Julie Clark
Updated:
Sourdough Rolls
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Discover the magic of quick sourdough rolls with our top-rated sourdough discard rolls recipe. Bake golden brown, fluffy dinner rolls that’ll become your go-to every time.
Many sourdough enthusiasts often wonder what to do with their discard, but our solution is both delicious and straightforward. This Sourdough Rolls Recipe guarantees a tangy twist to traditional dinner rolls. Fluffy and tender, the rolls rise tall! Use bread flour for sturdier, more chewy roll and all-purpose flour for softer rolls.
What home bakers are saying:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Joan says, “Your search is over….this the THE recipe for buns! You make me look good Lizzy! I get so many compliments on these buns. Sometimes I add a little more sugar. Depends on what they’re getting used for. Have made them like a dinner roll (in a 9×13) or more separate like sourdough discard hamburger buns. They ALWAYS get devoured or people ask to take them home. Thank you so much for this staple recipe in our house.”
This is one of our most popular Christmas and Thanksgiving recipes with readers, along with our sourdough discard cinnamon rolls!
Make sourdough rolls in record time.
I’ve been testing and working with sourdough for over 10 years, however in 2020, I finally had a healthy starter and continued success in making artisan sourdough breads.
When I was still learning, I ended up with a lot of sourdough discard. And if there’s one thing I learned, sourdough discard recipes are just as good as active sourdough recipes. You can that old-fashioned sourdough flavor in no time at all, like this whole wheat sourdough bread and our sourdough discard scones.
And that’s where this soft sourdough dinner rolls recipe comes in. They’ll be ready in about 90 minutes, most of which is hands off rise time. They use commercial yeast along with the starter to speed up the process.
Need some starter? We’ve got a complete guide on how to make sourdough starter.
Enjoy! -Julie
Ingredients
A few notes:
- Sourdough starter discard. This is a lazy sourdough which means you do not have to use bubbly sourdough starter in this recipe. Use the discard. The yeast will help it rise.
- Flour. I choose bread flour when making breads and dinner rolls so that they are sturdy and have a little bit of chewiness to them.
- Yeast. An instant yeast is easy to use, but active dry yeast works well. Read our guide to yeast types, and how to make dough rise faster.
- We normally use granulated sugar in this recipe, but we’ve also used coconut sugar and honey. Choose whichever you’d like.
Before you begin: Tips for Making Sourdough Rolls
This is one of the easiest yeast bread recipes I make. Use a stand mixer to mix and knead yeast dough with a dough hook attachment, but knead the dough by hand if you don’t have one. Or if you’re lucky and have a bread machine, knead the dough using the “dough” setting. That is the easiest yet.
Here are a few tips before you begin:
- Be sure that your water isn’t too hot when you add the yeast. It should be around 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Use eggs that are at room temperature so it doesn’t affect the yeast.
- Also make sure your sourdough starter is at room temperature, not straight from the fridge.
- These rolls rise twice, but the second rise is only about 15 minutes while the oven is preheating for baking.
- Add the flour slowly! The exact amount you need will depend on everything from the sourdough starter to the temperature/humidity outside. If you add too much, your rolls will be dry.
- Brush the top of the rolls with an egg wash for shiny golden brown domes. Read our complete guide to bread washes to choose your favorite look. If you don’t want a golden brown crust, leave this off.
Sourdough Rolls
Follow these hints for the softest, fluffiest Sourdough Rolls. This easy homemade dinner roll recipe gets its flavor from sourdough discard.
Servings 12
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rise Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water 110-115ºF
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 package instant yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup sourdough starter discard (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3-4 cups all-purpose flour (slightly adjust this based on differing starters)
Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour in the warm water and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes. ½ cup warm water, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 package instant yeast
- Add the eggs, oil, starter and salt. Mix on low speed until combined. Note: You do not need an active sourdough starter. It can be sourdough discard. 2 large eggs, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 cup sourdough starter discard, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add 3 cups of flour and mix the dough using the beater blade until combined. At this point, add more flour, ¼ cup at a time. I've found that sourdough starters are often varying in consistency, sometimes thicker or thinner than other times. Add enough flour so that the bread dough feels slightly tacky. It should not feel dry, but yet shouldn't stick all over your hands. We find that 3 ½ cups of flour works great with our starter. The dough will get less sticky as you knead it, so be careful not to add too much flour at the start! 3-4 cups all-purpose flour
- Knead the dough using the dough hook on the stand mixer for about 5-7 minutes or until the dough feels smooth, springs back if you touch it and doesn't feel too sticky.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a tea towel or loosely with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place. Allow the dough to rise for 30-45 minutes or until nearly doubled.
