No-Knead Scandinavian Seeded Carrot Rolls

These Seeded Carrot Rolls are popular across Scandinavia and require no kneading. The carrots keep them nice and moist and create a beautiful golden hue. Stir these no-knead Scandinavian Seeded Carrot Rolls together at night then bake the next day or make them, start to finish the same day!

You can thank my sweet sister, Annie (a fantastic cook), for this Scandinavian Seeded Carrot Rolls recipe. Last Fall, she sent me a picture from her Instagram feed of some Danish seeded carrot rolls... "Don't these look good?", she texted. I thought they looked amazing and was intrigued by the concept of adding finely shredded carrots and a plethora of healthy seeds to a dinner/sandwich roll recipe. After doing a little research, I discovered that seeded carrot rolls are popular all over Scandinavia and northern Europe.

I tried several recipes that I found online but I wasn't super happy with any of the results. Before long, I got busy with other things and forgot all about the rustic little carrot rolls. A few weeks ago, I decided to revisit the idea and give it another go. After a few renditions, I hit on a combination of ingredients that's super delicious but also super easy to put together with no need to knead the dough. So, Annie, this one is for you!

No need to knead!

Although kneading is not a big deal, it can be a little tedious and, for new cooks, a little overwhelming. For me, it's always nice to be able to skip that step. This dough rises slowly then gets tossed in a sprinkle of flour to prevent stickiness then it's simply shaped into round rolls.

So versatile!

I love that this Scandinavian Seeded Carrot Rolls recipe is so versatile. Here are some of the ways you can vary the recipe:

• Use different seeds. I use a combination of pepita, sunflower and flax seeds in my dough. Sometimes I throw in a tablespoon of poppy seeds. For the topping, I like to use sunflower, flax, sesame and poppy seeds. But you can use any seeds you enjoy or happen to have on hand, a total of ¾ cup is the perfect amount!
• Vary the size for different uses. I like to make these rolls around 45-50g (about 1½ ounces) for dinner rolls but you can also make them bigger 60-75g (2-2½ ounces) for sandwich rolls or burger buns.
• Sometimes, when I'm feeling a little lazy (honestly, quite often!), I shape half of the dough into rolls and make a large round, freeform loaf with the rest. The loaf makes great sandwiches and toast!

• Another variation is to add some whole wheat flour. The recipe calls for all-purpose flour but you could sub up to 1½ cups of whole wheat or white whole wheat flour without changing the other ingredients. Give the dough a little extra time for rising as whole wheat flour is a little heavier.
• Skip the seeds on the top for golden shiny rolls.

Perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner!

These Scandinavian Seeded Carrot Rolls are delicious any time of day. I've stuffed them with scrambled eggs for a delicious, healthy breakfast sandwich.

We have also enjoyed them for breakfast served warm with butter and a dollop of our Ridiculously Easy Orange Fig Jam (pictured below and throughout this post).

They'd be great served for brunch with an egg casserole and an assortment of fresh fruit. These rolls also make fantastic sandwiches. We love them with thinly sliced smoky ham or turkey and a layer of Gouda or Havarti cheese. A spread of the Orange Fig Jam takes these sandwiches WAY over the top!

If you enjoy burgers, these Scandinavian Seeded Carrot Rolls are a delicious, unique alternative to traditional burger buns. Once you serve them though, be prepared for requests any time there's a cookout!

For dinner, I like to serve them in a bread basket, accompanied by a little bowl of honey butter (just combine 1 stick (113g) of soft butter with 2 tablespoons (42g) of honey and stir to combine). There are always happy faces when diners peak into the basket and the happiest faces when they take the first bite!

Whatever size you decide to make these fabulous Scandinavian Seeded Carrot Rolls and whenever you decide to serve them, you too will see lots of smiles with the first delicious bite!

Café Tips for making these Scandinavian Seeded Carrot Rolls

• If your kitchen is a bit chilly, you'll need to find a warm spot to let your dough rise. Here are some ideas for creating an ideal rising climate:
  • Bring a cup of water to a boil inside your microwave. Place the bowl of dough in the steamy microwave covered with a clean kitchen towel.
  • If you're drying clothes, set the dough on top of the dryer.
  • A table in front of a warm sunny window is a perfect place to let the dough rise.
  • Heat the oven for 2 minutes then turn it off. Turn the light on in the oven to maintain a warm, cozy rising spot.
  • Place a towel on top of a heating pan set to its lowest setting. Place the bowl of dough on top of the towel and covered it with a clean kitchen towel.
  • If the top of your refrigerator is clear, this is also a nice warm spot for bread dough.
  • Another microwave trick - place the bowl of dough in the microwave and cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Let one end of the towel hang out of the door. Close the door with the towel across the opening. This will cause the light to remain on in the microwave creating a nice warm environment.

