let the shaped rolls rest for 20 minutes. 
  9. Bake the rolls: Transfer the pan to the oven. Bake 15 minutes. Remove the pan, and let the rolls cool completely on the pan. Repeat with the remaining sheetpan if baking two pans. Let cool completely before halving and using. 
  • Prep Time: 12 hours
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Yeast
  • Cuisine: American