Fluffy, sourdough biscuit dough smothered with herbed butter, cheese, and caramelized onions, rolled up and baked until golden. These sourdough herb and cheese rolls are a delicious side to your favorite soup, or serve them as an appetizer. Itโ€™s hard to stop at one.

sourdough herb and cheese roll on a white plate with sage on a white countertop with a blue and white towel in the background

There have been a lot of surprises around the homestead lately. First, the surprise calf born three months โ€œearly.โ€ You can read that story here.

Then, a great storm rolled through, knocking down trees and leaving limbs strewn everywhere; it also took away our power and water for a few days.

It was certainly not something we were totally prepared for, but Iโ€™m thankful that we all stayed safe. We also received willing help from many family and friends, for which we are so grateful.

It was a little taste of living like the original owners of our 1890โ€™s farmhouse. No electricity, no showers, having to haul our water – by truck, rather than horse and wagon, of course. Yet, it still gave us that taste, and goodness, it make me thankful for modern amenities. 

The charm of the idea may be slightly there still, thanks to Ma Ingalls. I like that we get to do some things that our ancestors got to experience, such as raising dairy animals for milk, and making things from scratch in our cast iron skillets.

Some things are now very convenient, though (hello, indoor plumbing), and I am thankful. 

Sourdough is one of those things that takes me back to the pioneers. They didnโ€™t have instant yeast packets that they could just pick up at the store.

Rather, they relied on the natural yeasts in the air to acquire their delicious, leavened bread. Kneading the dough by hand, developing the gluten so it creates the perfect crumb, was a reality for them.

While Iโ€™m fairly positive they didn’t have a recipe like this sourdough herb and cheese roll, Iโ€™m sure they wished they did. Melted cheese between layers of herbed butter with caramelized onions and tasty sourdough is so yummy. 

overhead photo of sourdough herb and cheese rolls in a white baking dish on a white countertop with a white and blue plaid towel

Tips For Making Sourdough Cheese Rolls:

  • The longer the herbs sit in the butter mixture, the more the flavor will deepen and develop. I recommend doing this early on in the baking process.
  • These would be amazing on the side of a creamy bowl of soup, or they would pair nicely with a fig jam.
  • Brush the buns lightly with an egg or cream wash to give the buns a shiny, crusty glaze.
  • Since youโ€™re going to all the effort, caramelize extra onions for toppings on other things like burgers, stir fry, sandwiches, etc.! If you donโ€™t have fresh herbs, you can substitute with dried herbs. Use 1 tsp sage, 1โ„2 tsp dried rosemary, and 1 tsp dried thyme.
  • Sprinkle the tops of the buns with some finely chopped thyme leaves.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Ingredients:

overhead photo of half a baking dish full of sourdough cheese and herb rolls on a blue and white plaid towel with fresh herbs to the right of the pan
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Sourdough Roll Dough

Fed sourdough starter

Water

All-purpose flour

Coconut oil

Honey

Eggs

Baking soda

Baking powder

Salt

Filling:

Butter

Fresh sage

Fresh rosemary

Thyme

Caramelized onion (5-6 medium onions raw)

Cheddar cheese

Tools you may need:

Stand mixer (optional; hands will also work just fine)

Large cast iron skillet

Measuring cups and spoons

Grain mill (optional)

overhead photo of sourdough herb and cheese rolls in a baking dish with two plate with rolls to the right on a top of a blue and white plaid towel

Sourdough Herb And Cheese Rolls

In a bowl, combine fed sourdough starter, flour, honey, water, and melted coconut oil. Mix together, then form into a ball.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with beeswax wraps or plastic wrap.

Allow to rest in a warm place overnight or up to 24 hours.

Add eggs, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the bowl, and combine well with your hands.

Cover it with a tea towel and put it in a warm place for about an hour.

While the dough is rising, thinly slice and caramelize the onions; this process takes about 45 mins (stir the onions occasionally.)

In a small bowl, combine room temperature butter and chopped fresh herbs, stirring well.

sourdough roll dough rolled out on a countertop with a rolling pin toward the back

Lightly dust the counter with flour, then roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.

herb butter spread out on sourdough roll dough

Add herbed butter to the dough and spread evenly.

sourdough roll dough rolled out on a countertop with herb butter and caramelized onions spread out.

