Name: Easy Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3-3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp sea salt; 1 cup sourdough starter; 1 packet of active dry yeast; 2 eggs; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 lukewarm water; Use Either:; Egg Wash :; 1 egg; 1 tsp water; or Milk Wash:; 1 tbsp milk

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These Easy Sourdough Dinner Rolls are a great compliment to any meal with their fluffy texture and delicious sourdough flavor. The best part is you can make them the same day or do a long ferment to have them on your table.

Enjoy The Video Version

In the good ole days, Sunday dinners were a special time when family and friends gathered over an extra special meal to enjoy one another’s company. A day meant for rest, God, and fellowship. It was often a roast or whole baked chicken style meal reserved for a day when you had the extra time to spend in the kitchen.

A dessert might have been made up as well to be served after further signifying the meal was that much more special. Sunday dinners, also give me the image of a basket of warm rolls set out on a table wrapped in a napkin to keep warm. Passing them around the table making sure all the guests had received at least one.

Dinner rolls add a bit extra to a meal almost the same way serving a dessert after one does. You know the meal is special when anyone had gone the extra mile to prepare these items. These sourdough dinner rolls might have been a recipe often used for occasions such as this. I find myself trying my best to keep a Sunday dinner alive in the way that I serve something a little out of the ordinary and at times include that all-important dessert.

These sourdough dinner rolls often make an appearance too as I keep my sourdough starter bubbling away on my countertop almost daily. Making things like pancakes during the week, and our weekly bread loaf. And of course, these sourdough dinner rolls for Sunday dinner.

Why I Love This Recipe

Although for this recipe I have made the addition of active yeast alongside the sourdough starter just for those days you didn’t plan to make them. In this way, you can have a quick sourdough dinner roll and if you did plan, you can just leave the active yeast out altogether.

Then allow your sourdough dinner roll dough to rise on the countertop overnight as you would anything else made with your starter. It’s completely up to you. I love the flexibility of being able to long ferment or not and still have a homemade delicious dinner roll for my Sunday dinner table.

What You Will Need To Make Them

3-3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 cup fed sourdough starter

1 packet or 2 1/4 tsp of fast active yeast

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1 tbsp sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp sea salt

To Brush Rolls Before Baking

Use Either:

Milk wash: 1 tbsp milk

Egg wash:

1 egg

1 tsp water

Directions

Begin by adding the sugar and warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast into the bowl and allow it to sit for 3 minutes.

After the 3 minutes, it’s time to add the eggs, starter, olive oil, and salt. Once combined add the flour to the bowl and mix until dough forms. Start with 3 cups of flour and add more if needed. The dough should be slightly sticky but not overly so.

Place a dough hook on and knead for 6 minutes or until the dough feels soft and supple to the touch. Place the dough into a greased bowl for about an hour or until it has doubled in size. If you have a cold kitchen this may take an extra hour or so. So keep that in mind.

When the dough is ready, flour a surface. Flatten the dough and cut it into 12 pieces. Roll each piece in your hand to form round shapes. Place each dough round into a greased baking dish. Cover with a tea towel and allow them to do a second rise for another hour.

a woman placing dinner rolls into a cast iron skillet

The rolls are ready to be baked when doubled. When ready, heat oven to 350℉.

Brush the tops with eggs wash or milk wash. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the rolls have slightly golden tops.

brushed easy sourdough dinner rolls in a cast iron skillet

Serve warm.

easy sourdough dinner rolls in a cast iron skillets

To Long Ferment

This is for a quicker dinner roll, if you would like to make a long-fermented sourdough dinner roll you can simply allow the dough to sit overnight. When doing so omit the active yeast altogether. Use a fed sourdough starter when making this recipe to ensure the dough rises properly. Follow the directions after the dough has sat overnight to shape and bake the sourdough dinner rolls.

Baking Notes

This is for a quicker dinner roll, if you would like to make a fermented sourdough dinner roll you can simply allow the dough to sit overnight and omit the active yeast altogether.
I like to use a cast iron skillet to bake mine but you can use a baking dish or baking sheet just the same.
These sourdough dinner rolls make a delicious dinner roll made up as a side but also work well as little sandwich rolls for quick lunches.

Benefits Of Sourdough

Of course, we love the taste but sourdough is a healthier alternative to eating regular bread such as white or wheat loaves. The lower phytate levels in sourdough make for an easier-to-digest food and result in a better more nutritious bread.

It is a good alternative for those who are sensitive to gluten as sourdough is a fermented food that has a bacteria-to-yeast composition that works on breaking down the starches found in the grain before it’s even eaten. Sourdough is also known as a prebiotic food that simply put, will help keep your gut bacteria healthy.

FAQ

Why the addition of active yeast?

You don’t have to use the active yeast if you are able to plan your dinner rolls ahead of time. Simply skip adding it and allow the sourdough dinner roll dough to rise overnight so that it has had enough time to rise properly for use. I added the active yeast into this recipe for days you didn’t plan ahead and would still like to serve a delicious sourdough dinner roll. This happens to me quite often.

Can I leave out the sugar in this recipe?

Yes, I often leave it out myself. For this recipe, I wanted it to be a traditional dinner roll except one that is made with the use of a sourdough starter. Traditional dinner rolls often have a bit of a sweetness added to them. You can even add a tbsp of honey instead if you would like to sweeten your dough without the use of sugar.

What is a “fed” starter?

A “fed” starter simply refers to the starter being active which involves removing it from the fridge and feeding it with equal parts water/flour. Then allow it to sit out on the countertop for a minimum of 4 hours so that it can become active. You will know your starter is ready for use when you see it is nice and bubbly.

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Yield: 12 rolls