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These super soft sourdough discard rolls couldn’t be easier to make! With a warm place to rise, you can have them ready in just a few hours! They’re a great way to use up excess sourdough discard (although you can use active starter too if you prefer). These delicious rolls have a soft, pillowy texture, perfect for casual family dinners or the perfect Thanksgiving side!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Tried and Tested – this sourdough discard dinner rolls recipe is based on my popular sourdough discard sandwich bread recipe, which has been made thousands of times so you know this roll recipe will work first time, every time!
Pull Apart or Individual Rolls – I have chosen to shape these sourdough discard rolls into “pull apart rolls” but if you’d prefer individual rolls, you can place them further apart on a baking tray and allow them to rise.
Flavor – even though these sourdough discard rolls have a quick rise time, they aren’t lacking any flavor!
Ingredients
- Sourdough Discard – I’ve developed this recipe using 100g of sourdough discard and instant yeast to make them a quick and easy recipe, but as always you can use active sourdough starter if you prefer.
- Bread Flour – I recommend using bread flour, however you can use all purpose flour if you prefer. You might want to hold back some of the liquid, just in case. It’s easier to add it in than take it out! You can substitute whole wheat flour for some of the bread flour. You could also try this recipe for whole wheat sourdough rolls.
- Water – use warm water to speed up the rise time even further.
- Salt
- Sugar
- Butter – you’ll need softened butter for making the dough and then some melted butter to brush them with once they’re out of the oven.
- Instant Yeast – I’ve used instant yeast, but you can use active dry yeast if you prefer.
How To Make Sourdough Discard Rolls
These rolls are super simple to make. Using commercial yeast along with sourdough discard allows you to have these on the table in record time. Over the years I have made and retested this recipe so many times, I have made a few adjustments to make this recipe even faster for you to make at home.
Start by combining your sourdough discard with water, then adding the bread flour, sugar, instant yeast, flour and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer, using your dough hook to bring it together into a shaggy dough (you can even just use a spatula to bring it together at this stage). Giving it a short rest at this stage makes a big difference. This pause allows the flour to fully hydrate, which means less kneading later and a softer finished roll. After resting the dough for 10 minutes, use your dough hook to knead the dough and transform it into a silky, elastic dough that pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
While a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment makes achieving that smooth dough easier (especially when incorporating butter), you can absolutely make these by hand, just add the butter gradually as you knead to help it incorporate more easily.
Because this recipe uses instant yeast, the dough rises much faster than traditional sourdough. You’re looking for it to double in size during the first rise, then become noticeably soft and puffy after shaping.
Don’t rush this second rise because it’s the key to getting those light, fluffy rolls rather than dense ones. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap (press n seal spread with a tiny bit of olive oil is perfect for this). Place the shaped rolls in a warm spot, they should only take around 30 minutes to proof.
In the photos in this post, I’ve placed the rolls into a 12″ round cast iron skillet, but this recipe also works in a USA Pan Sheet Cake Pan measuring 9″ x 13″ or any baking dish or baking pan of that size. I always use parchment paper when using a skillet, but you don’t necessarily need it.
I like to spray the top of the dough with water before placing these sourdough discard rolls into the oven to bake. This helps to keep them soft while baking (and is much better than an egg wash in my opinion). Once baked until golden brown, brushing the tops with melted butter while they’re still warm gives them that irresistible soft finish.
Kate’s Pro Tips
Shaping Tips for Perfect Rolls
Use a digital kitchen scale to weigh out the dough into equal pieces when you’re shaping for that uniform look. Precise measurements also means the rolls will cook evenly. I use my bench scraper to cut the dough cleanly and then weigh each piece individually.
Use your hands to gently roll the each piece of dough into a tight ball on the countertop using a cupping motion. This creates tension in the top of the dough and gives you that beautiful round shape when they bake.
What To Serve With Sourdough Discard Rolls
These quick sourdough discard rolls are the perfect accompaniment to pretty much anything! They’re at home on your Thanksgiving or Christmas table, but also easy enough to whip up for a last minute side to accompany your favorite soup or saucy casserole! I love making these as a snack for my boys and pairing them with our favorite jams and spreads like spicy sweet jalapeño butter, whipped honey butter or small batch strawberry jam.
How To Store and Freeze
These sourdough discard rolls freeze really well! I have frozen them as a whole “pull apart” without breaking them into individual rolls. I’ve also frozen a few leftover rolls on their own. They have both frozen successfully wrapped in foil or simply placed into a freezer-safe bag (I love using large ziplock bags).