Evenly distribute caramelized onions over the dough, then sprinkle over the 2 1/2 cups of grated cheese.

sourdough rolls dough rolled out with herbed butter, caramelized onions, and shredded cheese on the dough

Roll the dough up as tightly as you can. When you get to the end, pull it up as tightly as you can and pinch the ends into the main roll.

Slice to make 12-14 sourdough savory rolls.

sourdough herb and cheese rolls unbaked in a cast iron skillet

Place the rolls into a well-seasoned 14โ€ณ cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with some extra chopped thyme.

sourdough herb and cheese rolls unbaked on a cast iron skillet

Allow them to rise in a warm spot for about 1/2 hour to 1 hour while your oven preheats.

Bake them in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. The cheese will be melted and the rolls will be slightly golden around the edges.

Allow them to cool a bit, then enjoy!

How To Caramelize Onions:

Slice 5-6 medium sized onions (900g raw onion) thinly.

Warm oil and butter in pan on medium high.

Stir to coat onions in the oil. Cook, stirring every few minutes.

After 15 minutes, sprinkle some salt over the onions (also 1 tsp sugar, if you desire).

Cook for 30 mins to an hour, stirring them every 1-2 minutes. Let the onions stick to the pan a little bit, then stir them before they burn, but leave them alone long enough to brown.

After the first 20-30 minutes, you may want to lower the stove top temperature.

Allow to sit and then scrape, let them sit, and then scrape… until the onions are a rich brown color.

Add balsamic vinegar at the end, if you enjoy the extra flavor.

Store refrigerated for several days in an airtight container.

Find More Of My Sourdough Recipes:

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! 

Sourdough Herb And Cheese Rolls

4.62 from 78 votes
Fluffy, sourdough, biscuit dough smothered with herbed butter and cheese, rolled up and baked until golden. These are a delicious side to your favorite soup, or serve them as an appetizer. Itโ€™s hard to stop at one.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 55 minutes
Additional Time: 12 hours
Total: 13 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 10
overhead photo of sourdough herb and cheese rolls in a white baking dish on a white countertop with a white and blue plaid towel
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Ingredients 

Sourdough Roll Dough

  • 1/2 cup sourdough starter, bubbly and active (113 g)
  • 1/2 cup water, 118 g
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour, 560 g
  • 1/2 cup melted coconut oil, 112 g
  • 1 tablespoon honey, 21 g
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2.5 g

Filling:

  • 1/2 cup room temperature butter
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
  • 2 cups caramelized onion, 5-6 medium onions raw
  • 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Instructions 

  • In a bowl, combine fed sourdough starter, flour, honey, water, and melted coconut oil. Mix together, then form into a ball.
  • Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with beeswax wraps or plastic wrap.
  • Allow to rest in a warm place overnight or up to 24 hours.
  • Add eggs, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the bowl, and combine well with your hands.
  • Cover it with a tea towel and put it in a warm place for about an hour.
  • While the dough is rising, thinly slice and caramelize the onions; this process takes about 45 mins, stirring the onions occasionally.
  • In a small bowl, combine room temperature butter and chopped fresh herbs, stirring well.
  • Lightly dust the counter with flour, then roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.
  • Add herbed butter to the dough and spread evenly.
  • Evenly distribute caramelized onions over the dough, then sprinkle over the 2 1/2 cups of grated cheese.
  • Roll the dough up as tightly as you can. Pinch the ends into the main roll.
  • Slice to make 12-14 sourdough savory rolls.
  • Place the rolls into a well-seasoned 14โ€ณ cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with some extra chopped thyme.
  • Allow them to rise in a warm spot for about 1/2 hour to 1 hour while your oven preheats.
  • Bake them in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
  • Allow them to cool a bit and enjoy!

To Carmelize Onions

  • Slice 5-6 medium sized onions (900g raw onion) thinly.
  • Warm oil and butter in pan on medium high.
  • Stir to coat onions in the oil. Cook, stirring every few minutes.
  • After 15 minutes, sprinkle some salt over the onions (also 1 tsp sugar, if you desire).
  • Cook for 30 mins to an hour, stirring them every 1-2 minutes.
  • After the first 20-30 minutes, you may want to lower the stove top temperature.
  • Allow to sit and then scrape, let them sit, and then scrape… until the onions are a rich brown color.
  • Add balsamic vinegar at the end, if you enjoy the extra flavor.

