Sourdough Dinner Rolls (Soft and Fluffy)

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Sourdough dinner rolls are one staple I feel every home baker should have in their back pocket. Homemade rolls elevate any dish to another level and are truly so much better than the store bought competitor. These rolls are made with sourdough discard and incredibly soft and fluffy. They are perfect enjoyed along, toiled with a dab of butter or dipped inside a bowl of soup.

Growing up my family never made rolls from scratch and unless it was a special holiday like Thanksgiving, we did not eat them. Now our family enjoys them regularly with meals – especially in the winter time. They are a comfort meal we truly look forward to.

There is something so special about a soft and fluffy roll that smells just as good as it tastes. You can also make these sourdough dinner rolls in the same day – despite the double rise.

Lately one of our favorite ways to enjoy sourdough dinner rolls is alongside soup or dipping oil. We often make a double batch to eat them twice in one week. We love turning these rolls into sourdough burger sliders or turkey cheese sliders. You can also add inclusions to your sourdough rolls – for example black pepper and rosemary or garlic scapes and cheddar – for a different twist on the roll flavor.

And if you are making these homemade rolls – do not forget about serving them warm in a bread basket. This simple step is one skill I learned while in college working at a university club serving the ‘high dining’ members at numerous banquets and formal training getting my college degree in hospitality and tourism. Now I use this simple skill to make opening the rolls even more special.

Though these are a leavened bread (even though it is sourdough – still has yeast), we do like to enjoy this bread as we bring to family Passover. Enjoy these for Easter or Thanksgiving!

I hope you enjoy these sourdough dinner rolls as much as we do!

Kitchen Equipment 

One of my favorite things about this recipe is the minimal equipment. We simply use one bowl and a measuring cup. We bake these rolls in a 8 x 8 glass pan with a silicone liner on the bottom. If you have a pastry cutter / bench scraper, this can be useful to divide the rolls before rolling.

Ingredients for sourdough dinner rolls

There are two main parts to this recipe which contribute to the soft and fluffy texture of these dinner rolls – sourdough discard and dairy products (butter, milk, egg). Without these, the dinner rolls would lack flavor and structure. For a full list of ingredients, visit the recipe card located at the bottom of the page.

Sourdough Discard: Oh sourdough – our love for you will never fade! These are yeast free dinner rolls – at least commercial yeast. These rolls rise not only once, but twice, thanks to the work of wild yeast and fermentation. Sourdough discard (whether active or discard), can be used within this recipe. For the fluffiest- and less tangy rolls – we use active starter. Though you can use sourdough discard straight from the fridge if you prefer.

Dairy Products (Butter / Milk / Egg): This is an enriched dough – meaning it has butter, milk and egg within it. Because of this combination of butter and milk, it will cause the rolls to take longer to rise than traditional sourdough bread which is made from flour, water and salt. Other enriched dough products include sourdough cinnamon rolls and sweet sourdough pull apart bread.

How to make sourdough dinner rolls

Step 1: Combine ingredients in a large bowl.

Step 2: Stretch and fold.

Step 3: Allow the dough to double in size.

Step 4: Shape the rolls before completing a second proof. (Picture shown of garlic cheddar rolls).

Step 5: Bake and enjoy!

Baker’s Timeline (Two Options)

Follow this bakers timeline for your preferred fermentation goals. We offer both short and long fermented options – just like our sourdough black pepper rolls, sourdough Hawaiian rolls and garlic scape cheddar sourdough rolls.

Short Fermentation (“Same Day Sourdough Rolls)

I like to think of this as a ‘same day’ recipe. I personally prefer to let my dough rise overnight (the day prior to bake) so I can bake rolls to serve at dinner. You can adjust this timeline as necessary.

• 9:00 PM (Day prior to bake)
  • Stir ingredients together in a bowl until no salt granules remain.
• 9:30 – 10:30 PM (Day prior to bake)
  • Stretch and fold until dough can no longer be stretched, turning bowl 90 degrees each time. On the second step of stretch and folds, add in your inclusions.
  • Complete this 1-2 times during this section.
• 10:30 PM – 1:00 PM – (Overnight / morning of bake)
  • Overnight Rise / Bulk Fermentation on counter 
  • Keep dough on counter, allow to rise until doubled in size, or when ready to shape. 
• 1:00 PM – (Day of bake)
  • Shape rolls and second rise
• 3:00 PM – Bake the rolls

Long Fermentation (Bulk ferment in fridge)

I like to follow this timeline when I want to make my rolls in advance and let them sit in the fridge for a longer fermentation period. For those with a gluten sensitivity, this can be a great method to assist in easier digestion. We have lots of long fermented sourdough recipes on our blog like this one.