Allow them to come to room temperature before using. You can zap them in the microwave to make them soft again if you need to.
I don’t recommend freezing unbaked rolls. Always bake them first and allow them to cool before freezing.
Other Sourdough Rolls & Buns To Try
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can make this recipe dairy free by using vegan butter or your choice of oil (olive oil works really well). You can use the exact same weight as listed for butter in the recipe.
Yes you can omit the commercial yeast, but you will need to use active, fed sourdough starter instead of discard. You’ll need to let the dough rise for a lot longer to ensure they are soft and pillowy when you bake them. Because it’s an enriched dough, it will take quite a while to bulk ferment. If you are wanting to use active starter, try these sourdough dinner rolls.
Sourdough Discard Rolls Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Digital Scales
- Cast Iron Skillet or Baking Tray
Ingredients
- 100 g Sourdough Discard
- 250 g Water
- 500 g Bread Flour
- 10 g Salt
- 20 g Sugar
- 60 g Butter, (softened)
- 7 g Instant Yeast
- 50 g Melted Butter, (for brushing after baking)
Instructions
- I recommend using a stand mixer for this recipe, but you can knead by hand if you want to (see notes below for hand kneading).
- Add the sourdough discard, instant yeast, water, sugar, bread flour, salt and soft butter to the bowl of your stand mixer and combine until it forms a rough, shaggy dough (I generally just do this with a spatula). Leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes.
- After this short rest, use the dough hook attachment to knead the dough for around 3 to 6 minutes on low speed.You want the dough to be elastic, silky and slapping the sides of the bowl. Just keep the mixer going until you achieve this.
- Now you need to cover your dough and let your dough rise. You are using instant yeast as the leavening agent in this recipe so it will rise very quickly, particularly if your home is warm. Leave it for around an hour (it will take longer if your house is cooler). You want it to double.
- Once the dough has doubled, tip it out onto the counter top. Divide the dough into equal pieces. You'll need to use a set of scales to get them exactly weighted – or you do it by sight if you prefer. For this recipe I did 11 rolls at 86g each. If you want 12 rolls, you'd need to make them 78g.
- Shape each piece of dough into a ball and place the balls of dough into a 12" cast iron skillet or 9" x 13" baking pan.
- Now you need to let the rolls rise again. Cover them with plastic wrap (I like to use some press n seal spread with a tiny bit of olive oil) and leave them to proof for around 30 minutes to 1 hour. It's really important to make sure their soft and puffy before you bake them! The warmer your home, the faster they will proof.
- When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF.
- Spray the top of the sourdough discard rolls with water and bake them at 180ºC/350ºF for around 30 minutes or until they are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and while they're still in the skillet, use a pastry brush to brush them in melted butter. Once the butter has soaked in, remove them from the skillet and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Rate and comment below!
The best rolls I have ever made. I recently decided to concer the fact that I couldn’t make good rolls. So this recipe is so great and easy, it is explained very well. They are just so darn good.
Hi! Can you tell me what size cast iron skillet you used? Hope to try these this weekend for Father’s Day!
Thank you
All the recipes I’ve tried have been spot on. Very impressed. Just love trying something out with a confidence that it will be terrific. Thank you so much.
If I use active starter can I omit the yeast?
These were so quick and easy to make. They are delicious and a favorite recipe! (I used a cast iron pan)
Thanks for the bread machine idea! Worked great, and saved time!
Easy instructions. My family loved them!
This is a great recipe. I just dumped all the ingredinets in my bread machine on the dough setting (no frothing etc) and at the end of the dough cycle (1.5 hrs) I shaped let rise 1 hr and baked. They rose a Lot, my starter might have still been a little Alive, but it just made it better if anything.
Great recipe thank you!
What a great idea to use the bread machine. I am pressed for time today. This will help me so much.😊
Thank you for the recipe! I don’t have a stand mixer. So thank you to Jen in the comments, I will try it in my Bread machine. 😀
How big is the pan?
fantastic rolls. easy to make for dinner with few hours notice. My husband thought they were the best rolls I ever made.
Fabulous rolls, easy and very tasty, thank you for all the great recipes and tips. 🙏
Can the sour dough starter be omitted?
Perfect recipe! I used your adaption for honey oat on your discard sandwich bread recipe and they were beautiful looking rolls.
What diameter cast iron skillet did you use? And I’m assuming I would use the same size skillet if I’m making 12 rolls instead of 10.
First time making these I followed the recipe exactly and they are perfect. I thought the dough was too dry but it wasn’t. It was just that I am not familiar and I have never worked with such dry dough.