Notes

  • The longer the herbs sit in the butter mixture, the more the flavor will deepen and develop. I recommend doing this early on in the baking process.
  • Brush the buns lightly with an egg or cream wash to give the buns a shiny, crusty glaze.
  • Since youโ€™re going to all the effort, caramelize extra onions for toppings on other things like burgers, stir fry, sandwiches etc.!
  • If you donโ€™t have fresh herbs, you can substitute with dried herbs. Use 1 tsp sage, 1โ„2 tsp dried rosemary, and 1 tsp dried thyme.

Nutrition

Calories: 522kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 544mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 661IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 258mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.62 from 78 votes (60 ratings without comment)

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82 Comments

  1. April R says:

    Not trying to be troublesome, honestly trying to help figure out why some people are having a hard time. I love all your recipes! I am wanting to try these, and after reading a lot of the comments, I may have found something. Some people say it is very dry before the initial rise,and often some have trouble incorporating the eggs after the initial rise. You replied to one comment that you include the eggs before the initial rise but some don’t like to do that. I’m not sure if the eggs would provide just that bit of moisture people are missing in the initial dough?

    I guess my thought/question is maybe include that option in the directions somewhere so people can choose what they want to do….
    I’m going to include the eggs before the initial fermenting…I guess we’ll see how it goes!

    1. Arlene says:

      I wish I saw this comment and option before I mixed the dough ingredients. It is very dry I had to add more water to form a ball. The oil weight and measurements are also off, the gram weight is more than 1/2 cup. I went with the half cup. Guess weโ€™ll see tomorrow how it looks

  2. Tiffanie Gilbert says:

    Would an egg wash on these be desirable? I did bacon and cheddar with the herb butter. They seemed a bit dry and didnโ€™t have great color in the top since there were no onions.

    1. Lisa Bass says:

      You could!

  3. Eliza says:

    I was a little worried that this dough would be too tough after reading the comments, so I added 1 c. Of sourdough starter (mine is more hydrated/runnier maybe?) and after a 12 hr. Rest it was so soft and luxurious. I added the other ingredients and it was hard to get the eggs to combine into the dough. They wanted to just scramble underneath it when I used my mixer. So I did have to do a little manual working it in but now it looks great and I can see WHY you choose a drier dough at first because I think mine ended up a bit too sticky at the end of the rise times (because of the extra moisture.) Still, delicious and I’ll make it again.

  4. Kari Cunningham says:

    4 stars
    These actually turned out really good. I mixed all the first ingredients together and it looked rather dry but I fermented for 24 hours and I was certain this was gonna be a flop. Then I added the sodaโ€™s, egg, and salt and it looked kinda soupy. So I followed my gut Instinct and added more flour til it resembled a dough I was more familiar with. Then I let it raise for 6 more hours and low and behold it looked really good. Then I rolled it out and stuffed it with a more pizza type filling and rolled and put into bakeware and let it rise another 2 hours. Then baked to instructions. Think my house is cooler so I find that I have to raise my recipes longer than what they say always. So donโ€™t think the recipe is bad just didnโ€™t work out for without some tweaking. So happy with the result but had to trust my dough instincts. Haha

  5. Lisa says:

    Hello! I have tried to make this a couple times but the dough is so dry. Is 1/2 (118grams) cup water a typo? Or am I just doing something wrong haha.

  6. Kimberly A Fleming says:

    5 stars
    Definitely fun to make! Another amazing recipe from this website! The house smells incredible

  7. Gianny says:

    If I wanted to make these for 8 hours from now can I use instant yeast? How much instant yeast would I need to add to get it going faster? Thank you! It looks amazing. I really want to make it for a gathering im going to and found the recipe too late!

    1. Lisa Bass says:

      I would add in the regular amount that you would normally use for a loaf of bread.

  8. Bre Farren says:

    Hi! I was wondering if there is a certain level of rise I should look for in the initial dough mix. Should it double in size like when making traditional sourdough? Thank you!

    1. Lisa Bass says:

      Typically it should double in size or close to it.

  9. Tina says:

    3 stars
    Iโ€™m not sure what went wrong, but my dough turned out incredibly tough. Incorporating the second half of ingredients was near impossible. I havenโ€™t baked it yet but I can tell that it is not even close to a workable dough. A waste ):

    1. Lisa Bass says:

      I’m sorry you had issues with the dough!

  10. Siobhan Gagliardo says:

    5 stars
    this worked out amazing and they are rising right now as I type!!!!!! Thanks so much Lisa.