Sourdough dinner rolls are soft, fluffy, and buttery with the signature sourdough tang. They are really easy to make and the perfect accompaniment to any meal.
What is more from-scratch than soft, buttery, homemade sourdough rolls made without commercial yeast?
While sourdough seems more complicated, I assure you that it is simple. The only hard part is waiting patiently for the captured natural yeasts to do their work: fermenting the grains and naturally rising the bread.
Oh – and remembering to start them the day before. Now that I’m used to making recipes like this, it really has made my life simpler and less complicated.
I can whip up the dough after the kids go to bed, and we will have rolls ready to bake for dinner the next day.
These sourdough dinner rolls are out of this world. Super soft and fluffy, with the most delicious crust.
Benefits Of Sourdough
As I previously mentioned, sourdough is the process of fermenting grains, allowing the natural yeasts to raise the bread and break down the naturally occurring phytic acid in the grains.
This phytic acid breakdown increases some nutrients, like folate, and also makes other nutrients more bio-available.
Fermenting grains also helps increase the digestibility and can even lower the amount of gluten present (source).
Some people that have gluten sensitivities (not celiac disease) may be able to tolerate long-fermented (24 hours) wheat products.
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Tips For Making Sourdough Dinner Rolls:
- The starter must be fed, active, and nice and bubbly to use in this recipe.
- Use melted, but slightly cooled butter. You don’t want to accidentally burn your starter. Same goes for the water: it should be warm, but not hot.
- Organic cane sugar, honey, or coconut sugar will work. Honey will leave you with a stickier dough, though.
- I like to grind my own grains using a Nutrimill. It is easy and much more cost-efficient doing it this way.
- Don’t over-knead or under-knead your bread. Knead for 5 minutes in the stand mixer or 10 minutes by hand. You should be able to take a small piece of dough and pull it apart, creating a window that you can see through.
Tools you will Need:
Grain mill – like this one (optional)
Stand Mixer (optional, but it does make the process much easier).
9×9 or 9×13 baking dish. Baking it in a 9×9 baking dish gives you more of pull apart sourdough rolls.
Measuring cups and spoons
Tea towel
How To Make Sourdough Rolls:
In a stand mixer bowl, add ingredients.
Place the bread hook on the stand mixer and place mixing bowl in the correct position.
Knead on medium for 10-15 minutes until the dough becomes elastic and smooth. It should pass the windowpane test. Take a small amount of dough and stretch it between your fingers. If you can stretch it to the point where it’s thin enough to see through, then it is ready.
If you do not have a stand mixer, you can knead it by hand on a lightly floured surface for ten minutes.
Place in a greased bowl and cover with a towel.
Allow to rise overnight (8-24 hours). You want to be careful not to over-ferment. If they start to look like they are, you can place the in the fridge for a few hours.
The next day, divide the dough into eight equal parts and put in a greased 9×13 or 8×8 baking dish. Use a 8×8 if you want more pull apart type sourdough bread rolls.
Brush tops with an egg wash and allow them to rise until doubled, approximately one to two hours.
Preheat oven to 375.
Place the rolls into the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until they start turning golden brown.
Allow to cool, and enjoy.
FAQ:
What makes sourdough bread taste sour?
The fermentation process will create the sour taste, but the intensity will be determined by the amount of time you allow your dough to ferment.
If you only allow the dough to ferment for 8 hours, you will have a much less sour result, compared to letting it ferment for 24 hours.
The maturity of your sourdough starter will also have an effect. New starters will not be quite as sour as older, more mature ones.
What is fresh sourdough starter?
Fresh sourdough starter is a starter that has been fed, allowed time to reach optimal activity, and is ready to use in a recipe. Usually, a sourdough starter that is already at room temperature is ready to use about 4 hours after it has been fed.
Is sourdough bread better for you?
Yes. Not only is it easier for your body to digest, but it also has more bio-available nutrients and lower glycemic index making it a healthier choice.
Is sourdough bread better than yeast bread?
This is totally based on opinion. Personally, I love sourdough bread much more than yeast bread because sourdough has a more complex flavor that just cannot be found in yeast bread.
How is sourdough bread different from other breads?
It uses wild yeast that have been captured in the surrounding environment. This wild yeast help break down the grains and give it amore tangy sour taste.
Find More From-Scratch Farmhouse Favorites:
- Sourdough Blueberry Cobbler
- How to Make Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough French Toast From Scratch
- Best Chicken Pot Pie Recipe With Sourdough Biscuits
- Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Topping
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Also, tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, active and bubbly (113 g)
- 1/4 cup sugar, 50 g
- 3/4 cup warm water, 177 g
- 1/4 cup melted butter, 56 g
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 2 g
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 350 g
- Egg, for egg wash
Instructions
- In a stand mixer bowl, add ingredients.
