These sourdough dinner rolls are easy to make, lightly sweet, packed with flavor, and naturally leavened with sourdough starter instead of baker’s yeast. I make these rolls for Thanksgiving and Christmas year after year.
Why This Recipe Works
Sourdough dinner rolls don’t need to be complicated. This recipe follows the process for making a basic sourdough bread dough with the addition of melted butter for softness and brown sugar for a touch of sweetness. Adding an egg wash to the rolls just before baking gives them a brioche-like, golden-brown top, and the process couldn’t be simpler.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Bread Flour: I use King Arthur brand of bread flour for this recipe. Any white bread flour that is around 12-13% protein will work well.
- Sourdough Starter: You’ll need a 100% hydration sourdough starter for this recipe (fed with equal parts water and flour by weight).
- Water: It’s best to use filtered tap water or bottled spring water for this bread dough.
- Melted Butter: Melted butter brings a softness and richness to these sourdough dinner rolls. Don’t worry about unsalted vs. salted butter – either will work fine.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar brings a touch of rich sweetness to these dinner rolls.
- Salt: I use Kosher salt for this recipe, but sea salt or plain table salt will work just as well.
- Egg: You’ll use one beaten egg for the egg wash on these rolls. You won’t need to use the entire egg so a small egg will be fine.
Note: Check recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and quantities.
Substitutions and Additions
- You can use white sugar instead of brown sugar in this recipe. Both will produce great sourdough dinner rolls.
- If you want to keep things vegan, replace the 54 grams of butter with 25 grams of olive oil or a neutral-tasting oil. Then, skip the egg wash before baking.
How to Make Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Ingredient Amounts
Sourdough Starter Feeding
- Sourdough Starter, leftover – 25 grams
- Bread Flour – 100 grams
- Water – 100 grams
Main Dough
- Bread Flour – 400 grams
- Sourdough Starter – 200 grams
- Water – 175 grams
- Butter, melted – 57 grams, plus a little more for brushing
- Brown Sugar – 50 grams
- Salt – 8 grams
Egg Wash
- Egg, beaten – 50 grams (1 egg)
Suggested Timeline
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 3:00 PM (Day 1) | Feeding the Sourdough Starter |
| 9:00 PM | Mixing the Dough |
| 9:10 PM | Kneading the Dough |
| 9:20 PM | The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation) |
| 7:00 AM (Day 2) | Dividing and Shaping |
| 7:30 AM | Final Proof |
| 1:00 PM | Baking |
Step-by-Step Instructions
Feeding the Sourdough Starter
- Take 25 grams of sourdough starter out of the fridge. Add 100 grams of water to the starter and stir to dissolve. Then add 100 grams of bread flour and stir the starter until you have a pancake batter-like consistency. Mark the top of the starter with a rubber band and cover the starter jar loosely with a lid. Let the starter rise for 8-12 hours or until doubled in size (I usually feed the starter in the afternoon and then mix the dough later in the evening).
Mixing the Dough
- When the starter has risen to double in size, you can begin mixing the dough. To a large mixing bowl, add the water, salt, and brown sugar. Stir to dissolve. Then add 200 grams of active sourdough starter and stir to combine with the wet ingredients. Then add 400 grams of bread flour and 57 grams of softened butter cut into cubes.
- Mix all of the ingredients together until a rough dough is formed. Tip the rough dough out of the bowl and onto a clean kitchen counter.
Kneading the Dough
- Knead the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes until all of the dry bits of dough are picked up off of the table and the dough becomes smooth and strong.
- Shape the kneaded dough into a ball and return it to the mixing bowl.
The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
- Cover the mixing bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap or an airtight lid and let the dough rise on the counter at room temperature for 8-12 hours. I usually let the dough rise overnight and I check on it in the morning.
- The next morning, the dough should be doubled in size, light, puffy, and ready to divide and shape.
Dividing and Shaping
- Divide the dough into 12 equal sized pieces (around 73 grams each by weight if you are using a scale).
- Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball by stretching and folding the dough into a ball and then rolling it on the counter with your hand. Watch my video tutorial for an example of this shaping technique.
- Place the 12 shaped dough balls into a 9″ round cake pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops of the dough balls with melted butter and cover the pan with plastic wrap. Now the rolls are ready for the final proof.
Final Proof
- Let the dough balls rise for 4-8 hours at room temperature, or until they are completely doubled in size and ready to bake.
Baking
- 30 minutes before the rolls are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Once the rolls have risen to double in size, brush the tops of the rolls with an egg wash (one beaten egg). This will give the baked dinner rolls shiny golden-brown tops.
- Bake the sourdough dinner rolls at 375°F (190°C) for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove the baked rolls from the cake pan onto a cooling rack. Let the the rolls cool for at least 30 minutes and then brush them right before serving at your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Yield: 12 Dinner Rolls
Sourdough Dinner Rolls
These sourdough dinner rolls are easy to make, lightly sweet, packed with flavor, and naturally leavened with sourdough starter instead of baker's yeast. I make these rolls for Thanksgiving and Christmas year after year.
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Additional Time
22 hours
Total Time
22 hours 40 minutes
Ingredients
Sourdough Starter Feeding
- Sourdough Starter, leftover - 25 grams
- Water - 100 grams
- Bread Flour - 100 grams
Main Dough
- Bread Flour - 400 grams
- Sourdough Starter, active - 200 grams
- Water - 175 grans
- Butter 57 grams
- Brown Sugar - 50 grams
- Salt - 8 grams
Egg Wash
- Egg, beaten - 50 grams (1 Egg)
Instructions
Feeding the Sourdough Starter
- Take 25 grams of sourdough starter out of the fridge. Add 100 grams of water to the starter and stir to dissolve. Then add 100 grams of bread flour and stir the starter until you have a pancake batter-like consistency. Mark the top of the starter with a rubber band and cover the starter jar loosely with a lid. Let the starter rise for 8-12 hours or until doubled in size (I usually feed the starter in the afternoon and then mix the dough later in the evening).
Mixing the Dough
- When the starter has risen to double in size, you can begin mixing the dough. To a large mixing bowl, add the water, salt, and brown sugar. Stir to dissolve. Then add 200 grams of active sourdough starter and stir to combine with the wet ingredients. Then add 400 grams of bread flour and 57 grams of softened butter cut into cubes.
- Mix all of the ingredients together until a rough dough is formed. Tip the rough dough out of the bowl and onto a clean kitchen counter.
Kneading
- Knead the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes until all of the dry bits of dough are picked up off of the table and the dough becomes smooth and strong.
- Shape the kneaded dough into a ball and return it to the mixing bowl.
The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
- Cover the mixing bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap or an airtight lid and let the dough rise on the counter at room temperature for 8-12 hours. I usually let the dough rise overnight and I check on it in the morning.
- The next morning, the dough should be doubled in size, light, puffy, and ready to divide and shape.
Dividing and Shaping
- Divide the dough into 12 equal sized pieces (around 73 grams each by weight if you are using a scale).
- Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball by stretching and folding the dough into a ball and then rolling it on the counter with your hand. Watch my video tutorial for an example of this shaping technique.
- Place the 12 shaped dough balls into a 9″ round cake pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops of the dough balls with melted butter and cover the pan with plastic wrap. Now the rolls are ready for the final proof.
Final Proof
- Let the dough balls rise for 4-8 hours at room temperature, or until they are completely doubled in size and ready to bake.
Baking
- 30 minutes before the rolls are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Once the rolls have risen to double in size, brush the tops of the rolls with an egg wash (one beaten egg). This will give the baked dinner rolls shiny golden-brown tops.
- Bake the sourdough dinner rolls at 375°F (190°C) for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove the baked rolls from the cake pan onto a cooling rack. - Let the the rolls cool for at least 30 minutes and then brush them right before serving at your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.