• This Seeded Carrot Rolls recipe calls for a cup of shredded carrots. 2 medium-size carrots will equal approximately 1 cup. I really like this box grater with measured storage underneath. I use the medium-size grate side.
• Molasses is one of the ingredients for this carrot roll recipe which adds a touch of warm sweetness. If you don't have molsses and don't want to purchase a jar, just sub a tablespoon of brown sugar.
• You can also use pre-shredded carrots for this recipe but you'll need to run your knife through them a few times as the shreds are too big.
• This dough will be a little sticky to start with, don't hesitate to use enough flour on your work surface to make the dough easy to handle. I like to coat the big ball of dough with flour and each little ball as I shape the rolls. If you need to coat them several times during the shaping process, it's fine!

Thought for the  day:

Whoever believes in me,
as Scripture has said,
rivers of living water will flow from within them. 
John 7:38

What we're listening to for inspiration:

My Portion

If you enjoy this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations, and ideas for variations.

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No-Knead Scandinavian Seeded Carrot Rolls

Stir these no-knead Scandinavian Seeded Carrot Rolls together at night then bake the next day or make them, start to finish the same day!

Author: Chris Scheuer

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Danish, Scandinavian

Keyword: Danish Carrot Rolls, Scandinavian Seeded Carrot Rolls, Seeded Carrot Rolls

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 22 mins

Total Time: 3 hrs 52 mins

Servings: 24

Calories: 138 kcal

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup shredded carrot medium grate, loosely packed - about 2 medium size carrots
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup pepita seeds
• ¼ cup flax seed
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 2¼ teaspoon instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoons molasses
• ¼ cup hot tap water maybe a bit more

For the seeded topping:

• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon flax seed

For the egg wash:

• 1 egg yolk from a large egg
• 1 teaspoon water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the prep:

1. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Set aside.

For the dough:

1. Combine the flour, seeds, instant yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir well. Add the grated carrots and stir with a fork to incorporate (a fork is the best way to evenly distribute the carrots throughout the flour mixture). Make a well in the center and set it aside.

2. In a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, melt the butter by cooking on high power for 30-40 seconds. Remove from the microwave and add the oil, milk, egg, honey and molasses. Stir with a fork to thoroughly combine.

3. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients along with 4 tablespoons of hot tap water. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon to combine. The dough will be still and shaggy. If it seems dry and it’s hard to incorporate all of the flour, add a bit more hot tap water and stir until all of the dry ingredients are well combined.

4. Drizzle the top of the dough with a bit of oil and rub it with you hand or a spatula to coat the surface. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap and place the bowl place in the refrigerator overnight (or for 8-12 hours hours). Allow the dough to return to room temperature for 1-2 hours before shaping the rolls. Another option is to let the dough rise at room temperature for 1- 1½ hours, or until doubled in size. If your kitchen is chilly, find a warm, cozy place for the dough to rise. (See the Café Tips above for ways to create a warm environment for dough.)

5. Once the dough is doubled in size, turn the dough out onto a work surface that has been generously dusted with flour. Turn the dough in the flour several times (I like to use a dough scraper for this) to thoroughly coat. For dinner rolls, divide the dough into 24 portions. (For larger rolls, divide the dough into 15-18 portions.)

6. Turn each dough in the flour to coat on all sides. Take one piece of dough in one hand and form a ball by using the fingers of your other hand to tuck the sides underneath, turning the dough ball as you go and pinching it at the bottom. You can stop here but if you want perfectly round rolls, place the pinched side down on an unfloured part of the work surface and cup your hand around it. Sweep your hand in a circle around the dough, forming it into a smooth round ball. This will only take a few seconds per roll.

7. Place the shaped dough balls on the prepared sheet pans, spacing them two inches apart. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow the rolls to rise for 45-60 minutes, or until almost double in size. Preheat the oven to 350˚F during the last 15 minutes of rising.

For the egg wash and seeded topping:

1. Combine the topping seeds in a small bowl. Whisk together the egg yolk and water in another bowl until smooth.

2. Brush each dough ball with the egg was, covering all the surfaces but not using so much that it drips off onto the parchment paper. Sprinkle each one generously with the seed mixture. It’s best to brush one at a time then sprinkle with the seeds so the egg wash doesn’t have a chance to dry.

3. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

4. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag. These rolls also freeze well in an airtight container or ziplock bag.

Calories 138kcal

Fat 6g

Saturated fat 2g

Trans fat 0.1g

Polyunsaturated fat 2g

Monounsaturated fat 2g

Cholesterol 20mg

Sodium 217mg

Potassium 100mg

Carbohydrates 18g

Fiber 2g

Sugar 2g

Protein 4g

Vitamin A 969%

Vitamin C 0.4%

Calcium 38%

Iron 1%