- Knead on speed 2 (for a Kitchen Aid) for 10-15 minutes using the dough hook, until the dough becomes smooth, stretchy, and can pass the windowpane test.
- Place in a greased bowl and cover with a towel.
- Allow to rise overnight (8-12 hours). This will depend on how warn or cool your house is. It can take much longer in a cooler house.
- The next day, divide the dough into eight equal parts.
- Roll the dough into balls and create tension. This can be done by rolling the balls against a countertop or by pressing your thumb into the center and then pinching the ends together. This can be repeated a few times.
- Place the shaped rolls into a greased 9×13 or 8×8 dish. Cover with a damp towel. Allow it to rise until doubled, approximately one to two hours.
- Preheat oven to 375
- Brush top with egg wash (optional, but will give it that lovely golden color).
- Place the rolls into the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until they start turning golden brown.
- Top with melted butter if desired.
- Allow to cool, and enjoy.
Notes
- If you do not have a stand mixer, you can make this recipe by hand. Make sure to knead by hand for 10 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, active and bubbly (113 g)
- 1/4 cup sugar, 50 g
- 3/4 cup warm water, 177 g
- 1/4 cup melted butter, 56 g
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 2 g
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 350 g
- Egg, for egg wash
Instructions
- In a stand mixer bowl, add ingredients.
- Knead on speed 2 (for a Kitchen Aid) for 10-15 minutes using the dough hook, until the dough becomes smooth, stretchy, and can pass the windowpane test.
- Place in a greased bowl and cover with a towel.
- Allow to rise overnight (8-12 hours). This will depend on how warn or cool your house is. It can take much longer in a cooler house.
- The next day, divide the dough into eight equal parts.
- Roll the dough into balls and create tension. This can be done by rolling the balls against a countertop or by pressing your thumb into the center and then pinching the ends together. This can be repeated a few times.
- Place the shaped rolls into a greased 9×13 or 8x8 dish. Cover with a damp towel. Allow it to rise until doubled, approximately one to two hours.
- Preheat oven to 375
- Brush top with egg wash (optional, but will give it that lovely golden color).
- Place the rolls into the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until they start turning golden brown.
- Top with melted butter if desired.
- Allow to cool, and enjoy.
Notes
- If you do not have a stand mixer, you can make this recipe by hand. Make sure to knead by hand for 10 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Post and recipe were updated October 2022.
Do you ferment overnight on the counter or in the fridge? (Or just based on temperature in your house?) I’m going to try these this week and I’m trying to decide when to put them together the night before in order to bake them when I get home from work at 5:30pm and not over proof them lol. And thank you so much, I adore all of your recipes!!
I typically ferment them the counter. I like to start the dough at night, bulk ferment overnight, then shape and let rise at room temperature for two hours. If that doesn’t work for your schedule, you could bulk ferment, shape and then place them in the fridge for 15 hours to rise and then bake straight from the fridge.
If I double the batch can I put it in a 9×13?
I would think so. They will be more like pull apart rolls, since you’ll have to put them pretty close together.
Made these for a work lunch. Doing holiday themed. They came out perfect even with quadrupling the batch
So glad you enjoyed them!
I just made these today and I think they may be some of the very best dinner rolls I’ve ever had. I was nervous about making them, but everything went just as described in the directions (Even with tripling the batch!). Looking forward to adding these to our regular rotation. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed them! Have a great weekend!
Love this recipe and so do my friends and neighbors who help us eat these!
Do we cool the rolls in the pan or out of it?
So glad you enjoy it! I let them cool in the pan for a few minutes, and then take them out to cool the rest of the way.
“You want to be careful not to over-ferment. If they start to look like they are, you can place the in the fridge for a few hours.” Hi there Lisa, can you explain what that would look like ? Many thanks, your kiwi friend.
When over fermented, dough will lose structure and become a sloppy mess. I go into detail about this in my course Simple Sourdough. You can check that out here if interested: https://create-your-blog-dream.teachable.com/p/simple-sourdough
When making these sourdough dinner rolls- can you put them in the fridge over night after doing the bulk rise and shaping them? That way you can bake them in the morning?
Yes! For sure.
Liquid measuring cup or dry when measuring starter?
I think it is easier to use a regular measuring cup (dry ingredients).
Would love to make these for dinner tonight. Can I start this first thing in the morning and let it rise throughout the day and make it for dinner?
I did that today…started them at 4:30 am and had them done this evening and they were perfection. 😋
If I wanted to add an egg after fermentation (I know it’s not easy to knead an egg in) would I have to change the measurements for the rest of the ingredients? Do I add more flour or just add less liquid?
Yes probably. Otherwise the dough would be too wet. I would suggest using my brioche recipe instead if you are wanting to add an egg.