Fluffy Sourdough Rolls Recipe

This soft sourdough rolls recipe makes the best pull-apart dinner rolls with no commercial yeast! The sourdough dinner rolls are soft and fluffy, leavened with a sourdough starter. They are baked together so they can be pulled apart in that oh-so-satisfying way.

The dough can be made and baked in one day, or cold fermented overnight.

close up of stacked dinner rolls.

Baker’s schedules

There are two schedules that could be used to make these sourdough rolls. The timing is just an example, you can change this to suit your own schedule.

Option 1

Same-day sourdough dinner rolls (not including the starter feeding overnight)

  • 9 am – Mix the dough
  • 9:20 am – 12:30 pm – Bulk ferment in a warm spot
  • 12:30 pm- Shape the dinner rolls
  • 12:45 pm- 3:45 pm – Second rise in a warm spot
  • 3:45 pm- Bake the dinner rolls

Option 2

Day 1

  • 9:am – Feed starter
  • 2:00pm – Mix dough
  • 2:20 pm- Bulk ferment in a warm spot
  • 5:30 pm- Overnight fridge proof

The next day

  • 8:30 am – Shape the dinner rolls
  • 8:45 am – 11:45 am – Second rise in a warm place
  • 11:45 am – Bake the dinner rolls

Giving the dough a cold overnight rise will increase the sour taste in the sourdough bread rolls.

stacked sourdough rolls.

The ingredients

Here are the ingredients needed for this sourdough rolls recipe. The amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

  • Active sourdough starter
  • All-purpose flour
  • Sugar (white sugar, brown sugar, honey all work)
  • Salt
  • Water
  • Whole milk
  • Butter – can be salted butter or unsalted butter
  • Egg (Just for the egg wash on the tops of the rolls. You can swap this for milk instead)

Sourdough starter

To make this sourdough roll recipe you need an active sourdough starter. If you don’t have one, here is how to make your own sourdough starter. 

If you do have one, keep feeding and discarding regularly to keep the acid content in the starter low. Too much acid can affect the structure of the bread. (Read more about common starter problems)

Same-day sourdough rolls

Any ‘discard’ starter can be saved up and used in delicious sourdough discard recipes like sourdough donutssourdough banana bread, or sourdough blueberry pancakes.

sourdough starter.

If you want to make this sourdough rolls recipe all in one day (not including the starter feeding), the starter will be fed the night before.

The amounts to feed the starter will depend on when you begin your dough. When feeding a starter overnight, you will feed it more flour and water than when feeding it during the day. This is because overnight the starter rises for a very long time so you need to slow it down a bit so it doesn’t peak and collapse before you need it.

Step-by-step instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, or a large mixing bowl add flour, sugar, and salt. Add to this the water, milk, and sourdough starter and mix into a shaggy dough.

Knead this on medium speed for around 5 minutes to bring some strength. Add in the softened butter a few cubes at a time and continue kneading for a further 5 or so minutes until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

starter being poured into bowl.
dough being mixed in a stand mixer.

Kneading by hand

Use a slap and fold kneading method to bring the dough together. This is when the dough is slapped down onto the bench and quickly pulled back up and folded over itself. Knead the dough for around 5 minutes, then work in the butter cubes.

The butter is going to make it extra sticky but the dough will have some strength already from the previous kneading. Continue slap and folding for a further 6-8 minutes. The dough won’t be smooth yet but should feel much stronger.

Bulk fermentation

Add the dough to a lightly greased large bowl, cover it and let the dough rise in a warm spot (ideally around 77°F/25°C) for 3-4 hours. Perform 1-2 sets of stretch and folds during the first hour of the fermenting time. If you have a cold kitchen, create a warm and humid spot by placing the dough into a turned-off oven alongside a bowl of boiled water. Replace the water as needed when it cools down.

The dough should feel lighter and puffier and have bulked out by around 40%. In a warm spot 3 hours may be enough (or even less time), but extend the ferment if it’s cooler. For best results, watch the dough and not the clock.

After this period, the sourdough rolls can be shaped, or the dough can be covered and placed in the fridge overnight.

Shaping sourdough rolls

Pull the dough from the bowl onto a floured work surface. If it has been refrigerated overnight, let it come to room temperature for 20 minutes first.

Use a kitchen scale to measure the weight of the whole dough, then divide this by 12 or 16. That’s how heavy each of the dough balls needs to be and using scales ensures they are all equal pieces. Cut the dough into 16, and use the scales to ensure each piece is even.

dough mounds on bench.
shaped roll.

Shape each piece into a tight ball by bringing all the edges of each dough piece into the middle, then flip it upside down so it’s seam-side facing down. Use the palms of your hands to cup the ball and spin it round and round on the bench, creating some surface tension. The dough will be sticky so use the flour you need to to ensure it doesn’t stick to you.

Place the shaped rolls into a greased 9×9 inch baking dish, or line it with parchment paper. You could also space them apart as individual rolls on a baking sheet, but they won’t be pull-apart rolls.

