Sourdough Dinner Rolls Recipe - Noshing With the Nolands (2024)

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Homemade Sourdough Dinner Rolls are an amazing recipe for super soft, fluffy bread rolls with a bit of tang from the sourdough starter.

A lovely easy homemade bun to make for any time! Pull-apart rolls are the best use for sourdough bread to feed your family for many different meals. You might also like to try our soft, buttery Parker House Rolls, Butter Swim Biscuits, or Braided White Bread, both have step-by-step instructions too.

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Kitchen Aid 8 Quart Commercial Mixer

Complete Bread Dough Mixer Machine with Dough Hook – Bread Kneader and Dough Maker

Anchor Hocking Glass Mixing Bowls, Mixed, Set of 10

Glass Measuring Cup Set, 4 Piece Set

What Ingredients Go Into Making Sourdough Dinner Rolls?

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Ingredients are standard and are easily found. Here are some details on what we used.

  • Warm water – (80 to 95 degrees F)
  • Active dry yeast – You can use a yeast packet instead of measuring yeast
  • Turbinado (raw) sugar – Turbinado (raw) sugar can be replaced by white sugar
  • Eggs – large and refrigerated are fine.
  • Oil – Cooking olive oil
  • Sourdough Discard – (Active starter) This is the portion of your starter that is removed anddiscardedbefore feeding what’s left in the jar. The sourdough recipe can be found below.
  • Salt – Table Salt
  • Unbleached All-Purpose Flour – because all starters have a different consistency, you may need to add more flour.
  • Butter– Melted

How To Make Sourdough Dinner Rolls

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Making sourdough rolls is labor of love but doesn’t have to be an all-day process. It is something that you go back to again and again as each step takes time in between for the dough to go through bulk fermentation and then proofing.

Let me walk you through the process here.

  1. In a mixing bowl of a stand-up mixer, pour water, yeast, and sugar. Wait 5 minutes for the yeast to bloom.
  2. Now start to mix the dough by using a paddle attachment (or use the dough hook the whole time) and adding in eggs, oil, salt, and sourdough discard.
  3. Mix well for 30 seconds.
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  1. Now change to a dough hook if you weren’t already using and add 3 ¼ cups of flour and salt, gradually. Mix for 4 minutes.
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  1. The dough may be sticky but when pushing in it, it won’t stick to your finger. If your dough is too sticky, you can add a ¼ cup of extra flour at this time. You should not have any flour dry in the bowl.
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  1. Transfer to a large, oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
  2. Put it in a warm place to allow for 60 minutes of rise time or until it doubles in size.
  3. This is called bulk fermentation when the dough is in its first stage of fermenting in a large, single mass.
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  1. Once it doubles in size, transfer to a lightly flour surface and divide the dough into 12 equal parts.
  2. On the counter or a work surface, roll each ball. I make a dome with my hand and roll the ball between my hand and the counter. The round balls are then transfered to a buttered 9×13 baking dish to proof.

Proofing your Sourdough Rolls

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  1. Next, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for another 30-45 minutes in a warm place. Until it doubles in size. This is called proofing when the dough is in its final stage of rising.
  2. Start your oven at 375-degree F.
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  1. Bake the rolls in preheated oven for 20 minutes. You can egg wash the buns if you like or butter them straight out of the oven.
  2. As soon as they come out, brush with the melted butter on the buns.
  3. Enjoy!
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What is a Sourdough Starter?

A sourdough starter is a mixture of flours and water that sits over time and starts to ferment.

As the microbes eat the sugars in the flour, they exhale carbon dioxide, producing the bubbles that turn a flat, dense loaf into something light and fluffy.

That is why these dinner rolls are so amazingly light, fluffy and perfect for not only a side dish but as a bun for a slider too!

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Look at how amazing this looks with this Smoked BBQ Pulled Pork!! A masterpiece of two recipes coming together.

Smoky, juicy, flavorful pulled pork is the perfect match for the slight tang of a sourdough roll like this one. A BBQ dinner that no one will forget.

How To Make A Sourdough Starter

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When making any sourdough bread you need a sourdough starter. This is where planning needs to come into consideration as it takes a long time to get your starter alive and working.

When doing a sourdough starter, I always follow the direction on King Arthur Flour website. They have great information and great recipes to help you get started playing with sourdough.

At first, if you start a starter, I use 1 cup of Whole Wheat flour + half a cup cool water.

On day 2 when I need to feed him, I discard half a cup and add 1 cup of Unbleached All-Purpose flour + ½ cup water room temp.

The unbleached flour here is important for the feeding as it contains more live culture, which is a requirement to get your starter active.

Fast forward 10 days and when your sourdough is nice and bubbly and has a sour smell, then you are ready for your first bread.

