Soft Sourdough Dinner Rolls

If you are looking for a true Sourdough Dinner Roll that uses no commercial yeast but is just as soft and fluffy as the rest of them, you are in the right place! These soft, buttery, pull-apart rolls are naturally-leavened and long-fermented using active, bubbly sourdough starter. Make a double batch because these will disappear so fast!

Ingredients

You will just need a few simple pantry staples to make these soft sourdough dinner rolls.

• sourdough starter: active and bubbly - this recipe was developed with a 1:1:1 ratio starter. If you want to use discard, make my Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls.
• milk: I prefer whole milk or reconstituted buttermilk powder but you can use your preferred milk or even water for a less rich dough.
• honey: or your natural sweetener of choice.
• egg: I love the texture the egg gives this dough but you can omit the egg and add a splash more of liquid if you want to make these rolls egg-free.
• bread flour: I prefer these with bread flour but all purpose will work.
• salt: I test all of my recipes with Diamond Crystal Kosher salt. See recipe notes for conversion info.
• butter: I almost always use salted but you can use unsalted or use your preferred oil or fat - just make sure it is either in liquid form or very soft room temperature.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

I use a mixer to bring this dough together which makes this very hands-off like most of my sourdough recipes. See recipe notes for how to make without a mixer. Even when I use the mixer, I do like to perform a few stretch and folds if I have time, but this step is optional and the rolls will turn out great if you simply don't want to fuss with it. Trust me, I've been there!

1: Combine wet ingredients in mixer bowl and stir to combine.

2: Add dry ingredients and butter.

3: Mix with dough hook until a soft dough forms.

4: optional stretch and folds every 30 minutes for 2 hours.

5: let dough bulk ferment until doubled in size (I do this overnight).

6: Divide dough into equal portions - I like 15.

7: roll dough balls on surface in a circular motion. Push away with your thumb.

8: And pull back with your fingers to create tension in the dough and to form a ball.

9: Place rolls in greased 9x13 baking dish.

10: Let rise until puffy, light, and doubled in size

Hint: This dough can be a little sticky to roll into balls - don't use flour! It just makes things slippery. I have found that either damp or lightly oiled hands work the best to keep this dough from sticking to your hands and/or the work surface while you roll the dough balls.

Can I Make This Recipe Without a Stand Mixer?

Don't have a stand mixer? No worries - just mix the dough ingredients up with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until a soft, sticky dough forms. Cover and proceed with the bulk ferment and perform stretch and folds or coil folds every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours. Since you did not knead the dough in the stand mixer, the stretch and folds are necessary to develop the glutens.

Storage

Once cooled, these rolls will keep well at room temperature for about 3 days if stored in an airtight container or bag.

Sourdough dinner rolls also freeze really well (I have a freezer FULL of them after developing this recipe). Just wrap them really well with plastic or foil and store them in a freezer bag to prevent freezer-burn and/or drying out. I plan to use my freezer stash to make my Sourdough Stuffing and Pull Apart Lobster Rolls for the holidays.

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If you are looking for a true Sourdough Dinner Roll that uses no commercial yeast but is just as soft and fluffy as the rest of them, you are in the right place! These soft, buttery, pull-apart rolls are naturally-leavened and long-fermented using active, bubbly sourdough starter. Make a double batch because these will disappear so fast!

• Total Time: about 18 hours
• Yield: 15 rolls

Ingredients

113 grams active, bubbly sourdough starter (½ cup)

187 grams milk (¾ cup)

2 tablespoons honey

1 large egg

390 grams bread flour (3 ¼ cups) 

3-5 grams (1 teaspoon) kosher salt*

56 grams butter (4 tablespoons), soft room temperature or melted and cooled

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Instructions

Stand Mixer Instructions:

1. Add milk, sourdough starter, honey and egg to stand mixer and stir to combine. Next add flour, salt, and butter.
2. With dough hook, begin mixing on speed 1 for a few minutes until the dough comes together. Scrape sides and increase speed to 2 for 8-10 more minutes. This is meant to be quite a sticky dough - this is what results in a soft, fluffy roll.
3. After 10 minutes of kneading, scrape sides and bottom and cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled. I like to do this overnight. Optional: for the first two hours of the bulk rise, perform stretch and folds every 30 minutes and then leave the dough to rise overnight or until doubled.
4. When dough has doubled, proceed with shaping the rolls.
5. To shape rolls, dump dough onto work surface and divide into 15 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a tight ball and place into a greased and lined 9x13 inch pan. I like to line with parchment so I can easily remove all of the rolls in one piece.
6. Cover and allow to rise until doubled and very puffy. This can take anywhere from 2-6 hours depending on your starter and the temperature of your kitchen so be patient and plan ahead. I like to place mine in my oven with the light turned on to speed it up just a bit.
7. Once rolls have doubled in size, bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter if desired.

Notes

To get that perfectly soft dinner roll texture, you must, must use a very active starter and you must, must, must let them rise until doubled and super puffy - see photos in blog post for reference. In a cool kitchen that could take several hours so be patient or speed it up in a warm spot.

Don't have a stand mixer? No worries - just mix the dough ingredients up with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until a soft, sticky dough forms. Cover and proceed with the bulk ferment and perform stretch and folds or coil folds every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours. Since you did not knead the dough in the stand mixer, the stretch and folds are necessary to develop gluten and build structure in the dough.

Once dough has doubled in size, you can place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours for a more tangy sourdough flavor. This is also a nice make ahead option to help this recipe fit into your schedule.

A note on salt: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt which weighs 3 grams per teaspoon. Different brands have different weights. This salt conversion chart is a good tool if you are using a different type of salt. A little more or less will not hurt these rolls, but a lot more will. So just double check.

• Author: anita | wild thistle kitchen
• Prep Time: 2 hours plus rising
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: sourdough
• Method: sourdough, baking
• Cuisine: American