Soft Sourdough Dinner Rolls Recipe - Pull Apart

Here is a recipe for soft and fluffy sourdough dinner rolls. They're so easy to make without a mixer!

These are the fluffiest sourdough dinner rolls and they are super easy to make! There is a range of timings you can choose to make them in so it fits within your schedule!

Sourdough dinner rolls

It’s time for another addition to my sourdough recipes archives! Sourdough bread rolls had been on the to-do list for a while. They’re so soft and fluffy and baked together so they can be pulled apart in that oh-so-satisfying way.

The bread dough is one that's pretty easy to handle so it can be made by hand or in a mixer. The homemade sourdough rolls can be made in one day (not including feeding your starter the night before), or over a period of two days.

Looking for hamburger buns instead? Try these sourdough burger buns!

The sourdough starter

This recipe calls for 120 grams of active starter, at 100% hydration. As with most of my sourdough recipes, it needs to be a starter that is active and ready, and low in acid. 

It is easy to keep the acid content low in a starter if you refresh your starter regularly and use a small amount of seed starter each time you feed it.

My preferred feeding ratio is 1:2:2, which is 1 part seed starter, 2 parts flour, and 2 parts water. Measured in weight. At a room temperature around 21°C/71°F or warmer, this should double, if not triple easily within 6 hours.  

Same day dinner rolls

If you want to make the sourdough rolls all in one day (not including the starter feeding), the starter will be fed the night before. In this case, it'll be fed at a 1:3:3 or 1:4:4 ratio since it will be rising overnight.

If your kitchen is reasonably warm overnight (anything above 15°C/59°F), feed it 1:4:4 so the starter doesn't rise too quickly.

E.g 15g starter, 60g flour, 60g water. If you don't yet have your own sourdough starter, learn how to make one with this easy guide!

Baker's schedules

Here are two schedules that could be used to make these sourdough rolls

Option 1 - Same day sourdough dinner rolls (not including starter feeding)

• In the evening - Feed the starter
• 9 am - Mix the dough
• 9:20 am - 12:30 pm - Bulk ferment in a warm spot and perform 3 sets of stretch and folds
• 12:30 pm- Shape the dinner rolls
• 12:45 pm- 3:45 pm - Second rise in a warm spot
• 3:45 pm- Bake the dinner rolls

The second option - Over two days

Day 1

• 9:am - Feed starter
• 2:00pm - Mix dough
• 2:20 pm- Bulk ferment in a warm spot and perform 3 sets of stretch and folds
• 5:30 pm- Overnight fridge proof

The next day

• 8:30 am - Shape the dinner rolls
• 8:45 am - 11:45 am - Second rise in a warm place
• 11:45 am - Bake the dinner rolls

The ingredients

Here are the ingredients needed in these sourdough rolls. The amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Active sourdough starter
• 400g all-purpose flour with at least 11% protein
• Cornstarch
• Granulated sugar or soft brown sugar
• Salt
• Water
• Whole milk
• Butter can be salted butter or unsalted butter
• Egg (for the egg wash on the tops of the dough)

The flour

For this sourdough roll recipe, all-purpose flour is used, one with a protein level of around 11%. The protein amount in all-purpose flour changes depending on the brand, and so does the name of the flour.

In New Zealand flour with a protein of around 11% is a high-grade flour and flour with a protein level of 10% is called plain flour. It's best to just check the protein level rather than the name of the flour.

A white bread flour with protein of around 12% could also be used for a chewier bun.

Cornstarch - These soft sourdough dinner rolls also use a little cornstarch for softness. The gluten in the all-purpose flour is needed for structure in the bread but the cornstarch helps to soften the buns and give a tender crumb. If you don't have cornstarch, don't worry you can substitute it with more all-purpose flour instead.

Step by step instructions

In a large mixing bowl, add flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Add to this the water, milk, and sourdough starter and mix into a shaggy dough.

Tip this dough onto a work surface and use a slap and fold kneading method to bring the dough together. It will be sticky but kneading it will give it strength. Knead it for 5 minutes. This can also be done in a bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook.

There is a demonstration of the slap and fold method in my sourdough pizza dough post.

Add in the cubed butter, a few cubes at a time, and knead them in. The butter is going to make it extra sticky but the dough will have some strength already from the previous kneading. Continue slap and folding for a further 6-8 minutes. The dough won't be smooth yet but should feel much stronger.

Bulk fermentation

Add the dough to a large bowl and let the dough rest in a warm spot (ideally around 25°C/77°F) for 3-4 hours.

Perform 3-4 sets of stretch and folds during this fermenting time, one every hour. If you have a cold kitchen, you can create a warm and humid spot by placing the dough into a turned-off oven alongside a large cup of boiled water. Replace the water as needed when it cools down.

The dough should feel lighter and puffier. In a warm spot 3 hours may be enough (or even less time), but extend the ferment if it's cooler. For best results, watch the dough and not the clock.

After this period, the dough can go in the fridge overnight (cover it so it doesn't dry out), before shaping, or the sourdough dinner rolls can be shaped straight away.

Shaping sourdough rolls

Pull the dough from the bowl onto a floured work surface and cut it into two equal pieces. Take one piece of dough and roll it into a log. Cut the log into 6 even pieces using a bench scraper. Repeat with the second piece of dough.

