Easy Sourdough Dinner Rolls - Soft and Fluffy

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

These cute sourdough dinner rolls are super easy to make and there's 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 archives! Sourdough dinner 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 dinner 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 120g active sourdough starter, at 100% hydration. As with most of my sourdough bread 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, this should double, if not triple easily within 6 hours.  

Same day dinner rolls

I like making these dinner rolls all in one day (not including the starter feeding.) To do this, 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.

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- 3:45pm - Rise in a warm spot
• 3:45 pm- Bake the dinner rolls

Option 2 - 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

Day 2

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

The flour

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

Cornstarch - These 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 substitute it with more all-purpose flour instead.

Step by step instructions

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.

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.

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.

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.

The dough should feel lighter and puffier. In a warm spot 3 hours may be enough, but extend the ferment if it's cooler.

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 workbench and cut it into two pieces. Roll each piece into a log and cut each log into 6 pieces.

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 each ball into a lined 9x13'' baking dish

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.

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

Brush the tops of the sourdough dinner rolls with egg wash and bake until puffed and brown.

After baking brush the warm dinner roll tops with melted butter.

Serving and storing

Let the buns cool a little bit before serving.

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

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

Continue to Content

Yield: 12

Fluffy Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Print

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

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Additional Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 45 minutes

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