No Knead Easy Salt Bread (Shio Pan)

No Knead Easy Salt Bread delivers warm, airy crusted comfort with effortless, salty bliss.

This salt bread is the kind of easy I come back to. It has a soft, airy crumb, a crisp golden base and a pocket of melted butter in the middle, and it comes together without a mixer and without kneading. I first played with this dough while testing bread ideas for TuCha, and this is the version that stuck: simple, gentle, and mostly made of resting time rather than work.

What is salt bread (shio pan)?

Salt bread is the Japanese bakery roll known as shio pan: a soft, airy roll with a crisp buttery base, a light salty top and a piece of butter rolled into the centre that melts as it bakes. It started in small neighbourhood bakeries in Japan and is now made in home kitchens around the world. This version uses a simple dough that rests and strengthens on its own, so you get the same tender crumb without kneading or special equipment.

Why this salt bread needs no kneading

Instead of kneading, the dough gets a 50 minute rest, a few gentle folds, and then its first rise. Time does the work the mixer would normally do: the flour hydrates fully and the gluten relaxes and strengthens on its own, which is why the dough does not need to be smooth when you first bring it together. From there it is shaping, a long final proof, and a short hot bake.

Ingredients

The full quantities are in the recipe card below. This batch makes 6 rolls at 70g each, with about 15 minutes of hands-on time and roughly 3 hours of resting and proofing before a 15 minute bake.

For the dough

• Bread flour: Gives structure and helps the rolls stay soft but strong.
• Sugar: Adds a gentle sweetness and supports browning.
• Salt: Balances flavour and strengthens the gluten.
• Instant dry yeast: Makes the dough rise without needing a starter.
• Warm water: Helps activate the yeast and hydrates the flour.
• Cold milk: Adds richness and keeps the crumb tender.
• Softened butter: Adds moisture and gives the dough a soft, silky feel.

For the filling and finishing

• Butter for each roll: Melts inside to create a creamy, flavourful centre.
• Pearl salt or flaky sea salt: Adds texture and a bright salty pop on top.
• Extra melted butter for brushing: Gives the rolls a soft sheen and richer taste.

Swaps that work

• All-purpose flour instead of bread flour: Works well but gives a slightly softer structure.
• Plant milk instead of dairy milk: Keeps the crumb tender with a mild flavour shift.
• Salted butter instead of unsalted: Just reduce the added salt a little.
• Active dry yeast instead of instant: Proof it in the warm water first before mixing.

How to make no knead salt bread

1. Add all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. This includes the bread flour, sugar, salt, and instant dry yeast. Give everything a quick stir so the mixture is even.

2. Combine the warm water and cold milk in a separate cup.
3. Pour the milk and water mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix until a rough and shaggy dough forms.

4. Add the melted butter and knead just until the dough comes together into a rough ball. It does not need to be perfectly smooth.
5. Cover the bowl with cling wrap or a damp tea towel and let the dough rest for 50 minutes. After resting, give the dough a few gentle folds.
6. Cover and leave it for the first rise. This takes 50 minutes.

7. Divide the dough into 70g portions. Round each piece, place on a baking sheet, cover and let them rest for 30 minutes.

8. Pre-shape each dough ball into a cone shape and rest again for 30 minutes.

9. Lay out a silicone mat and roll each cone into a 40cm long strip. Place the butter at the thicker end and roll tightly.

10. Seal the dough well so the butter stays in the centre and place seam side down on a thin, dark baking tray greased with a light layer of butter.
11. Cover with cling wrap or a damp tea towel and proof the shaped rolls for 1 hour and 30 minutes at room temperature.

12. Lightly mist the tops with water and sprinkle with pearl salt or flaky sea salt.

13. Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C for 15 minutes or until golden.
14. Brush the rolls with melted butter while they are still warm.

Keeping the butter inside the roll

The one thing that goes wrong with salt bread is the butter escaping, which leaves a hollow centre and a greasy tray. Four things stop it:

• Keep the butter cold. Warm butter melts too fast and runs out before the dough sets. Cut the pieces ahead and keep them in the fridge, or freeze the cubes before shaping.
• Roll with light tension and seal well. A gentle pull as you roll keeps the strip tight without tearing, and a properly pinched seam keeps the butter in. Place the roll seam side down.
• Work the dough cold and lightly. Too much handling warms the dough, softens the butter and makes shaping hard. If the dough starts to feel sticky, let it rest a few minutes rather than adding more flour. A heavy dusting tightens the dough and dries the crumb.
• Use a thin, dark tray. Dark metal holds heat and crisps the base quickly, so any butter that does seep out fries the bottom golden instead of pooling. On a light tray the bottoms stay pale. If the base browns too fast, add a sheet of baking paper or lower the heat slightly.