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When a recipe requires an unfed starter, this means in the morning (I feed my starter in the morning) before feeding the starter, pour 1 cup or whatever the recipe requires into a measuring cup, and what is left in your mason jar, feed the starter with 1 cup flour, ½ cup water.

If your recipe requires using fed starter, then in the morning feed your starter and you can use it when nice and bubbly, around 4 to 6 hours later.

For the buns, it was unfed/discard starter, so pour before you feed the starter.

Also, if you will need a lot of discard, you should build up your starter 1 or 2 days ahead. You should always have approx. 1 cup of starter to feed at all times.

Does Sourdough Bread Taste Sour

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Sourdoughbread is made by the fermentation of dough as we had mentioned above. It has naturally occurring lactobacilli and yeast.

The sour taste or I would say tang is produced from the lactic acid.

Sourdough is the oldest form of leavened dough and has been around since the Egyptians. This type of bread can have varying degrees of sourness. Today’s recipe has a mild tang as most dinner rolls do.

Other bread can get a bit more mouth-puckering and as you play with sourdough you will see the variations.

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More Great Bread Recipes

Here are some other great bread recipes for you to try. From a classic brioche to a no knead pumpkin, a bread machine quick loaf and more. Bread making and bread baking is rewarding and can give you some of the best bread you have ever tried.

Homemade Brioche Bread

Pumpkin No Knead Bread

Super Easy Bread Machine Banana Bread

Apple Fritter Bread – Quick Easy Bread

Bread Machine Pumpkin Pie Spice Loaf

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Sourdough Dinner Rolls Recipe

Yield: 12 rolls

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 7 minutes

Sourdough Dinner Rolls are the best pull-apart buns hot out of the oven any time. The lovely tangy flavor makes them perfect as a slider bun too. Perfectly soft and fluffy they will be what your family asks for.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup warm water (80 to 95 degrees F)
  • 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon turbinado (raw) sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 cup of sourdough discard
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 ¼ cups of unbleached all-purpose flour (because all starters have different consistency, you may need to add more flour, approx. ½ to ¾ cup)
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Sourdough Starter

  • See instructions under notes

Instructions

In a mixing bowl of a stand-up mixer, pour water, yeast, and sugar. Wait 5 minutes for the yeast to bloom.

Now start to mix the dough by using a paddle attachment (or use the dough hook the whole time) and adding in eggs, oil, and sourdough discard.

Mix well for 30 seconds.

Now change to a dough hook if you weren’t already using and add 3 ¼ cups of flour and salt, gradually. Mix for 4 minutes.

The dough may be sticky but when pushing in it, it won’t stick to your finger. If your dough is too sticky, you can add a ¼ cup of extra flour at this time. You should not have any flour dry in the bowl.

Transfer to a large, oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Put it in a warm place to allow for 60 minutes of rise time or until it doubles in size. This is called bulk fermentation when the dough is in its first stage of fermenting in a large, single mass.

Once it doubles in size, transfer to a lightly flour surface and divide the dough into 12 equal parts.

On the counter or a work surface, roll each ball. I make a dome with my hand and roll the ball between my hand and the counter. The round balls are then transferred to a buttered 9×13 baking dish to proof.

Next, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for another 30-45 minutes in a warm place. Until it doubles in size. This is called proofing when the dough is in its final stage of rising.

Start your oven at 375-degree F.

Bake the rolls in preheated oven for 20 minutes. You can egg wash the buns if you like or butter them straight out of the oven.

As soon as they come out, brush with the melted butter on the buns.

Notes

When making any sourdough bread you need a sourdough starter. This is where planning needs to come into consideration as it takes a long time to get your starter alive and working.

When doing a sourdough starter, I always follow the direction onKing Arthur Flourwebsite. They have great information and great recipes to help you get started playing with sourdough.

At first, if you start a starter, I use 1 cup of Whole Wheat flour + half a cup cool water.

On day 2 when I need to feed him, I discard half a cup and add 1 cup of Unbleached All-Purpose flour + ½ cup water room temp.

The unbleached flour here is important for the feeding as it contains more live culture, which is a requirement to get your starter active.

Fast forward 10 days and when your sourdough is nice and bubbly and has a sour smell, then you are ready for your first bread.

When a recipe requires an unfed starter, this means in the morning (I feed my starter in the morning) before feeding the starter, pour 1 cup or whatever the recipe requires into a measuring cup, and what is left in your mason jar, feed the starter with 1 cup flour, ½ cup water.

If your recipe requires using fed starter, then in the morning feed your starter and you can use it when nice and bubbly, around 4 to 6 hours later.

For the buns, it was unfed/discard starter, so pour before you feed the starter.

