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These soft sourdough dinner rolls are light, fluffy and slightly sweet, with a buttery golden top and pillowy pull-apart centre. They’re naturally leavened with active sourdough starter, no commercial yeast and no eggs required. They are just as perfect for a weeknight dinner as they are for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
You can make them on an overnight schedule or adjust the timing to suit your day, making them an easy way to put warm homemade sourdough rolls on the table without spending the whole day in the kitchen.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
- Soft + Fluffy – These naturally leavened dinner rolls have a pillowy, pull-apart centre with a soft golden crust. They’re slightly sweet but still versatile enough to serve with almost any meal.
- Choose Your Size – You can choose to make these sourdough dinner rolls whatever size you’d like. I find that this recipe makes around 12 rolls at 80 g (I use a scale to ensure all the dough balls are all the same size). Alternatively, you could make 18 rolls at 50 g.
- No Eggs – unlike many sourdough dinner roll recipes, this recipe doesn’t use eggs in the dough or as an egg wash on the top of the rolls. This is great if you have egg allergies.
- Flexible Schedule – Make the dough overnight, or adjust the timing to suit when you want the rolls on the table.
Ingredients
- Whole Milk – I’ve tested this recipe with whole milk and 2% and it works equally as well. You can also substitute buttermilk if you prefer.
- Water – room temperature water is best, but using warm water will get the wild yeast in your starter activated more quickly. Just be careful not to make it too warm or you’ll end up with soupy dough.
- Sugar – You can reduce the sugar if you want to but it will change the composition and flavor of the rolls. They are meant to have a slight sweetness to them.
- Salt
- All Purpose Flour – You can use bread flour for this recipe, but all purpose is better. You’ll get a softer roll as the protein content is generally lower. They will still be soft if you use bread flour, but will have a slight chew to the bite. If you want to use whole wheat flour, I recommend using this recipe for whole wheat sourdough dinner rolls.
- Sourdough Starter – You’ll need active sourdough starter to make this recipe. Feed your starter well before you plan to make these so that it’s bubbly and at peak, ready to rise your dough!
- Butter – I’ve used salted butter, melted and cooled, but as always you can use unsalted butter if you prefer.
Recipe Testing Notes
Over the years, I’ve tested this recipe multiple times, plus it’s a recipe that I make on a very regular basis for my own family. When I first started making these sourdough dinner rolls, I would mix the dough to a dry, shaggy dough and then let the dough rest for around 30 minutes before I kneaded it. I’ve tested it without this rest and there’s no noticeable difference in the texture of the rolls, so I no longer do it this way.
How To Make Sourdough Dinner Rolls
I’ve used a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to create soft and fluffy dinner rolls, but you can absolutely knead this by hand if you prefer. These soft sourdough dinner rolls have been created using parts of my sourdough sandwich bread – it’s another soft sourdough recipe you might enjoy.
To start the recipe, you’ll need to add all of the ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer (I do like to dissolve the sugar into the milk and butter first). Knead with a dough hook until the dough is silky, slightly tacky, and pulls away from the bowl. This usually takes about 3 to 8 minutes depending on your mixer. I recommend not adding extra flour, just keep kneading until it comes together. Extra flour will alter the texture of the cooked rolls.
Once the dough has been sufficiently kneaded, cover it and let it rise at room temperature. Because this is an enriched dough containing milk, butter and sugar, it will ferment more slowly than a lean sourdough bread dough. Look for the dough to increase by around 75–100%, feel aerated and slightly domed, and jiggle gently when you move the bowl.
When you’re ready to shape the sourdough rolls, you’ll need to divide it into 12 equal pieces (a kitchen scale helps here for consistency), and gently shape into balls. I’ve chosen to make 12 rolls at 80 grams each. The smaller you make the rolls, the more you’ll get out of each batch of dough.
Create surface tension on each of the dough balls by rolling them in a circular motion on the counter top and using a cupping motion to pull the dough towards you. This surface tension helps to ensure they rise properly and helps them to maintain their shape through the proofing and baking process. Arrange them in a parchment-lined baking pan or greased dish.
For a flatter, wider roll, space them a little apart in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan (like you can see in the photo below). For taller, pull-apart rolls, use a smaller baking dish and ensure they are touching before you allow them to proof.
