Soft Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Soft sourdough dinner rolls are everything you ever dreamed of!
These amazing pull-apart-style dinner rolls are soft and fluffy with just a touch of sweetness. Like our sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls and sourdough sweet potato rolls, you won't believe how easy they are to make!
Hi guys, I'm so excited to bring you this simple recipe for soft sourdough dinner rolls. We've been in the kitchen testing dinner roll recipes for weeks, and we are finally ready to share them with you!
These sourdough dinner rolls are the pull-apart kind of rolls that everyone goes crazy for.
The taste reminds me of a cross between the sweet yeast rolls they used to serve at restaurants like O'Charleys® and the little rolls you get at Chick-Fil-A® with the chicken nuggets for breakfast.
Serve these rolls alongside dinner or turn them into ham and cheese sliders for a delicious lunch or appetizer.
The dough can be mixed in the morning and baked up fresh for dinner the same day.
They are so easy to make and are completely irresistible!
What you need
- active sourdough starter
- bread flour
- water
- salt
- butter
- milk
- sugar
Here are a few ways to modify this recipe if needed.
- Bread flour - All-purpose can be substituted for bread flour.
- Sugar - The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of sugar, but it can be reduced to 1 tablespoon if needed.
- milk/butter - Non-dairy butter and milk can be used as vegan options.
Equipment needed
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Sample baking schedule
The following baking schedule has been tested in a kitchen with an ambient temperature of 68°F (20°C).
- 8:00 PM: Feed sourdough starter.
- 7:30 AM: Melt butter, milk, salt, and sugar, and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
- 8:00 AM: Mix dough and let rest 1 hour.
- 9:00 AM: Stretch and fold dough, cover, and let rest 30 minutes.
- 9:30 AM: Stretch and fold dough, cover, and let rest 30 minutes.
- 10:00 AM: Stretch and fold dough, cover, and let rest 2 hours.
- 12:00 PM: Divide the dough, place in a baking dish, cover, and let rise for 3-4 hours or until puffy.
- 4:00 PM: Bake.
NOTE: Warmer kitchens need less time to rise; colder kitchens will need more time to rise.
How to make them
Let's go over the steps needed to make these amazingly soft sourdough dinner rolls.
Step 1: This recipe calls for an active sourdough starter, so you will need to have it bubbly and ready when you mix the dough. I feed my starter the night before I want to make the rolls.
Step 2: Melt the butter, milk, sugar, and salt over low heat in a saucepan. Allow it to cool completely. Mix the liquid with the sourdough starter and flour in a mixing bowl. Cover and let rest 1 hour at room temperature.
Step 3: Perform 3 sets of stretch-and-folds, spaced 30 minutes apart. After the last set, cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
NOTE: The dough is ready to shape when it has risen by about 50%. Adjust the rise time based on your kitchen's temperature.
Step 4: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Each piece should weigh approximately 65g using a kitchen scale.
TIP: If you don't have a kitchen scale, gently press the dough into a rectangle and use your best judgment to cut it into even portions.
Shape each piece into a ball by gathering up the sides and pinching them together.
Turn the dough over so the seam side is down on the work surface, then gently form a smooth ball.
Place the dough balls into a lightly greased, glass baking dish. Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel and allow them to rise at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
TIP: If you'd like to prepare the dough and bake the rolls later, shape the rolls, cover the dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 36 hours. When ready to bake, allow them to rise a second time at room temperature until puffy, then bake.
The picture below shows the rolls when they are first shaped on the left, and after they have risen for 3 hours on the right.
Step 5: Bake the rolls in a 375°F (204°C) oven for 25-30 minutes. The top of the rolls should be light golden brown, and a digital thermometer inserted in the center should read at least 190°F (88°C).
Brush the tops with melted butter after they come out of the oven. Carefully remove the rolls from the baking dish and serve hot!
Pro Sourdough Tip
Kitchen temperature: It's very important to take your kitchen's ambient temperature into account when working with sourdough. Our recipes are tested in a kitchen that is 68°F (20°C). If your kitchen is warmer, you will need to reduce the first and second rise times to avoid over-proving the dough.
baking dish: Baking the rolls in a glass baking dish gave us the softest rolls. They can be baked in a 9" x 13" metal tin, but you will need to bake them at 400°F (204°C) for less ti
How to Store
- Store the baked dinner rolls in a bread bag or wrapped in a tea towel at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- The baked rolls can be frozen for up to 3 months, stored in a freezer-safe bag.
- To freeze before baking, shape the rolls, place them in a freezer-safe baking dish, and cover with plastic wrap and foil. When ready to bake, thaw in the fridge overnight, then let them rise at room temperature for 3-4 hours before baking.
- If you want to prepare the rolls ahead of time without freezing, shape them in step 4 of the recipe card below, then cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 36-48 hours. When you're ready to bake, let the rolls rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours, then bake as directed.
