These Sourdough French Onion Pull-Apart Rolls are buttery, impossibly tender, and packed with jammy caramelized onions and melty cheddar tucked in every fold. They bake up beautifully in a muffin tin, fanning open into the cutest, golden pull-apart rolls that look impressive on any table with almost no effort. They feel special enough for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but they’re also easy and comforting enough to serve with weeknight soup or steak. Every bite tastes like the best parts of French onion soup wrapped inside a soft, warm sourdough roll.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

This recipe is beginner friendly and very approachable, despite how intricate it looks! The dough is enriched but very forgiving, so it stays smooth, soft, and easy to shape without sticking and tearing. The onions are cooked down until jammy, so they blend evenly into the dough and the flavors distribute well.

The shaping method is simple and fast, yet looks impressive with zero tools. Because you bake these in a muffin tin, the rolls rise evenly and bake perfectly shaped. Prepare the dough the same-day or prep a day ahead, either way these rolls feel fancy but are secretly quick, consistent, and high reliable every time.

As an amazon affiliate, this post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a commission for qualifying purchases. I will only recommend products that I personally love and use.

Tools You’ll Need:

Stand mixer with dough hook (or strong hands!) – for mixing dough.
Bowl or straight edge container- for proofing dough.
Measuring cups and spoons- for measuring ingredients.
Digital scale– recommended for accurate measurements. I love this scale linked here.
Chopping board and knife- to chop onion.
Saucepan- to sauté’ onions.
Whisk- for mixing ingredients.
12-cup muffin tin- for baking rolls. I love this pan from USA linked here.
Rolling pin- for rolling out dough.
Bench scraper or knife- for cutting dough for rolls. I like this bench knife linked here.
Pastry brush- for the butter topping.
Digital food thermometer (optional)- helpful for checking internal temperatures. This is my go-to kitchen thermometer linked here .

Gather Your Ingredients:

Sourdough Starter– recently fed and doubled, ready to use in your rolls.
Unsalted butter – melted butter is added to the dough for a rich flavor and texture, and then brushed on top of the rolls for moisture and a golden brown finish.
All-purpose flour– I recommend AP flour over bread flour to create a more tender crumb, but you can substitute for bread flour if needed.
Water- adds moisture to the rolls.
Sour Cream- helps retain moisture for in the rolls and adds softness and flavor to the rolls.
Baking Soda- adds tenderness and balances sour cream.
Egg Yolk– adds tenderness and richness to the dough.
White Sugar – sweetens the dough and helps with that golden crust.
Sea Salt – balances sweet and sour flavors.
Onion- use a fresh white or yellow onion for the caramelized onion in the dough.
Garlic and Onion Powder- enhances flavor of the dough and butter wash.
Shredded Cheese- you can use cheddar or gruyere, this adds the best flavor and texture to the rolls.

Instructions

Step 1: Feed the Starter the Night Before

In a clean jar, mix your mother starter with the flour and water. Give it a good stir, and allow it to rest at room temperature (optimally 73-75 degrees F). I like to mark the volume in my jar with a rubber band so it’s easy to asses the rise the next morning. When the starter has doubled in size, it’s time to mix your dough.

Step 2: Caramelize the Onion

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.

While the butter is melting, peel and dice an onion finely. Add the onion to the saucepan with a pinch of salt, stirring and sautéing about 10-15 minutes. Once the onion is golden and soft, remove from the heat and allow to cool while you mix your dough.

Step 3: Mix the Dough

In a microwave-safe bowl melt your butter for the dough. In your mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl, add the sour cream, melted butter, egg yolk, water, and caramelized onions. Whisk together to cool the butter down.

Add your sourdough starter to the wet ingredients and stir.

To the wet ingredients add the flour, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and baking soda.

add the sour cream, melted butter, egg yolk, water, and caramelized onions — Add the sour cream, melted butter, egg yolk, water, and caramelized onions

Whisk in sourdough starter — Add the sour cream, melted butter, egg yolk, water, and caramelized onions

If using a stand mixer, knead the dough on low for ten minutes. If mixing by hand, knead for 2-3 minutes and the dough comes together into a smooth ball. This dough is high hydration so it’s important to work the gluten at this stage.

Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest 30 minutes, then add the shredded cheese. Knead the dough with a mixer on low for 1-2 minutes to incorporate the cheese, or perform a set of stretch and folds if kneading the dough by hand.