Getting a soft crumb and a crisp base

• Do not skip the rests. The dough needs the time to hydrate and relax. Rushed dough bakes dense and tight, and sticky dough usually just needs ten more minutes rather than more flour.
• Weigh each piece. Even 70g portions rise at the same rate and bake evenly, so the whole batch looks like it came from a bakery.
• Preheat properly. A cold oven stops the rolls from rising. They set before they get their oven spring.
• Bake until the base is crisp. Pale rolls taste flat and doughy. If the tops are pale, move the tray higher or give them a few more minutes.
• Brush with butter while hot, then rest briefly. Warm rolls soak up the butter and take on a tender shine. A short rest lets the steam escape so the base stays crisp rather than going soggy.

Love soft, fluffy dough? My pillowy milk bread is the perfect next bake.

How long salt bread takes

The hands-on work is about 15 minutes. The rest is waiting: a 50 minute rest, a 50 minute first rise, two 30 minute rests during shaping, and a final proof of 1 hour and 30 minutes, then 15 minutes in the oven. Start in the morning and the rolls are ready for lunch.

Storing salt bread

Salt bread is at its best warm, when the butter inside is still soft. The rolls keep for 2 days at room temperature, or up to 1 month in the freezer.

Flavour twists

The plain roll is the classic, and a brush of warm honey over the hot rolls or a pinch of garlic powder, dried rosemary or thyme in the brushing butter are the easiest changes. A few more that work with this dough:

• Seaweed butter centre: A thin piece of roasted seaweed wrapped around the butter adds gentle umami, the way some Japanese cafés serve it.
• Garlic herb brushed rolls: Mix garlic and thyme into the melted butter for brushing to turn them into a dinner side.
• Black sesame swirl: A small spoon of black sesame paste inside the roll leaves a dark swirl and a nutty scent. Black sesame seeds on top do a milder version of the same thing.
• Cheese core rolls: A cube of mozzarella next to the butter melts into a soft, mild centre.
• Chilli butter rolls: A pinch of mild chilli stirred into the butter adds gentle heat without overwhelming the bread.

If you love savoury variations, my buttery-soft garlic rolls are a guaranteed hit.

How to serve it

Serve the rolls warm with a bowl of softened butter, or split them and add jam or a savoury spread. The crisp base stands up well in soup, and torn rolls on a grazing board give a nice contrast against soft cheeses.

Want something sweet and fluffy too? My filled cream buns pair beautifully with these rolls.

No Knead Easy Salt Bread (Shio Pan)

Print Recipe

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4.8 from 9 reviews

No Knead Easy Salt Bread delivers warm, airy crusted comfort with effortless, salty bliss.

• Author: Catherine Zhang
• Prep Time: 180 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 6 rolls 1x
• Category: Bread
• Method: Easy
• Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

For Dough

• 240g bread flour
• 10g sugar
• 5g salt
• 4g instant dry yeast
• 70g warm water (40°C)
• 80g cold milk (7°C)
• 10g softened butter

For filling and finishing

• 20g butter for each roll
• Pearl salt or flaky sea salt
• Extra melted butter for brushing

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Instructions

1. Add all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. This includes the bread flour, sugar, salt, and instant dry yeast. Give everything a quick stir so the mixture is even.
2. Combine the warm water and cold milk in a separate cup.
3. Pour the milk and water mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix until a rough and shaggy dough forms.
4. Add the melted butter and knead just until the dough comes together into a rough ball. It does not need to be perfectly smooth.
5. Cover the bowl with cling wrap or a damp tea towel and let the dough rest for 50 minutes. After resting, give the dough a few gentle folds.
6. Cover and leave it for the first rise. This takes 50 minutes.
7. Divide the dough into 70g portions. Round each piece, place on a baking sheet, cover and let them rest for 30 minutes.
8. Pre-shape each dough ball into a cone shape and rest again for 30 minutes.
9. Lay out a silicone mat and roll the bread into a 40cm long strip. Place the butter at the thicker end and roll tightly
10. Seal the dough well so the butter stays in the center and place seam side down on a thin, dark baking tray greased with a light layer of butter
11. Cover with cling wrap or a damp tea towel and proof the shaped rolls for 1 hour and 30 minutes at room temperature.
12. Lightly mist the tops with water and sprinkle with pearl salt or flaky sea salt.
13. Bake in a oven preheated to 200°C for 15 minutes or until golden.
14. Brush the rolls with melted butter while they are still warm.

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Catherine Zhang

My name is Catherine, a food blogger and dessert lover. If I look familiar you may have seen me on NETFLIX's Zumbo’s Just Desserts S2! As an Australian-Chinese pastry chef and recipe developer I share recipes and tips on desserts inspired by amazing flavours, fresh produce and of course my Asian background.

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