• 9:00 AM (Day prior to bake)
  • Stir ingredients together in a bowl until no salt granules remain.
• 9:30 – 10:30 AM (Day prior to bake)
  • Stretch and fold until dough can no longer be stretched, turning bowl 90 degrees each time.
  • On the second step of stretch and folds, add in your inclusions.
  • Complete this 1-2 times during this hour (about every 30 minutes).
• 10:30 AM – 9:00 PM (Day prior to bake)
  • Bulk Fermentation on counter
  • Keep dough on counter, allow to rise until doubled in size. When double has doubled in size, place in the fridge.
• 9:00 PM – 10:00 AM (Overnight / morning of bake)
  • Bulk fermentation in fridge overnight
  • In the morning, remove rolls from fridge. Allow them to warm up on the countertop.
• 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM (Day of bake)
  • About 30 minutes before you are ready to shape the rolls, remove them from the fridge. Shape them and allow them to complete a second rise on the counter.
• 3:00 PM – Bake the rolls

How to store sourdough dinner rolls

Store sourdough dinner rolls on the counter for up to one week. We keep ours in the same 8×8 container we bake them in because it has a lid with it, though you can store them within a ziplock baggie. Be sure to allow the rolls to cool completely before storing or they will release moisture as they sit.

If you place the rolls in the fridge, they will dry out a bit more than if stored on the countertop due to the reduced humidity levels. To reheat and bring back moisture, heat in the microwave and slather with butter.

Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Hailey

These sourdough dinner rolls are buttery soft and have a pillowy fluff. They are the perfect balance of sweet and salty.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Fermentation Period 12 hours hrs

Total Time 12 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 12 rolls

Calories 140 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Large Mixing Bowl
• 1 8×8 Glass Baking Pan
• 1 Bench Scraper

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 – 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 TBS white sugar
• 1 tsp Salt If using salted butter, reduce salt to 1/4 tsp.
• 2 TBS Butter Can swap with olive oil or avocado oil.
• 3/4 cup Milk Can substitute dairy free milk or water
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 cup Sourdough Discard Sourdough discard or active starter*

Instructions

 

• Stir the wet ingredients together. Add in the salt and stir until dissolved. Add the flour and sugar. Mix by hand until the dough comes together. It should be soft and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
• Rest for 30 minutes, then stretch and fold until it can no longer, in order to build gluten structure. Rest for 30 minutes to an hour before completing stretch and folds again.
• Allow to sit on the countertop overnight. The dough will double in size and become light and fluffy.
• After the dough has completed the bulk rise, place the dough on a reusable baking sheet and roll out. I like to shape mine similar to a 8×8 pan so I can cut and shape them easily.
• Shaped your rolls using one of two techniques:

  1. Roll each individual roll into a circle, using the counter to build surface tension.

  2. Grab each content and tuck roll underneath itself until all corners are tucked in.
• Add rolls into a greased 8×8 pan and allow to rise until doubled in size (about 1-2 hours) depending on the temperate of your home. At this point the rolls will almost have a film on the top and the dough will not stick to your fingers when touched. The dough will also indent and bounce back when touched.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes. The rolls will turn golden brown on top and they will have reached an internal temperature of 190-200 degrees.
• Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
• We love to serve the rolls in a bread basket to keep them warm and have dipping oil available on the side.

Video

Notes

• • If baking to be eat warm / hot at a meal

If baking to be hot at a meal, consider allowing the dough to complete a second rise 3-5 hours prior to when you would like to eat. The rise time will differ depending on how cold the rolls are. If they came out of the fridge and are rising, it will take longer.

• • Fluffy Rolls

To achieve fluffy rolls, ensure the second rise length of time is long enough. If the dough does not rise for long enough, they will be dense. We want to achieve those perfect rolls! Also see the note below if doubling / tripling the recipe as the moisture mixture needs to be adjusted.

• Making a double / triple recipe

The moisture content is sensitive with these rolls. If doubling the recipe, use one egg. If tripling the recipe, use two eggs. 

Do not double or triple the egg to make double or triple the recipe. It will make the rolls dense.

• Can these be frozen in advance?

Yes they can. However, I would highly recommend cooking these completely and allowing them to cool before placing them in a freezer. They will reheat great from frozen by popping them into the microwave, or you can reheat in the oven. You can run them under water and pop them into the oven for 8-10 minutes (at 350 degrees Fahrenheit).

If you want to make the batter and cook them the day of – you can freeze them after you shape them. Place them into the freezer and allow them to come to room temperature and double in size before baking them. This could take 8-10 hours.

This method does work – however, we found they become too tangy for our liking and did not find them nearly as fluffy.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1rollCalories: 140kcalCarbohydrates: 17.4gProtein: 4.3gFat: 6.4gSaturated Fat: 3.9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1.6gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 204mgPotassium: 60mgFiber: 0.7gSugar: 1.3gVitamin A: 190IUCalcium: 36mgIron: 1.1mg

Keyword bread, Dinner, discard, rolls, sourdough

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