The Best Buttery Soft Sourdough Rolls
These soft sourdough rolls are just like your favorite homemade yeast rolls, but with tangy sourdough flavor. They’re light and fluffy and perfectly chewy just like a roll should be. They’re great on their own but adding whipped honey butter is an added bonus.
Sometimes I’m a lazy baker so I love a good overnight recipe. This one tops my favorite list because the dough is easy to prepare, just give it a long rise and the next day shape, rise again and bake.
I’ll eat these rolls any day of the week, but I particularly love them with a hearty Sunday dinner of roast or stew. Something about soup and rolls is just so homey, ya know?
The Best Buttery Soft Sourdough Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, fed and bubbly
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 3/4 cups bread flour
Whipped Honey Butter
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened to room temp
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt (if needed)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional, if you want cinnamon flavor)
Instructions
- Feed sourdough, use when active and bubbly and has doubled in size
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add all ingredients
- Knead the dough for 5 minutes until the dough becomes elastic. Check to see if the dough is too sticky; you may have to add extra flour. The dough should feel lightly tacky, but shouldn't be a sticky mess.
- Grease a medium sized bowl, and place the dough in. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap.
- Allow the dough to rise overnight or 8-12 hours. The longer it rises, the more sour the dough will be. When the dough has doubled in size, it's ready to divide into rolls.
- On a floured countertop, press the dough out into a rectangle, and use a pizza cutter to divide the dough into 12-16 equal portions (depending on how large or small you want your rolls to be). Roll the dough into balls, and place in a greased 9×13 pan.
- Place the rolled dough into the pan, spaced evenly to allow for room to rise. Brush the tops with melted butter, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until doubled, around 2 hours in a warm kitchen, 70°.
- In the last 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350. When the rolls have doubled and the sides are touching, place them in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes
- Remove from oven and top with more melted butter. Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve warm with whipped honey butter.
For the Whipped Honey Butter
- Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl. Using either a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the ingredients until everything is combined and the butter is very fluffy.
- Serve over warm rolls.
Here’s how to make soft sourdough rolls
Tools you may need:
A stand mixer to knead the dough, a medium size bowl to proof the dough in, and a pan to bake the rolls in (I prefer a 9 x 13 glass baking dish).
Ingredients:
For the rolls you’ll need a bubbly, active sourdough starter, bread flour, water, sugar, salt, and butter. The whipped honey butter: butter, powdered sugar, honey, vanilla, & salt. If you want cinnamon flavor, go ahead and add that to the list.
What type of flour should I use?
For these rolls, I prefer a bread flour to give maximum chewiness to the rolls. I use White Lily Bread Flour. You can use all purpose flour and also have great results.
What goes with sourdough rolls?
Anything you like! These rolls are always a good idea. I make these as a side with dinner or lunch. Often times we eat them straight out of the pan and slathered with honey butter. They’re perfect with any soup you can dream up. I’ve also been known to use them as a sandwich roll. Cut in half, and add ham & cheese and honey mustard. They would also be great with chicken strips and topped with the honey butter (like Chick-fil-A breakfast).
Baker’s Timeline:
*It takes my starter about 4 hours to activate and be bubbly and doubled in size. Your timeline will be dependent upon how long it takes your starter to rise. This is a guideline, so adjust as necessary.*
Day 1
4 pm: I like to prepare my dough in the evening and bake the rolls the next day around lunchtime, so I’ll feed my starter around 4 pm.
8 pm, Make the dough-this one is very simple and comes together quickly with a stand mixer. Add all ingredients in the mixer bowl, led them knead for about 5 minutes. I put my dough in a glass bowl sprayed with Baker’s Joy, then cover with plastic wrap and let rest overnight.
Day 2
In the AM: I check my dough around 9 am. If it’s doubled in size, I go ahead and shape the dough into balls and put them in the pan to rise a second time. They take around 2 hours to double in a warm kitchen.
10:30, preheat my oven to 350 F.
11 AM It’s Time to Bake! These sourdough rolls take around 20-25 minutes to bake, so they’ll be done just in time for Sunday dinner with the family at noon.
Note! If you’re wanting to bake these closer to dinner time, then refrigerate the dough overnight instead of leaving it on the counter. In the morning, pull the dough from the fridge and let it continue to rise on the counter until doubled in size. From there, follow the instructions for shaping the dough into balls.
Want to bake more sourdough? These are some of my favorite recipes!
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Bread
Shop my favorite sourdough book on Amazon.