Once they’re shaped, it’s time to cover and set them aside for the second rise (this can take quite a while given that it’s an enriched dough). The shaped rolls should be noticeably larger, touching one another and feel light, soft and puffy. Gently press one with a fingertip. The indentation should slowly spring back rather than bouncing back immediately.
When you’re ready to bake the rolls, spray them with water, then bake at 180°C (350°F) for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. For a soft, shiny finish, brush with melted butter while still warm, then let cool slightly before serving.
You might also like to try these sourdough buttered knot rolls, sourdough discard rolls or these sourdough skillet rolls with honey thyme butter. If you prefer a burger bun, try these sourdough discard hamburger rolls.
Baking Timelines
This recipe has 100 grams of active sourdough starter – you can reduce the amount of starter if you wish to ferment the rolls overnight. The dough is an enriched dough so it will take longer to ferment than a lean dough. It’s perfectly safe to ferment them at room temperature overnight with milk in the dough. Read more about creating a sourdough baking timeline.
I’ve created 2 baking timelines for you – one for a same day bake and another for an overnight schedule. Remember the role of temperature here. You’ll need to keep the dough quite warm for the same day bake.
Overnight Timeline
| TIME | PROCESS |
|---|---|
| 1 pm | Feed your sourdough starter with a 1:1:1 ratio for a faster rise. |
| 8 pm | Mix and knead the dough. |
| 9 pm | Bulk ferment the dough at room temperature overnight (remember this is enriched dough so it will take a while to bulk ferment). |
| The Next Morning | |
| 7 am | Shape the rolls and allow them to proof for a few hours before you bake them. Remember you want them to be light and puffy. |
| 1 pm | Bake the rolls. |
Same Day Timeline
| TIME | PROCESS |
|---|---|
| The Night Before | |
| 7 pm | Feed your sourdough starter a 1:5:5 ratio so that it peaks the next morning. |
| The Next Morning | |
| 7 am | Mix and knead the dough. |
| 3 pm | Shape the rolls and allow them to proof somewhere warm. You want the rolls to be light and puffy before you bake them. |
| 5.30 pm | Bake ready for dinner. |
These timelines are a guide only. Your dough may ferment faster or slower depending on the strength of your starter and the temperature of your kitchen.
Kate’s SCHEDULING TIP
Want To Pause These Dinner Rolls Overnight?
Once the rolls are shaped, cover them and place them in the refrigerator overnight. When you’re ready to bake, take them out and allow them to finish their second rise at room temperature.
Don’t bake them straight from the fridge unless they are already fully proofed. They should feel soft, light and puffy before going into the oven. If they still feel firm or dense, give them more time. Baking under-proofed rolls can leave them gummy and heavy in the centre.
Serving Suggestions
These tender sourdough dinner rolls are perfect just on their own – seriously try not to eat them all at once! They will be the stars of your Thanksgiving table, alongside some of these other sourdough Thanksgiving recipes!
But just in case you need some inspiration, these are some of the ways that we use them in our home:
- Instead of plain butter, brush them with whipped herb butter after baking and serve with your fave Italian dish.
- Fill them with leftover Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham and a generous dollop of tomato chutney.
- Perfect accompaniment to your favorite soup.
- Serve instead of sourdough tortillas or taco shells next time you make pulled pork.
When serving them at the table, I like to place a linen cloth or tea towel into a basket, pop the buns in it and then cover them with the cloth to keep them warm. You could even place a wheat pack that’s been heated in the microwave in the bottom of the basket before placing the cloth on top. This will keep the rolls soft and warm.
How To Store + Freeze
Room Temperature – Store these sourdough dinner rolls in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. They won’t be super fresh after the first 24 hours but you can warm them a little in the microwave to freshen them up.
Freezing – These sourdough dinner rolls freeze really well. Place the cooled rolls into a ziplock bag (I prefer not to pull them apart if I’m going to freeze them). Seal the bag and place into the freezer.
When you’re ready to use the rolls, allow them to thaw on the counter in the resealable plastic bag. If you want to serve them warm, wrap the thawed rolls in aluminum foil and place into a warm oven for around 20 minutes. You can brush with melted butter just before you serve if you want to. Once warm, pull them apart.
Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Digital Scales
- Baking Pan or Dish (9" x 13")
Ingredients
- 200 g Milk, (whole milk, warm)
- 50 g Butter, (melted)
- 80 g Water
- 40 g Granulated Sugar
- 10 g Salt
- 500 g All Purpose Flour
- 100 g Sourdough Starter, (active, fed and bubbly)
Instructions
- Add the milk, melted butter, water, sugar and salt to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix the ingredients together using the whisk attachment so that the sugar and salt are dissolved and the butter is mixed through the milk.
- Now add your flour and sourdough starter to the bowl. Use your dough hook attachment to knead the dough until it becomes silky and slightly tacky. It should come away from the sides of the bowl.
- Bulk Ferment:Once the dough is sufficiently kneaded you need to let it ferment and rise. You can leave it in your stand mixer bowl for this (saves washing up) or you can transfer it to another bowl if you like. Cover the bowl with plastic or a damp dish towel and let it bulk ferment at room temperature. You want it to come to just under double.
- Once your dough has risen you need to divide it into 12 equally weighted pieces and shape into balls. This recipe will give you 12 rolls around 80 grams in weight.Arrange the dough balls onto a parchment lined pan or baking dish. They need to be just touching each other in the pan. You could also choose to bake these as individual rolls (space them further apart on a baking tray).
- Second Rise:Cover the pan with a dish towel and allow the rolls to double in size. It will generally take around 2 hours for them to double – but of course will take longer if your house is cold (ideally you want to put them some place warm).
- Baking The Rolls:Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºC)Once the oven is warm and the rolls have doubled, spray the rolls liberally with water.Place the rolls into the oven and bake for around 30 minutes. Take them out of the oven and brush immediately with melted butter (this is completely optional but it makes the sourdough dinner rolls lovely and soft).Allow them cool on a wire rack for around 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Rate and comment below!
What are your thoughts on using Milk Kefir with this recipe?
I plan to try milk kefir with this recipe in the future! This recipe was so successful with regular milk that I would not be timid to try a batch of my milk kefir.
I’ve never tried these sourdough dinner rolls with milk kefir but you definitely could try. I have made sourdough bread with whey, so similar process 🙂
Hi,
I am making these for a second time and I don’t remember the consistency of my dough the first time but this time seems very very tacky and liquidy. I added a bit more flour (2 tablespoons maybe) and it helped a little but it still looks like a puddle and not dough. I think I kneaded for nearly 10 minutes. House was around 70 maybe less. I’m in the bulk ferment stage and hoping they work for tomorrow. Any idea the issue? I had active starter, I measured with a scale.
Thank you for helping
These rolls are terrific! My gas oven must run a bit cool, and I will allow them to really puff up before baking. I am supplying 2 dozen rolls for Christmas day, and I plan to keep a couple of dozen in reserve!
Could you use latctose free whole milk?
That should work, Iris!
What size baking pan please?
When these work they are the most incredible rolls. I have now made them 6 times nothing really changed starter was happy and fed. So I’m not sure what happens when the dough just doesn’t pull itself together, won’t rise and come out like bricks. 4 out 6 attempts aren’t bad odds but sucks especially with Grocery prices going up I don’t want to waste the butter. milk or flour.
I made a loaf of bread and rolls out of this and they were beautiful! I uses half and half instead of milk and honey instead of sugar. I couldn’t believe how gorgeous and soft the bread was!
YAY! Thank you so much for your review! I LOVE that you love this recipe! Enjoy your delicious rolls 🙂 xo
Do these yummy sourdough rolls freeze well?
Absolutely they do 🙂 There are instructions for freezing the rolls in the post above 🙂
Oh my! I made these rolls last week. Perfection!
Yesterday I mixed the dough and after kneading I put it in the fridge overnight.
I took it out this morning and cut the dough in half. Shaped into two baguettes. Left it to rise several hours. Baked on an open baking sheet at 350F for about 40 minutes. Beautiful, soft, and slightly crispy crust since I didn’t rub with butter after.
These were so good! I will definitely be making these for Thanksgiving this year! My only mistake was I should’ve used a different pan. I used a non stick dark 9×13 pan and the bottom got too dark and crispy. They still tasted great though!