- On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. (Or if you want smaller rolls, make 15.) Roll the dough between your hands to make a smooth ball, then place the dough balls in a greased 9×13" baking dish.
- Allow the dough to rise while the oven preheats to 375ºF.
- In a small bowl, whisk together one egg and one tablespoon of water. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash on the tops of the unbaked rolls. This gives them that shiny golden brown top. 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon water
- Bake the rolls for about 20-22 minutes. Allow the rolls to cool on a wire rack.
Video
Notes
- Use the dough setting on a bread machine to knead the dough…or kneading by hand! Just be careful not to add too much flour.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 56mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 2.1mg
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you keep dinner rolls warm?
Heat dry rice or beans in a cloth bag or kitchen towel. Do this right before serving. Take the cloth of rice or beans and place it in the bottom of the bread basket. Then line the basket with a pretty towel. Place the sourdough rolls in the basket and use any extra cloth material from the towel to cover the rolls.
How do you reheat rolls without drying them out?
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place the rolls on a baking sheet and brush them with butter (this prevents them from drying out). Warm them for 5-7 minutes (or for as long as it takes to heat them). You can also wrap the rolls in foil, then place them in the oven.
Other Sourdough Recipes
- Sourdough Bread
- Pumpkin Bread with Sourdough Discard
- Sourdough Pancakes
- Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes
- Egg Breakfast Casserole with Sourdough Bread – a great way to use leftover sourdough rolls!
- Amish Friendship Sourdough Starter
- Amish Friendship Bread Recipe
You can also make a loaf of sourdough bread with discard, sourdough pie crust, sourdough discard english muffins or sourdough pizza crust recipe.
Made these yesterday for the first time and they came out perfectly. Would recommend to anyone with leftover discard.
I kept the quantities the same but made 8 (very) generous sized rolls. I reckon 10 would make the perfect sized roll for me, but each to their own. I use a rye starter and found I needed 3.25 cups of flour. Have frozen half.
Cheers Lizzy!
Delicious rolls! They looked just like your photo and were soft and fluffy!
Absolutely amazing! I’ve been working with sourdough for a couple months, but hadn’t made rolls. These were absolutely fabulous and not as hard as I was expecting. My family and I loved them. I doubled the recipe and it worked perfectly.
I made this recipe this evening and I am completely impressed with the results! I followed the recipe as it was written. I used Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise yeast, 3.5 cups of APF and baked them for 18 minutes. They turned out just like the picture above!!! This is a terrific way to use-up sourdough discard. Thank you!!
Love this recipe. I’m always trying to find good recipes for sourdough discard. Will definitely make them again. I made 1 & 1/2 recipe because I was feeding a large group. Turned out perfectly!
omg these are the best rolls I have ever tasted, super easy to make and delicious!
Made these today, they are delicious!!! I used only 5g of yeast (a packet has 9g) and used my starter that I had fed earlier. The roll rose a lot, but I actually liked it big, husband is planning on making sandwiches! The texture is superb, next time I will add more salt, I like them with a little more salty taste. I baked it for 15 min and then covered with foil and bake it another 10min. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!
Made these for Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I followed it to the letter and the rolls came out like the ones my husband remembered from his childhood.
I followed the recipe exactly except used a different instant yeast. They were 12 HUGE rolls, super fluffy, and delicious. I might roll them smaller and just make more next time, but other than that I won’t change a thing. Great, quick recipe!
I have just used my last yeast packet and only have rapid rise yeast. Am I able to use that and if so would the rise time change? The store is out of regular yeast (naturally at Thanksgiving). Thank you for any help you can provide.
How would you reheat these for dinner if you make them in the morning?
Hi. Can you make ahead, keep in fridge and cook in 2 days…like for Thanksgiving??
Made these today and they turned out beautifully! I used 3 1/2 cups of flour and that was perfect. I made them into 15 rolls which came out to roughly 67 grams of dough for each one. These are going to be perfect for meatballs sliders. The recipe was easy to follow and quick with just 1.5 hours of total rising time. I can start the recipe mid-afternoon and have it ready in time for dinner. Highly recommend this recipe! Thank you!
Hi I just made these rolls a couple weeks ago. The texture was amazing they came out so soft and fluffy. However, the taste was a bit too sour. I know they are supposed to be a little sour but is there a way to make them sweeter? Could I add more sugar or add less starter? Its too late to try a different recipe because I want to make them for Thanksgiving which is only a couple days away. Thanks!
I’ve never made rolls before so I was confused about what speed to use on the mixer when kneading for seven minutes. I used low, so I’ll see when they are done.