Sourdough Dinner Rolls Recipe (2024)

This long fermented sourdough dinner rolls recipe is the perfect way to make soft, fluffy, crusty whole wheat dinner rolls without yeast.

Sourdough dinner rolls recipe

Having a quality rolls recipe on hand is useful for just about any time of the year – from summers on the patio with a hearty salad to cold winter nights with a bowl of soup. For me and my family, that means baking our favorite sourdough dinner rolls.

Keep reading to learn all about my family favorite sourdough dinner rolls recipe…

These crusty sourdough rolls are soft and chewy inside. Enjoy them alongside steaming bowls of soup with lots of grass fed butter. They’re also perfect for a healthy, from scratch Thanksgiving dinner.

Learn how to make a Nourishing Traditions sourdough starter here. Get my chicken soup recipe here, my beef soup recipe here, and my blended carrot soup recipe here. For a nutrient dense Thanksgiving, get my fermented cranberries recipe here.

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Crusty sourdough dinner rolls

For me, a quality, delicious dinner roll must have a crunchy outside to hold in all of the fluffy, delicious bread on the inside. This recipe does just that!

These ingredients were designed to make the perfect roll – you won’t regret trying them.

We like to use sourdough bread anywhere you’d use bread. Sandwiches, toast, breadcrumbs, the list is as endless as the uses for non sourdough bread.

The tangy flavor of sourdough bread goes especially well in sweeter dishes, like french toast and bread pudding.

Long fermented sourdough dinner rolls

This easy homemade dinner roll recipe lets you enjoy the benefits of sourdough in buttery soft pull apart rolls. They are made with no yeast and are long fermented overnight. This makes them more easily digestible and unlocks the nutrients in the whole grains (source).

How do you make dinner rolls from scratch without yeast?In sourdough, the activity of wild yeasts and bacteria make the dough rise naturally without the need for adding baking yeast.

Easy to digest sourdough rolls

Many people have a much easier time digesting bread and other baked goods made with sourdough rather than unfermented bread. This is because souring or fermenting actually predigests the grains.

The souring or fermenting process breaks down the grains, making them easier for our bodies to digest. Fermenting also makes certain nutrients more available for our bodies to use.

Grains contain an antinutrient called phytic acid. Phytic acid is something that seeds have to protect them, so that they have a better chance of growing into a plant.

Phytic acid is hard to digest, can be irritating to the gut, and can prevent the absorption of certain minerals. Fermenting deactivates phytic acid, so that grains are easily digested, not so irritating, and makes nutrients more available.

Tips to make the best sourdough dinner rolls

To make this homemade sourdough dinner rolls recipe, you’ll need fresh sourdough starter. What is fresh sourdough starter? It is bubbly, active sourdough starter that has been regularly fed and is rising predictably. Learn how to make a sourdough starter here.

The hands on part of this recipe is pretty minimal, but you will want to plan ahead a bit. Here’s the baking schedule I like to use for making sourdough rolls:

• Day 1 evening – Mix dough
• Day 2 morning – Shape rolls
• Day 2 afternoon – Bake rolls

The room temperature will determine how fast the rising phases go, but this baking schedule is a good, basic template to follow. The only adjustment I often make is to bake the rolls earlier on warm days, and later on cool days.

Shaping sourdough rolls is pretty simple once you get the hang of it. First, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, and gently roll each one into a ball.

Then pull the edges and gather them to one side, making a smooth top. Set the rolls down in the pan seam side down. I show exactly how to do this in the video.

How to make sourdough rolls

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup milk, yogurt, or kefir
• 1 cup active sourdough starter
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose or bread flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup soft or melted butter, plus more for topping baked rolls

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in bowl of stand mixer or large mixing bowl by hand.
2. If using a stand mixer, switch to dough hook and knead for 10 minutes. If by hand, knead in bowl.
3. Cover and let dough rise until doubled, about 8-12 hours or overnight.
4. Carefully deflate dough and divide into 16 equal pieces.
5. Shape each piece of dough into a ball, pulling edges and tucking them under the bottom to make a smooth top.
6. Place each roll seam side down in a buttered 9 x 13 glass baking pan.
7. Cover and let rolls rise until they fill the pan, about 6-8 hours.
8. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
9. Bake rolls for 25 minutes until golden brown.
10. Spread or brush butter on tops of hot rolls. Serve warm.

How long does it take to make sourdough dinner rolls?

To make delicious homemade rolls by scratch, you have to start the day before you want to bake them. Trust me though, they are worth it.

Usually I start combining ingredients the day before I plan on serving them. This allows the dough plenty of time to rise. Personally, I like to plan ahead and let my kids help with a lot of these steps. Not only do they love to help, but their tiny, strong hands are perfect for kneading!

How to store sourdough rolls

Since sourdough doesn’t mold as readily as non sourdough bread, these rolls will keep at room temperature for several days or more. For long term storage, I like to freeze them in a large plastic freezer bag.

How do you keep bread rolls warm?

You’ve just baked a batch of hot, delicious rolls, but the rest of the meal isn’t quite ready. How do you keep them warm so they’re not cool when it’s time for dinner?

Fill a cloth napkin or towel with beans or rice. Heat this up in the oven until it’s nice and hot, at 350ºF for about 20 minutes. (You can even heat this along with the rolls during part of the baking time).

Put the cloth filled with beans or rice in the bottom of the roll bowl or basket, lined with a towel. Add the rolls and keep them covered with the towel. This will help keep them nice and toasty while you complete the rest of the meal.

How do you heat up sourdough rolls without drying them out?

How do you heat up a sourdough roll? If reheating frozen rolls, let them thaw to room temperature on the counter first. Then put rolls in a 350ºF oven for about 5 minutes.

How to make sourdough starter

One of the simplest ways to make a sourdough starter is to ask a friend or family member to share a bit with you so that you can grow your own. If that isn’t an option, here is an article that breaks down just how easy it is to make your own sourdough starter:How to make a Nourishing Traditions sourdough starter.

Is sourdough bread the best bread to eat?

Many people have a much easier time digesting bread and other baked goods made with sourdough rather unfermented bread. This is because souring or fermenting actually predigests the grains.

The souring or fermenting process breaks down the grains, making them easier for our bodies to digest. Fermenting also makes certain nutrients more available for our bodies to use.

Grains contain an antinutrient called phytic acid. Phytic acid is something that seeds have to protect them, so that they have a better chance of growing into a plant.

Phytic acid is hard to digest, can be irritating to the gut, and can prevent the absorption of certain minerals. Fermenting deactivates phytic acid, so that grains are easily digested, not so irritating, and makes nutrients more available.

Does sourdough bread taste sour?

Sourdough bread and other baked goods have a mild, pleasant tangy taste. The flavor of sourdough bread goes well with sweet and savory flavors.

What makes sourdough bread taste sour? The live active yeasts and bacteria in sourdough eat the grains and produce lactic and acetic acid, which makes sourdough bakes goods have the customary sour flavor.

What can sourdough bread be used for?

We like to use sourdough bread anywhere you’d use bread. Sandwiches, toast, breadcrumbs, the list is as endless as the uses for non sourdough bread.

The tangy flavor of sourdough bread goes especially well in sweeter dishes, like french toast and bread pudding.

More sourdough recipes

How to make a Nourishing Traditions sourdough starter

Bread

Tortillas

Pasta

Pancakes

What is your favorite thing to eat with rolls?

What do you eat in them, or use for topping? Share in the comments!

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