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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!
I plan to make multiple batches of theses in preparation for thanksgiving, but I’d like to bake them in an aluminum foil pan. For 12 rolls, do you have a recommendation on size of pan to use? Do you think a 9×13 would be the best size?
9″x 13″ would be perfect 🙂
I’m planning on making these for a future dinner. Can these be frozen after you’ve gone through the bulk ferment, shaping and cold ferment? Is it better to bake and freeze, and when you’re going to use them, just defrost and rewarm?
I definitely prefer to bake and freeze and then thaw and rewarm, yes 🙂 Because these have yeast, you could freeze them after they’ve been shaped and then the night before you want them, place them on the counter to thaw (covered). Once they’re all puffed up, bake as normal 🙂 xx
You are a genius! These were being made for Thanksgiving. However, we could not resist trying them now. I was going to freeze them like you discussed, but they just smelled too good. They taste divine. Thank you for developing this recipe. I will now be making another batch for Thanksgiving. I really appreciate your expertise here. Thanks again.
I love that you had to make another batch to freeze because everyone ate them 😉 This is the story of my life LOL!!! happy Thanksgiving and thank you for your review 🙂 x
I have made these many times but have never froze them. I made them today for Thanksgiving because I only have one oven. Should I break them apart and freeze them or should I leave them in the skillet shape? Should they be wrapped in parchment paper and then plastic wrap and a ziplock bag?
I would leave them in the skillet shape. Just place them in a ziplock bag to freeze 🙂 They will be fine for a few days like this in the freezer 🙂
Would it be ok to bake these on a cookie sheet? I believe mine is a 15×18. I realize the depth is different so may affect the shape, I just have about 48-54 to make. Trying to budget my time baking!
Yes you can bake on a cookie sheet, no problems 🙂
One more question…would you recommend prepping the dough, refrigerating and baking on Thanksgiving (just a 24 hour period for me) OR baking, cooling and then freeaing to reheat. I feel like that’s a lot to do since they will be eaten within 24 hours but want the option that’s the best for these rolls!
You can hold these in the fridge overnight if you want to and then bake the next day. Or you can cool, freeze and thaw. Either one is perfectly fine 🙂
Could I let the dough rest longer than 30 minutes before adding the salt and butter?
Yes you can 🙂 but just remember you’ve got commercial yeast so they will rise quickly 🙂 Keep an eye on the dough 🙂
This is my “go to” recipe for rolls and sandwich bread. It wows EVERYONE. I have a friend with a dairy allergy and this recipe works well with the vegan butter alternatives. I have a batch of vegan and traditional proofing right now. Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for helping be be a better sourdough baker.
Thank you so much for your lovely words 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving to you too xo
Can I substitute the water for buttermilk?
You could definitely use buttermilk, but this will increase the time they take to proof, just because it will further enrich the dough which slows it down 🙂
I just made a batch to go with chicken soup. It came out perfect!
Will be my go-to recipe for same day buns.
Love the skillet option too and it is just perfect for serving.
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes you have.
Very disappointed with this recipe. I followed recipe exactly and my rolls never rose. Was planning to have them with Christmas dinner today. I think my yeast never bloomed due to mixing with room temp discard in first step. This is only yeast recipe I ever used where yeast was not bloomed in warm water before adding other ingredients. Has been sitting on warming mat for hours and doing nothing. Hoping discard will ferment and I can salvage them tomorrow.
Instant yeast is best for this recipe as it doesn’t need to be bloomed in water. I’ve never had an issue with this recipe, it’s pretty much fail proof so I would check your yeast and check whether it is in date and working 🙂
Thank you for reply. I looked for a “save” last night, and found a suggestion to bloom a small batch of yeast, add 1/2 cup of flour, and re knead dough. I threw it back in my mixer for a few minutes, and all went as hoped. Refrigerated after second rise and made with dinner today. These were delicious! Will use instant or bloom yeast ahead of mixing next time. Thank you!
Absolutely delicious! I was afraid at first they were going to be dry as the dough felt dry but they turned out soft, squishy and delicious. I added honey, chopped pickled jalapeños and and a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack. Great recipe, will definitely be on rotation.
Love these rolls as they are so easy. I make them for my husbands lunches and freeze them.