If you're after really even dinner rolls, weigh the dough first so you can work out how big each piece should be.

Shape each piece into a tight ball by bringing all the edges of each dough piece into the middle, then flip it upside down so it's seam-side facing down. Use the palms of your hands to cup the ball and spin it round and round on the bench, creating some surface tension. The dough will be sticky so use the flour you need to to ensure it doesn't stick to you.

Place the shaped rolls into a greased 9x13'' baking dish, or line it with parchment paper. You could also space them apart as individual rolls on a baking sheet, but they won't be pull apart rolls.

Leave the sourdough rolls to have their final rise, for 3-4 hours in a warm spot (ideally around 25°C/77°F) until doubled in size. The rise time can be longer or shorter depending on the dough temperature.

You can create a warm and humid spot by placing the dish into a turned-off oven alongside a large cup of boiled water.

Baking

Whisk together the egg and water for the egg wash. Brush the top of the rolls with egg wash and bake until puffed and brown.

After baking brush the warm dinner roll tops with melted butter. This melted butter creates a soft crust and gives extra flavor.

Serving and storing

Let the buns cool a little bit before serving. These are great rolls to serve alongside dinner, whether it be soups, pasta, or stews, or use them to make sandwiches instead of sourdough sandwich bread.

The dinner rolls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Alternatively, they can be frozen for up to three months.

Related recipes

Looking for other bread recipes? Try this sourdough ciabatta or sourdough croissants!

Have you made these ? Tag me and let me know! 

Continue to Content

Fluffy Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Additional Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 45 minutes

A recipe for soft and fluffy sourdough dinner rolls. They're so easy to make without a mixer!

Print

Ingredients

Starter*

• 15g starter
• 60g all-purpose flour
• 60g water

Dough

• 400g all-purpose flour with at least 11% protein
• 20g cornstarch**
• 20g sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• 200ml water
• 50ml milk
• 120g active starter
• 60g unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed

For Brushing

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoon melted butter (for brushing)

Instructions

The evening before

1. In a bowl, mix all the starter ingredients until well-combined. Scoop the mixture into a clean jar covered with a loose lid and leave it to double overnight.

The following day

1. Mix the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add to this the water, milk, and sourdough starter and mix into a shaggy dough.
2. Tip this dough onto a workbench and use a slap and fold kneading method to bring the dough together. It will be sticky but kneading it will give it strength. Knead it for 5 minutes. Slap the dough down, and fold it over. Repeat this movement quickly.
3. Add in the cubed butter, a few cubes at a time, and knead them in. The butter is going to make it extra sticky but the dough will have some strength already from the previous kneading.
4. Continue slap and folding for a further 6-8 minutes. The dough won't be smooth yet but should feel much stronger.
5. Add the dough to a bowl and let it bulk ferment in a warm spot (ideally around 25°C/77°F) for 3-4 hours. Perform 3-4 sets of stretch and folds during this fermenting time, one every hour. You can create a warm and humid spot by placing the dough into a turned-off oven alongside a large cup of boiled water. Replace the water as needed when it cools down.
6. The dough should feel lighter and puffier. In a warm spot 3 hours may be enough, but extend the ferment if it's cooler.

Shaping sourdough rolls

1. Pull the dough from the bowl onto a floured workbench and cut it into two pieces. Roll each piece into a log and cut each log into 6 pieces so there are 12 in total.
2. If you're after really even dinner rolls, weigh the dough first so you can work out how big each piece should be.
3. Shape each piece into a tight ball by bringing all the edges of each dough piece into the middle, then flip it upside down so it's seam-side facing down. Use the palms of your hands to cup the ball and spin it round and round on the bench, creating some surface tension. The dough will be sticky so use the flour you need to to ensure it doesn't stick to you.
4. Place each ball into a lined 9x13'' baking dish
5. Leave the dough balls to bulk out for 3-4 hours in a warm spot (ideally around 25°C/77°F) until doubled in size.
6. You can create a warm and humid spot by placing the dish into a turned-off oven alongside a large cup of boiled water.

Baking

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F regular oven or 180°C/356°F fan-bake.
2. Whisk together the egg with the water. Brush the tops of the rolls with egg wash.
3. Bake the rolls for around 25 minutes until puffed and deep brown.
4. After baking, brush the warm dinner roll tops with melted butter.

Notes

* In a cooler kitchen the starter can be fed overnight at 1:3:3 (20g starter, 60g flour, 60g water).

** If you have no cornstarch it will still work without it. Just replace it with 20g all-purpose flour.

The older version of this recipe was set over two days. Here is the timeline for the two day process. For this process the starter is fed in the day at 1:2:2 (30g starter, 60g flour, 60g water ).

Day 1

• 9:am - Feed starter
• 2:00pm - Mix dough
• 2:20 pm- Bulk ferment in a warm spot and perform 3 sets of stretch and folds
• 5:30 pm- Overnight fridge proof

Day 2

• 8:30 am - Shape the dinner rolls
• 8:45 am - 11:45 am - Rise in a warm spot
• 11:45am - Bake the dinner rolls

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 223Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 320mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 7g