- To reheat rolls, tent the baking dish with foil and bake at 350°F (176°C) for 15-20 minutes.
More simple sourdough recipes
When it comes to sourdough, simple is the name of our game! Check out our delicious sourdough recipes for home bakers. Each recipe comes with step-by-step instructions so that you can make delicious sourdough baked goods with confidence.
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Soft Sourdough Dinner Rolls Recipe
EQUIPMENT
- 9" x 13" glass baking dish See notes for using a metal baking dish or silicone
Before You Begin
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g) of Active Sourdough Starter
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) sourdough starter
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (50 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ tablespoons (50) water
Dough Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
- 1 cup (240 g) milk
- 3 tablespoons (44 g) sugar (or 2 tablespoons of honey)
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
- ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter
- 3 cups + 2 tablespoons (375 g) bread flour
- 1 tablespoon melted butter (for brushing the top of the rolls after baking)
INSTRUCTIONS
Feed Your Starter
- 8 PM Feed starter: 12 hours before you plan to mix the dough, add the ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g) of active sourdough starter to a clean jar. Stir until combined, loosely cover the jar and let the starter rise at room temperature. (The ingredients will create a total of 115 g active starter but, because some of it will stick to the sides of the jar during the transfer, we are making a little more than needed.) The sourdough starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are plenty of bubbles on the surface and sides of the jar.
Make the Dough
- 7:30 AM Melt butter: In a small saucepan, melt the butter, milk, sugar and salt together over low heat. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
- 8 AM Mix the dough: Add the flour and active sourdough starter to the bowl of the cooled butter mixture and stir with a spatula until the ingredients are combined and there are no dry bits left in the bowl. Cover the bowl and allow to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- 9 AM First rise: Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds spaced 30 minutes apart, keeping the bowl covered between sets. To perform a set, pick up the dough on one side and stretch it up and over itself. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat this step until you have turned the bowl a full circle. After the final set, cover and allow the dough to rise for 2 hours or until it has risen by 50% in size. (See preliminary notes above for using a stand mixer.)
- 12 PM Shape and Second rise: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide it into 12 pieces, approximately 65 grams each. Shape each piece into a ball by gathering up the sides and pinching them together. Turn the dough over so that the seam side is down on the work surface and gently form a smooth ball. Arrange them in a lightly greased glass baking dish. Cover the dish with a tea towel and let rise for 3-4 hours.
- 4 PM Bake: About 20 minutes before you are ready to bake preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 25-30 minutes or until they are golden brown on top. The internal temperature of the rolls should be 190°F when fully baked. Brush the top of the roll with melted butter and serve. Please see the notes below for important instructions on how to make ahead and freeze.
Wrong. If you add milk, butter, sugar and salt together with the sourdough starter you will inhibit levening.
Mix flour, water, and starter first. Let it autolyse for one hour. Then, add the other ingredients.
Fold and stretch and proof as instructed in the recipe.
If you add those ingredients to the dough it will not inhibit leavening. The dough will however need more time to rise.
These are the best rolls ever!!
Thank you Terri Lynn! 🙂
Just perfect! Soft and fluffy. A great way tu use discard. Thanks for sharing Amy.
You're welcome!:)
Hi. can i add an egg in the mentioned recipe. i have tried you sourdough cookies and brownies, both went out amazing.
Hi Kumair, you could certainly try adding an egg but I've never done it myself. You may need to add a dusting of flour to the dough if the dough is too wet with the addition of the egg.
Hi Amy your recipes have been great, thanks, I was wondering do you have a sourdough sandwich bread recipe
Hi Danny, we have a honey wheat sourdough sandwich bread recipe. I am working on a white sourdough sandwich bread recipe to share soon!
It is so good.
I used this recipe, but I shaped them into 8 long rolls instead and used them for hot dogs and sandwiches. It turned out well, but I think I'll use less sugar next time if I want them as hot dog buns. They definitely were soft and had a sweet, buttery roll flavor, even though I skipped the butter on top at the end.
Is there a scientific reason you prep your starter this way? Can I just use 100g of my starter 8ish hours after feeding it the way I normally do?
Yes you can use your starter they way you normally do. These instructions just make sure that the starter is active when it's mixed into the dough. 🙂
I made your soft sourdough dinner roll today and was very good but I put cheese in it. Was very satisfied. Thank you Amy for the recipe. Was very delicious, nice and soft too
I made the dough to dry, my rolls never rose properly, and they were still soft and delicious. I'll be trying again tomorrow to get a better rise and see if these rolls get even better.
These are delicious!!! I have never been really successful at making dinner rolls (they tend to fall before they are done cooking= flat picks of bread) These rolls are amazing though. Instead of using 375 g of bread flour I used 225g of white AP flour and 150g of freshly ground whole wheat flour. I made them for dinner tonight and the pan was gobbled up! I promptly went back into the kitchen to make some more up for Sunday lunch.