Soft Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Adding another sourdough recipe to my collection, and this one is perfectly timed for your Thanksgiving menu! Sourdough dinner rolls are the fancier, fermented cousin to my make-ahead dinner rolls. They have the same pillowy texture, but with an even richer flavor, thanks to the sourdough. The main difference between this recipe and my other dinner roll recipes is the lack of supplemental yeast. Instead, we’ll use wild yeast grown in active, bubbly sourdough starter. As a result, these are true sourdough rolls, and they are absolutely divine! Pair them with salisbury steak, chicken Alfredo, or pot roast for a comforting, cozy meal 🩷
A Few Things to Know:
Taste: rich, subtly sweetened and just a tiny bit of tang from the sourdough starter. Texture: Soft, fluffy, pillowy, and appropriately chewy. Using bread flour and enriching the dough are both key contributors to this texture! Time: These rolls must be prepared one day and enjoyed the next; the dough needs to sit for 5-7 hours at room temperature before it ferments in the fridge overnight, and unfortunately this isn’t negotiable. Difficulty: Beginners can make this one, but they should have some experience with proofing dough for best results. Chances are, if you already have sourdough starter on hand, you will be just fine. I am including visual cues, detailed written instructions, and additional resources throughout the post in case you need more help with this.
Ingredients
These dinner rolls are enriched with a few key ingredients for tender, flavorful results.
Honey or sugar. This enriches the dough and gives it a slightly sweet flavor. Either will work, so choose your favorite. You may need to use slightly more flour if you opt for the honey. Bread flour. I prefer the results with bread flour; the rolls are chewier and softer. All-purpose flour will absolutely work too, but the texture just isn’t quite as nice. If you choose to use all-purpose, it is an even substitute–no need to do a conversion like you would with cake flour. Egg + egg yolk. Adding an egg and extra yolk to the dough enriches it for a deep depth of flavor and tender texture. Sourdough starter. Make sure your starter is active and bubbly before you get started. Do not use sourdough discard in this recipe; I talk more about this below. If you don’t have sourdough starter on hand, you can learn how to make your own with my post on how to make sourdough starter. Or, simply make my classic dinner rolls.
SAM’S TIP: Like when making my sourdough soft pretzels (or really any bread recipe), the amount of flour needed here will vary. You may need more or less than I indicate, so start slow and add it gradually until your dough reaches the right consistency. I talk more about this below and demonstrate it in my video as well. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Just a note that the photos and instructions below are just meant to be helpful, visual guidelines to accompany the recipe card below and aren’t intended for you to try and bake from. I like to provide these photos and details because I think they’re helpful, but for the full recipe in its entirety scroll down to the recipe card.
Make the Dough
Proof + Bake
SAM’S TIP: Brush your sourdough dinner rolls with salted butter (or honey butter) after they come out of the oven for a tasty (and pretty!) finish. Stay tuned, I have more sourdough recipes coming up including a sourdough pie crust and sourdough bagels! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
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