Easy Sourdough Dinner Rolls (same-day option)
These Easy Sourdough Dinner Rolls (same-day option) check all the boxes: soft, tender texture, simple ingredients, and fast prep. And if you do want to prep ahead? You can shape and chill them overnight and bake them fresh in the morning. Make one batch or scale it up for bulk, it works every time.
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook (or strong hands!) - for mixing dough.
- Bowl or straight edge container - for proofing dough.
- medium pot - for warming milk and water.
- Whisk - for mixing.
- 9x13-inch baking pan - for baking rolls.
- Digital scale - recommended for accurate measurements and weighing your rolls.
- Bench scraper or knife - for cutting dough for rolls.
- Pastry brush (optional) - for brushing butter on rolls.
- Digital food thermometer (optional) - helpful for checking internal temperatures.
Ingredients
Feed Your Starter (night before):
- (25g) 1 Tablespoon mature sourdough starter
- (100g) 1/2 cup room temperature water
- (100g) 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Wet Ingredients:
- (200g) 1 cup active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- (200g) 3/4 cup whole milk
- (125g) 1/2 cup water
- 1 large egg
- (30g) 2 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
- (30g) 2 tbsp avocado oil
- (45g) 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted
Dry Ingredients:
- (550g) 4 1/2 cups bread or all-purpose flour
- (10g) 2 tsp fine sea salt
For Brushing:
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter melted
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.(25g) 1 Tablespoon mature sourdough starter, (100g) 1/2 cup room temperature water, (100g) 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Step 2: Heat Milk and Water
- In a medium sized pot, add your milk and water over low heat. Whisking occasionally, heat until the liquid is roughly 80 degrees. Don't overheat this mixture or you'll kill your starter when you mix the dough.(200g) 3/4 cup whole milk, (125g) 1/2 cup water
Step 3: Mix the Dough
- In a microwave-safe bowl melt your butter for the dough.
- Add the starter, egg, sugar, oil, and melted butter to the milk and water. Whisk to make a smooth mixture.(200g) 1 cup active sourdough starter, 1 large egg, (30g) 2 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar, (30g) 2 tbsp avocado oil, (45g) 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- If using a stand mixer, fit your stand mixer with kneading arm. If mixing by hand, gather your mixing bowl.
- Add the flour and salt to the bowl you're using. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.(550g) 4 1/2 cups bread or all-purpose flour, (10g) 2 tsp fine sea salt
- To use 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.
- Spray a straight edge container or bowl with cooking oil. Transfer dough to prepared bowl. Perform a few sets of stretch and folds to work dough into a ball again.
Step 4: Bulk Fermentation
- Cover the dough with plastic or a lint free cloth. If you used a stand mixer to mix the dough, perform one set of stretch and folds after 30 minutes of the dough resting.
- If you are hand mixing this dough: you'll need to work the gluten a bit more. Perform three sets of stretch and folds at 30 minute intervals at the beginning of bulk fermentation to do this.
- 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.
- After you've completed your stretch and folds, cover dough 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).
- 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.
- Bulk Baking Note: If you're making these rolls in bulk, I found that for larger batches of dough it's a good idea to perform 3 sets of stretch and folds to strengthen the gluten for optimal results even when using a mixer.
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.
- Spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Spray your work surface with cooking spray, and gently turn the dough out onto the work surface. I find cooking spray works better than flour with this process.
- Cut the dough into 12 even pieces. If you're weighing the rolls for precision, they should each weigh roughly 90-95g each.
- Shape each piece of dough by tucking the dough under itself to form a ball, then gently roll it on your work surface to shape the roll evenly.
- Repeat this step to shape all of the rolls, then transfer the shaped rolls to the prepared baking pan. Line the rolls in three rows of four. Cover the pan with plastic or a lint free cloth.
- Overnight Refrigeration: If you want to shape and wait to bake your rolls till the next day, you can cover your pan and transfer the rolls to the refrigerator overnight at this point. Proof rolls the next day as instructed below and bake as listed.
- Allow the rolls to proof until about doubled in size, about an hour and a half. Don't skip letting these proof until they're very puffy, or you will end up with a more dense roll.
- Bulk Batch Shaping: For prepping these rolls in bulk, I used these 18x13 baking sheets that are larger and have a nice lip which bake 24 rolls at a time. Shape the rolls and line the pans with parchment, then line the dough balls in 4 rows of six into the pans. Proof as the recipe directs.
Step 6: Bake the Rolls
- Preheat your oven to 375 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.
- Bulk Batch Baking: Extend the baking time about five minutes if baking rolls 24 to a pan. Make sure to temp the center rolls to ensure they're done before removing from the oven. Foil the tops of the rolls if needed to prevent burning while baking.
- BAKING NOTE: these rolls can brown quickly, cover with foil if tops are getting too done and continue baking time.
- Gently reheat your reserved butter in the microwave or on the stove until just melted. Brush tops of warm rolls with the butter, coating liberally.2 Tablespoons salted butter
- Allow rolls to cool slightly, then serve with butter.
Notes
Room Temperature- store rolls in airtight container up to 3 days.
Freezing and Re-heating (Baked Rolls)- Bake rolls for 30 minutes at 375°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.
Freezing and Baking (Unbaked Rolls)- shape rolls into your pan, and cover with plastic and foil. Transfer to the freezer. When you're ready to bake the rolls, transfer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Replace the plastic on top of the pan to avoid condensation build up. Allow the rolls to proof at room temperature after thawing, and bake as recipe directs. I only recommend freezing dough up to 7 days ahead, longer may kill the starter in the rolls and they won't rise.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!