Fluffy Sourdough Rolls
on Sep 30, 2024, Updated Nov 12, 2024
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There’s nothing quite like soft, golden sourdough rolls fresh from the oven. Perfect for dinner, these rolls are tender and flavorful, with just enough tang from the sourdough starter.
Perfect for serving alongside dinner or slathering with butter, these rolls are sure to be a hit at your next meal. Plus, they’re easy to make using your active sourdough starter, and you don’t need to be an expert baker to get fantastic results!
Table of Contents
🍞🥖 New to sourdough? Find out how to make your own sourdough starter here, find my most popular and basic bread recipe here, and search the sourdough archive here.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft and Fluffy: Thanks to the combination of melted butter and sourdough, these rolls turn out beautifully soft and have a rich, buttery flavor.
- Easy Overnight Rise: Mix up the dough the night before and let it rise overnight—perfect for busy schedules.
- Minimal Ingredients: You only need a handful of ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
- Great for Any Occasion: These sourdough rolls are versatile enough to serve with any meal, from holiday feasts to weeknight dinners.
Recipe Ingredients
- Sourdough starter
- Sugar
- Butter
- Salt — I like using fine sea salt.
- All-purpose flour
- Egg — For the egg wash.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Sourdough Rolls
Step 1: Feed your sourdough starter four to 12 hours before making your dough. When ready, combine the sourdough starter, sugar, warm water, melted butter, salt, and 2 cups of flour in a stand mixer. Knead on low speed for 8 minutes with a dough hook attachment.
Step 2: Place the dough in a greased non-metal bowl, cover it with a damp towel, beeswax wrap, or plastic wrap, and let it rise overnight (8-16 hours). The dough should be just about doubled in size.
Step 3: The next day, divide the dough into eight equal pieces, shaping each piece into a ball. Place in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish where the rolls are not touching. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, roughly 1- 4 hours.
Step 4: Beat the egg together and brush it on top of the risen rolls. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes or until they turn golden-brown.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes. It will take a little more effort, but the results are just as delicious.
Store any leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. You can also freeze them for up to a month. Reheat them in the oven to refresh the texture before serving.
Brushing the tops of the rolls with an egg wash before baking gives them a beautiful golden-brown color. If you prefer a softer finish, you can skip the egg wash and brush with butter after baking instead.
Expert Tips
- Room Temperature Affects Rising Time: If your house is cooler, it may take longer for the dough to rise. Be patient and give it the time it needs. You can even extend the rise time if necessary.
- Shaping Rolls: Creating surface tension is key for getting that perfect round shape when shaping your rolls. Roll them against a countertop that isn’t floured. The tackiness from the dough will help to form their round shape.
- Easy subs: You can swap the butter for another oil, sugar for honey, and all-purpose flour with half whole wheat flour and half bread flour.
Other Sourdough Breads To Try
These are some of my other dare-I-say amazing sourdough recipes that have become family favorites!
- No Knead Sourdough Bread {Easy Beginner’s Recipe}
- Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Sourdough Baguettes
- Sourdough Hamburger Buns
More Sourdough Recipes to Consider
Sourdough Recipes
Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Bread – A Perfect Breakfast Loaf
Sourdough Recipes
No Knead Sourdough Bread {Easy Beginner’s Recipe}
Sourdough Recipes
How to Feed a Sourdough Starter: Prepping for Perfect Loaves
Sourdough Recipes
Soft & Fluffy Sourdough Challah Bread
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Fluffy Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, (100 g)
- 1/4 cup sugar, (50 g)
- 3/4 cup warm water, (180 g)
- 1/4 cup melted butter, (60 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, (4 g)
- 2 to 2.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, (270 g)
- 1 egg, for egg wash
Instructions
- Feed your starter: 4-12 hours before making your dough, feed your sourdough starter.
- Mix the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sourdough starter, sugar, warm water, melted butter, salt, and 2 cups of the flour. Knead on low speed for 8 minutes with a dough hook attachment. The dough should be smooth and elastic. If it’s very sticky, continue to add flour a little at a time as needed. The dough should form a nice ball and hold its shape well after the kneading process. It should not be sticky or saggy.
- First rise: Place the dough in a greased non-metal bowl, cover it with a damp towel, beeswax wrap, or plastic wrap, and let it rise overnight (8-16 hours). The dough should be just about doubled in size. You can make the rise time work with your schedule.
- Shape the rolls: The next day, divide the dough into eight (or 9 if using a square pan) equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball by rolling them against the countertop.
- Second rise: Arrange the shaped rolls into a greased 9 by 13 inch baking dish where the rolls are not touching or you can also cut the dough into NINE rolls and put them into a greased 9 by 9 inch baking dish in a 3×3 pattern. The rolls in this will rise and touch a bit. Cover them with a damp towel and allow them to rise until doubled in size, roughly 1- 4 hours. This time will depend a lot on how warm your house is, the warmer it is the faster they rise.
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Egg wash and bake: Beat the egg together and brush it on top of the risen rolls. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes, or until they turn a beautiful golden-brown color.
- Final touch: If desired, brush the freshly baked rolls with melted butter for added richness. Allow them to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- My kids really like the crust of bread so I like to make 8 of these rolls in a larger pan and then they don’t touch as much and the kids get more crust. If you like less crust, put them in a square baking dish (and cut it into 9 rolls instead of 8 because that number fits in a square pan better). They will rise and touch sides more creating a softer roll with less crust. It’s up to you and it’s just a little difference I wanted to make you aware of.
- You can swap the butter for another oil if you prefer.
- You can swap the sugar for honey if you prefer.
- You can make this recipe with half whole wheat flour and half bread flour too.
If freezing the dough do you freeze them after the second rise?
No, if I’m freezing dough I freeze shaped after the first rise and then let it do the second rise after it thaws.
Have you ever frozen the rolls/dough?
Yep, the frozen dough just takes a long time to get warm and proof again but you can do it, the frozen rolls are lovely.
these were delicious! thanks Melissa!