I love this recipe and have been making it for several years! I had a friend reach out for me to send a link to my favorite sourdough dinner roll recipe. I sent her this one…but it is different than it was. I LOVED putting the rolls into a cold oven, then turning it on to bake. I am curious why it was changed to pre-heating the oven?
Thank you SO much! Love the recipes on this site!
I’m so glad you love the recipe! You can of course still pop them into a cold oven, I just found that I got a better rise with a hot oven 🙂 Thank you for sharing the recipe with your friend! xo
Good to know! Thank you!
Can I double this recipe as written? Will it overwhelm my Kitchenaid? Thank you!
You can double the recipe, yes, but it would be too much for the Kitchenaid. You’d need a bigger mixer to do a double batch, or just make two single batches 🙂
Will it be too much for a professional kitchenaid? I make a double batch of bread in mine and it’s enough room so I think I should be ok. Thoughts?
I make a single batch in my tilt head KitchenAid. I don’t have a professional, but I definitely wouldn’t make a double batch in a regular KitchenAid as it will be too much dough for the machine and it climbs up the hook 🙂
I double the recipe and mix it in my kitchen aid no issues
That’s good to know, will definitely depend on the model you have. I know mine does not cope with double the mixture 🙂
Could I use bread flour instead of all purpose flour?
Yes absolutely you can 🙂
Could I freeze these before baking them?
You can cold ferment them in the fridge, but I don’t recommend freezing them before baking. You can freeze them after baking 🙂
Can you replace the sugar with honey ?
Yes you can 🙂
same measurements?
If I am going to bulk ferment overnight at 72 degrees, how much should I reduce the amount of starter?
At 22ºC or 72F I would use 50ºg of starter if you are going to mix the dough earlier in the evening, 100g if you’re going to mix it later 🙂
Hi, if I want to add yeast, how much would I add! I’m anxious to try this rolls for Thanksgiving but worried they won’t work out if I vary the recipe in any way. Thanks!
You could try these sourdough discard rolls instead if you like 🙂
So can I make the sourdough rolls and put them in the refrigerator before I bake them for 36 hours. Will that ruin them.
I wouldn’t cold proof them for that long, maybe 24 hours max!
Fantastic! I started a test batch a few days before Thanksgiving to get familiar with the recipe but after I baked them on Tuesday, they were so good that we are saving them for Thanksgiving. The much longer than expected fermentation and proofing times threw me off a little (a lot actually). I ended up using my proofing box for bulk fermentation, set at 78F, and still left them till about 9am the next day. They were fine. Patience pays off. Four hours to proof them. The only problem I had was that most of the rolls came “un-raveled”. These are the first rolls I have ever made that were not out of a can, so I am not sure how to form the balls so they don’t un-ravel. They were still good though with a marvelous tangy flavor. What did I miss about making the dough balls?
can i substitute honey for sugar ?
Yes you can 🙂
fabulous rolls. I served them to a bunch of foody pals at Thanksgiving, they were impressed!
Absolute best recipe ever for sd rolls! I have made this a dozen times and they are always amazing.
For the bulk fermenting – do we want it to double (like regular sourdough)? Sorry, I have searched here for answer but cannot find. Thank you so much
You want these to bulk ferment to just under double 🙂
Can I shape the rolls at night and put on counter in cool home overnight to rise
Yes you can do this 🙂
Wow! These turned out amazing and were an absolute hit at Easter Dinner!
Added a little water while kneading to get the stretchiness from the dough but only after it came together. Probably kneaded the dough for 15 min, let it rest for 30 and knead for 5 additional minutes, as I don’t own a kitchen aid!
what are the notes on using bread flour? I’m in the uk, we dont have AP flour . we have plain, self raising and bread flour.
You can use plain flour – plain flour is the same as all-purpose flour 🙂
These buns restored my confidence in my baking as I was turning out some very dry buns! really enjoying the fluffy buns and soft crust. Thank you @pantrymama!
Thank you for the insight on the recipe and using a cast iron skillet. However, I used a “faux sourdough” recipe and it turned out great. The only drawback was I had to convert to ounces. They turned out great using your way of putting them into the skillet. I have read other recipes that directed heating the skillet but that would not work for me. So, thank you for your recipe. I will be using it again to make more rolls.