To perform a set of stretch and folds: simply grab the dough at the edge of the bowl and pull it up- then fold it down into the center of the bowl. Repeat this step until you’ve worked around the entire edge of the bowl, and the dough forms a ball.

Allow the dough to rest another 30 minutes covered, and perform one final set of stretch and folds.

Spray a straight edge container or bowl with cooking oil. Transfer dough to prepared bowl. Cover the dough with plastic or a damp towel.

Step 4: Bulk Fermentation

Transfer your dough to a warm spot, and allow the dough to double in size (proofing 100% in volume). Make sure you watch that this dough doesn’t overproof, it can with the high ratio of starter. I allowed my dough to proof 6 hours in the oven with the light OFF, for a warmer environment (75-80 degrees). This is a general guideline, if your dough is cooler it may take longer mainly you want it to double in size before proceeding.

Overnight Fermentation: When your dough has doubled in size, you can either transfer the dough covered with plastic or a sealed lid to the refrigerator to rest overnight, or you can continue straight to shaping the rolls. You can also shape the rolls into the pan, and cover with plastic to bake the next day.

Step 5: Shaping the Rolls

If you refrigerated your dough overnight, allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping to take the chill off. If you didn’t chill the dough, skip this step.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter for the topping in the microwave and whisk until smooth. Add the salt, onion powder, and garlic powder and whisk together. Set aside for later.

Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Flour your work surface well, and dump the dough out on the prepared work surface. Flour the top of the dough and your rolling pin.

Roll your dough out into roughly a 12×14 inch rectangle (the bottom edge being 14 inches). The dough will be about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut the large rectangle into 4 smaller rectangles as pictured below. Once you’ve formed four smaller rectangles, cut each rectangle into 3 strips lengthwise. Brush the tops with the garlic butter, and stack the three strips on top of each other.

Cut each rectangle into 3 strips lengthwise — Cut dough into 4 smaller rectangles

Cut the stacked strips into three sections. Fold each layer of the sections IN HALF, and stack the pieces folded in half together to form the roll. Transfer to one of the oiled muffin cups.

Repeat this step with each stack until you’ve formed 12 rolls and filled the muffin pan. Any left over butter reserve for later to brush on top of the rolls.

Cover the rolls loosely with oiled plastic, and allow to proof in a warm spot for about 1 1/2 hours until noticeably risen and puffy.

Rolls after proofing ready to be baked — Rolls before proofing

Step 6: Bake the Rolls

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Uncover your proofed rolls and transfer to the hot oven.

Bake rolls for 30-40 minutes and tops are golden brown. Internal temperature should be between 195 F and 200 F. Remove rolls from oven when done and transfer to a cooling rack to avoid soggy bottoms from sitting in the pan.

Gently reheat your reserved garlic butter in the microwave or on the stove until just melted. Brush tops of warm rolls with the butter, coating liberally.

Allow rolls to cool slightly, then serve fresh. Enjoy your Sourdough French Onion Pull-Apart Rolls!

Yields 12 rolls

Make-Ahead + Storage Tips:

Room Temperature- store rolls in airtight container up to 3 days. Gently reheat before serving and enjoying.

Freezing and Re-heating (Baked Rolls)- Bake rolls for 30 minutes at 350°F, cool fully, then freeze. To reheat, thaw 6 hours at room temp, bake at 350 F covered with foil for 15-20 minutes. Check internal temperature to make sure center has been heated to 195 F. Serve warm!

FAQ’S:

Can I shape these rolls in the pan and the refrigerate?

Yes! Shape the rolls and refrigerate up to 48 hours, then proceed with proofing and baking. Note that cold dough may take longer to proof.

How do I know when my rolls are fully proofed?

They should look almost larger, puffy, and spring back slowly when poked.

Can I prep the onions ahead?

Yes, up to 3 days in advance. Store cooked onions in an airtight container in refrigerator until ready to use.

Can I swap the cheese?

Yes! Use whatever cheese you love.

My dough is very soft, what should I do?

Chill the dough 20 minutes or dust lightly with flour.

If you enjoyed this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment and star review, and try more of my delicious sourdough rolls like these Sourdough Texas Roadhouse Rolls, Easy Sourdough Dinner Rolls (same-day option), or my Sourdough Brown Butter Herb Dinner Rolls!