Leave the sourdough rolls to have their final rise, for 3-4 hours in a warm spot (around 77°F/25°C) until doubled in size. The rise time can be longer or shorter depending on the dough temperature.

Baking

Whisk together the egg and water for the egg wash.

Brush the top of the rolls with egg wash.

Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for around 25 minutes until deep golden brown.

After baking brush the warm dinner roll tops with melted butter. This melted butter creates a soft crust and gives extra flavor.

unbaked dinner rolls.
baked dinner rolls.

Serving and storing

Let the buns cool a little bit before serving. These are great rolls to serve alongside dinner, whether it be soups, pasta, or stews, or use them instead of sourdough sandwich bread.

The dinner rolls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Alternatively, they can be frozen for up to three months.

angled view of sourdough roll.

Related recipes

stacked sourdough rolls.

Fluffy Sourdough Rolls

Yield: 16
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 1 day
Total Time: 1 day 55 minutes

A recipe for soft and fluffy sourdough rolls. They're easy to make by hand and super fluffy.

Ingredients

Starter

  • 15g (3 teaspoons) unfed sourdough starter
  • 60g (7 Tablespoons) all-purpose flour
  • 60g (4 Tablespoons) water

Dough

  • 440g (3 1/2 cups**) all-purpose flour
  • 25g (2 Tablespoons) sugar
  • 9g (1 1/2 teaspoons) salt
  • 160g (2/3 cup) water
  • 120g (1/2 cup) whole milk
  • All the sourdough starter
  • 57g (4 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

For Brushing

  • 1 egg + 1 Tablespoon water
  • 28g (2 Tbsp) melted butter

Instructions

The evening before

  1. In a bowl, mix all the starter ingredients until well combined. Scoop the mixture into a clean jar covered with a loose lid and leave it to double overnight.

The following day

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, or a large mixing bowl add flour, sugar, and salt.  Add to this the water, milk, and sourdough starter and mix into a shaggy dough.
  2. Knead this on medium speed for around 5 minutes to bring some strength.
  3. Add in the softened butter a few cubes at a time and continue kneading for a further 5 or so minutes until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Kneading by hand

  1. Tip this dough onto a workbench and use a slap and fold kneading method to bring the dough together. It will be sticky but kneading it will give it strength. Knead it for 5 minutes. Slap the dough down, and fold it over. Repeat this movement quickly.
  2. Add in the cubed butter, a few cubes at a time, and knead them in. The butter is going to make it extra sticky but the dough will have some strength already from the previous kneading.
  3. Continue slap and folding for a further 6-8 minutes. The dough won't be smooth yet but should feel much stronger.

Bulk ferment

  1. Add the dough to a lightly greased large bowl, cover it and let the dough rise in a warm spot (ideally around 77°F/25°C) for 3-5 hours. Perform 1-2 sets of stretch and folds during the first hour of the fermenting time. If you have a cold kitchen, create a warm and humid spot by placing the dough into a turned-off oven alongside a bowl of boiled water. Replace the water as needed when it cools down.
  2. The dough should feel lighter and puffier and have bulked out by around 40%. In a warm spot 3 hours may be enough (or even less time), but extend the ferment if it's cooler. For best results, watch the dough and not the clock.
  3. After this period, the sourdough rolls can be shaped, or the dough can be covered and placed in the fridge overnight.

Shaping sourdough rolls

  1. Pull the dough from the bowl onto a floured work surface. If it has been refrigerated overnight, let it come to room temperature for 20 minutes first.
  2. Line a 9x9 inch pan, or similar sized one, with parchment paper.
  3. Use a kitchen scale to measure the weight of the whole dough, then divide this by 16. That's how heavy each of the dough balls needs to be and using scales ensures they are all equal pieces. Cut the dough into 16, and use the scales to ensure each piece is even.
  4. Shape each piece into a tight ball by bringing all the edges of each dough piece into the middle, then flip it upside down so it's seam-side facing down. Use the palms of your hands to cup the ball and spin it round and round on the bench, creating some surface tension. The dough will be sticky so use the flour you need to to ensure it doesn't stick to you.
  5. Place each ball into the prepared baking dish.
  6. Leave the dough balls to bulk out for 3-5 hours in a warm spot (25°C/77°F) until doubled in size. You can create a warm and humid spot by placing the dish into a turned-off oven alongside a large cup of boiled water. Replace the water if it cools down.

Baking

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F.
  2. Whisk together the egg with the water. Brush the tops of the rolls with egg wash.
  3. Bake the rolls for around 25 minutes until puffed and deep brown.
  4. After baking, brush the warm dinner roll tops with melted butter.

Notes

*If your kitchen is cold overnight, use a little more starter when feeding it : 20g (4 teaspoons) unfed starter, with 60g flour and 60g water

**The cup sizes given are for US cups. Note that these are smaller than metric cup sizes. For best results, use grams.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 136Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 24mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 4g

This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist

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4 Comments

  1. I had a question to clarify. Adding the softened butter is listed 2x in the instructions. If we used a stand mixer, are we supposed to skip the hand kneading section?

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