Sourdough Rolls (No Butter or Oil Required)

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You only need 4 simple ingredients to make these easy sourdough dinner rolls at home. These pull-apart sourdough rolls are soft and buttery, golden on the outside, and perfect with a melty pat of butter. This is a core sourdough recipe to keep on rotation. Use these fresh-baked sourdough rolls to make sandwiches, accompany your favorite dinner, or with your breakfast omelet.

Even better, this dough is slowly fermented with sourdough starter which means our rolls are healthy, amazing for gut health, and rich in vitamins and minerals.

Full disclosure: I’m at constant tug-of-ware with what I like better: rolls or bread. I know, I know. Super controversial. But, iykyk. Rolls are so versatile and such a staple in my life. My favorite ways to enjoy them are at breakfast with a side of eggs, for dinner with grass-fed burgers and roasted veggies, or even for “dessert” with almond butter and honey.

If you are a bread beginner this is also a perfect recipe to start with! This dough will be super easy to work with and requires minimal effort. I’m here to guide you along with my easy 6-Step Process.

Easy Sourdough Rolls

Today, I’ll be teaching you how to make easy sourdough dinner rolls at home. I like to say sourdough dinner rolls are an elevated and upgraded version of the yeasted rolls you probably see more often. They are made with 4 simple ingredients that you definitely have in your pantry right now and are slow fermented with sourdough starter for deep nutrition and flavor.

They’re pillow-soft, golden on the outside, a little tangy, and they pull apart perfectly. Who’s ready to make sourdough dinner rolls?! Enjoy!

let’s talk nutrition.

By giving our rolls a long and slow fermentation with sourdough starter — we’re talking 24-72 hours – some really important transformations happen. Wild yeast and bacteria degrade hard-to-digest proteins and starches. Nutrients like vitamins & minerals become bioavailable. The glycemic index is lowered. Sourdough fermentation transforms our rolls into an easy-to-digest, nutrition powerhouse that supports a healthy gut microbiome.

Eek! I love sourdough.

6 Steps to Make Easy Sourdough Rolls

1. Mix & Knead the Dough
2. First Rise
3. Overnight Rise
4. Divide and Shape
5. Final (Very Short) Rise
6. Bake

Ingredients for Easy Sourdough Rolls

Here’s what you’ll need to make sourdough bagels at home.

Flour needed for soft sourdough rolls

This recipe calls for a high-protein bread flour. I used a mixture of white bread flour and whole wheat bread flour (I prefer more nutrition in my bread!). White bread flour will create a softer, fluffier texture.

• Bread Flour: A high-protein bread flour will give our rolls more structure and height. You can use white or whole wheat bread flour. King Arthur has a great bread flour that is usually widely available.
• Water: Preferably warm water is best! Warmer water helps kickstart fermentation.
• Sourdough Starter: Be sure you are using active sourdough starter (not discard).
• Sea Salt: Enhances flavor (and nutrition) by slowing fermentation.

Optional Ingredients

• Flakey Sea Salt: Sprinkle rolls with flakey sea salt after brushing them with egg wash.

Equipment Needed for Easy Sourdough Dinner Rolls

• Dough Mixer or Mixing Bowl (by hand): You can prepare the roll dough with either a mixer or by hand. Kneading the dough by hand is essential to the roll making process (and my favorite part).
• Dough Scraper: Used for dividing our dough.
• Baking Pan or Cast Iron: (for baking)
• Baking Scale: Optional, but preferred. A baking scale will be used to accurately measure ingredients and to weigh dough balls after dividing.

EASY SOURDOUGH DINNER ROLL INSTRUCTIONS

1. MIX AND KNEAD THE DOUGH

Make sure your starter has been fed and is active when you mix the dough. In a bowl or stand mixer, add flour, sourdough starter, water, honey and salt. Place the dough hook on the mixer and mix the dough on the lowest speed for 3 minutes. Or mix by hand for a couple minutes until a ball forms. Now, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for 3-4 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth.

2. FIRST RISE

Cover the bowl with a lid, plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.  Let the dough rise at room temperature for 6 – 8 hours or until it doubles in size.

3. OVERNIGHT RISE

Place your dough covered in the fridge for an overnight proof. This is where your dough will develop flavor and L.A.B bacteria will get to work enhancing the nutrition of our dough. Remember, the longer we ferment the better for us it gets!

4. DIVIDE AND SHAPE

Dump out and divide your dough into 8 pieces, you can eyeball it or weight them out on a dough scale. Shape each into a ball by pulling the corners up and over. And use your palms to round. Refer to visual.

5. FINAL (SHORT) RISE

Place your rolls on a greased baking pan or cast iron and cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 1-2 hours or until puffy to the touch.

6. BAKE

Preheat oven to 400f. Now, brush rolls with egg wash to add a golden brown color when baking. Bake rolls for 20 minutes or until golden brown on the outside.

HOW TO STORE AND FREEZE SOURDOUGH ROLLS

Once fully cooled, keep rolls covered in a plastic container on the counter for a few days. After 3 days, place them in the fridge or freezer.

To freeze: Keep them in a freezer safe container or bag. When you’re ready to eat them, you can simply pop them right into the toaster oven. Or let them thaw on the counter and toast.

How to Reheat Sourdough Rolls:

Preheat the oven to 400f and place in oven for 5 minutes. Serve warm!

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