Love this recipe! Will definitely be making them often!
Fantastic recipe. I needed a bit longer rise on mine as my house was a bit cool. And I foolishly decided to bake 5 minutes longer to get some browning and over baked them, still wonderful. Won’t do that tomorrow when I bake them again. The FB Sourdough discard groups is baking up a storm of these rolls the past few weeks, we love them.
Best rolls I’ve made in awhile. Recipe is a keeper!!
Have you ever doubled this recipe? Or is it best to keep it single? I want to make a large batch of them if I can.
Thank you,
Daisy
These rolls taste fantastic so thank you. Can these be prepped and refrigerated then baked the next day. If yes, should I shape and refrigerate or shape them the day I plan to bake them. Thanks
I am wondering the same
Wondering the same!! I need to know before thanksgiving 😅
I made some the day of baking and shaped and stored in cooked in fridge. Came out perfectly both ways. I let the rise occur day of baking which took approximately 80 minutes
I made these rolls today for Thanksgiving. They came out delicious! I put my rolls in a 9×13 baking dish because my cast iron was being used for something else…I also started the dough the day before because I have to work very early.. took them out of the fridge let them get to room temperature and it worked out beautifully! Thank you for sharing!
Can you make the rolls after the first rise, then freeze individually, and store in a ziplock in the freezer? I’d love to keep a batch in the freezer,pull out small amounts, and do a final rise as needed. Do you think that will work?
Can I use bleached all purpose flour or does it have to be unbleached?
What is the best way to travel with these? I leave Tuesday for thanksgiving. Should I freeze?thanks
What size cast iron skillet do you use
Do you have to use a cast iron pan?
Can this be made without sugar
Or is it necessary since using discard?
Yes you can omit the sugar if you wish 🙂 TPM x
Hi! I want to make your Christmas tree pull apart bread using discard and someone mentioned this roll recipe. Do you think using this dough with the garlic cheese filling will work? Love all your recipes!
I accidentally used active dry yeast in stead of instant.
Do you think it’ll still turn out if I follow the instructions elsewise?
No problems, it’s still yeast and will do the same thing. TPM x
What should I do differently if I want to omit the yeast?
My rolls didn’t double in size. I used gluten free flour. Is this why?
These rolls are not designed to use gluten free flour 🙂 They have only been tested with wheat based flour 🙂
I made these before and LOVED them!! I need to bake them tonight, but I need them to serve tommorow, how would you reccommend I store them for the freshest reslults?
I’d probably pop them in the fridge after shaping and then allow them to proof right before I bake them, that way they are fresh. But if you want to bake them tonight, you’d need to wrap them in a plastic bag once cool to keep them soft.
Perfect, I add a little milk powder for myself and doubled the recipe.at 70g per roll, I made 27. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi! I want to make your Christmas tree pull apart bread using discard and someone mentioned this roll recipe. Do you think using this dough with the garlic cheese filling will work? Love all your recipes!
Yes you can definitely fill these rolls with the cheese and garlic filling 🙂 or if you just want to follow the Christmas Tree Pull Apart, just use the discard in that recipe with 7g of yeast (and shorten rising times to account for the yeast) – TPM xx
I’m excited to make these tomorrow. To double the recipe, do I double everything, including the starter? Thank you!
Grrrrrrrreat recipe! These rolls are pure perfection.
I saw someone’s comment about using their bread machine so of course I did – couldn’t not have been easier, what a beautiful dough to work with. Also used your cast iron suggestion for baking. I made and shaped the rolls, refrigerated till the next day, let them rise and then baked off.
– I am just starting the sourdough “adventure” and nice to have so many recipes for the discard. Trying your pizza dough next!
Thanks for a perfect recipe –
I am so confused. I followed to a “t” and used my skillet to cook them. They look like they have completely baked together and will not brown. They are hard on top and still whitish in color. What did I do wrong?
Very delicious abd super easy to make but I’m wondering if these can go through a cold rise in the refrigerator over night instead of same day?
Love this recipe! I wish I could post a picture of how good the rolls turned out
Can i shape these and let sit in fridge overnight before baking next day?
I noticed this recipe is the same, ingredients wise, as the discard sandwich bread. If I started out making the sandwich bread and following that recipe, meaning I mixed the ingredients in the order of that recipe instead of this one, could I switch and finish the recipe using the instructions for the rolls?
What is the best way to store these? I need to make 200 for my sister’s wedding. Her wedding is on a Saturday and I want to bake these on Thursday. Thanks so much!!
They would need to be frozen to stay fresh, they will go stale unless in the freezer 🙂