Also, if you will need a lot of discard, you should build up your starter 1 or 2 days ahead. You should always have approx. 1 cup of starter to feed at all times.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 187Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 219mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 5g

Recipe calculation was provided by Nutritionix and is an estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.

Sourdough Dinner Rolls Recipe - Noshing With the Nolands (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to sourdough bread? ›

The secret to sourdough is simple: water. The more water you add to your dough will affect how open the crumb (bigger holes and softer texture) will be once it's baked.

What happens when you use too much sourdough starter in bread? ›

And you guessed it..the more starter you use, the faster your dough will ferment - resulting in a less sour loaf. Using less starter in your recipe will help slow down the fermentation process.

What makes dinner rolls tough? ›

Avoid adding too much extra flour to the dough.

These ingredients slow down gluten development and can make the dough a little sticky. Your instinct might be to add extra flour; however, any extra flour will create a denser, tougher roll instead of the light, fluffy, soft dinner roll we want.

What is the big deal with sourdough bread? ›

1. May support gut health. Although the beneficial microbes in the starter tend to be lost during the baking process, the fibre and plant compounds, called polyphenols, become more bio-available. These act as an important fuel source for our gut microbes, which explains why sourdough is a gut-friendly choice.

What is the best flour for sourdough bread? ›

All-purpose Flour

It strikes a perfect balance of softness and structure, making it an ideal choice for various recipes. Due to its wide availability and affordability, all-purpose flour is often my top recommendation for creating and maintaining a sourdough starter.

What makes sourdough taste better? ›

The key taste compounds include salt, which is directly added to the dough, as well as acetic and lactic acid, produced during fermentation. After these experiments, they applied a technique called “unified flavor quantitation,” which was previously developed by Hofmann's team, to the sourdough bread.

What can ruin a sourdough starter? ›

Things that Will Kill A Sourdough Starter

High Temperatures - preheating your oven with your sourdough starter inside can lead to your starter's demise - but it would have to be completely baked for it to be completely unresponsive to some TLC.

Do you have to discard sourdough starter every time you feed it? ›

It would be best if you discarded some portion of your starter each time you feed it unless you want to continue to let it grow. Eventually, you need to discard the used “food” (flour and water) that's been used to sustain your starter during the last fermentation period.

Why discard half sourdough starter? ›

If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.

Why do my dinner rolls taste bland? ›

Salt adds flavor to bread. If none or too little is used in a recipe, the bread will lack the right flavor and taste "bland." If you reduce the amount of salt, try adding some dried herbs to increase the flavor. Too much yeast in bread will give bread an off-taste.

How do you know when dinner rolls are done? ›

The internal temperature of a loaf of crusty yeast bread when it is cooked to perfection should be 200 to 210 F. Soft breads and dinner rolls should be 190 to 200 F. The bread will pull away from the sides of the pan and will feel firm to the touch. The bread will sound hollow when you tap it lightly.

Why is everyone making sourdough bread in 2024? ›

For many folks, the renewed interest in sourdough is health-related. Some are going even further than baking their own bread: They're milling their own flour from whole wheat berries, too.

Is making sourdough cheaper than buying bread? ›

It's cheap.

If you buy seven-grain or sourdoughs, those could be around $4.00. Most home bakers find they can make their bread at home from anywhere between $0.40 and $1.00 per loaf!! Those are prices unheard of at a grocery store.

Can diabetics eat sourdough bread? ›

People with diabetes can eat sourdough bread or any other bread that fits into their dietary plan. That said, because sourdough has a lower glycemic index than other bread varieties, it can be a particularly good choice if you're watching your blood sugar levels.

How to get a better rise on sourdough? ›

So don't leave your dough in a warm oven, on a radiator or in sunlight. It will likely be too warm and will dry out your dough too. Instead, find a cosy spot, with no drafts, for your dough to rise. And, if your sourdough starter is struggling to get going, consider finding it a warmer spot too.

Why add honey to sourdough bread recipe? ›

You'll find I use honey in many of my recipes. I love to use it in my no-knead 100% whole wheat sourdough bread because it makes it much softer and less dense than it would be without it. Subbing it in recipes that call for sugar is not usually as simple as a one-to-one sub, though.

How to make your sourdough fluffier? ›

Step 3: Cover and let the dough rise for 10-12 hours. This is called bulk rise or bulk fermentation. Step 4: After 10-12 hours, the dough should be doubled (or even tripled) in size. Many recipes will tell you the dough is over-proofed if it triples in size but I find that it makes deliciously fluffy bread this way!

What makes sourdough bread rise more? ›

One way you can help your sourdough to rise more is by turning on the light in your oven. Preheat the oven just slightly, then turn off the heat and place the dough inside with the light on. The warmth generated by the light helps activate the yeast, which will cause it to rise faster.

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