These fan favorite sourdough dinner rolls are perfectly crusty with a soft and fluffy crumb. They are made with a no-knead dough so they're super easy, and they need just two ingredients: flour and sourdough starter.
The perfect crusty sourdough dinner rolls
These really are the perfect sourdough dinner rolls. They have a delicious crackly crust and a soft and pillowy crumb that's perfect to soak up stews and curries with! An active, bubbling sourdough starter and an overnight first rise gives these rolls amazing flavor and texture. If you don't love sourdough but want to eat it for its immense health benefits, you might like the fact that the flavor is obvious but not overwhelming.
As the baker, my favorite part of this sourdough dinner rolls recipe is that I need just two ingredients - flour and sourdough starter - and I don't need to do any kneading. At all. Just put the ingredients in a bowl, mix them up into a dough, proof overnight, shape the rolls, let them stand again for a couple of hours, and bake! Breadmaking doesn't get any easier than that.
If you have a very robust starter and you fed it a about a week ago you can use it to make these sourdough dinner rolls (I have, with good results). But using a recently fed, active sourdough starter will give you the best rolls. I fed my starter, George, who has been lounging in the refrigerator most of this summer, about eight hours before I made the dough and he bubbled up nicely in that time.
P.S. If you are looking for sourdough dinner rolls with a softer crust try this recipe.
Have been trying different sourdough recipes and this one is probably one of the easiest! No drawn-out kneading or meticulous measuring. Followed the instructions exactly, got good dough rise. Recipe makes 12 medium-large rolls that look professionally made (especially if you score them as instructed). I baked for 25 min and they were perfect. -Stephanie
Recipe card
Crusty Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups bread flour
- 1 ¼ cups warm filtered or distilled water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup active sourdough starter (made using my recipe linked here. If using sourdough with a different hydration, you will need to adjust the amount of water)*
Instructions
Make the sourdough dinner rolls dough
- Place all the ingredients in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix in the stand mixer or with your hand until a consistent dough forms. The dough can be slightly tacky but it shouldn't be wet.
- Cover the bowl with cling wrap or a tight lid and let the dough stand overnight or for 8-10 hours on the countertop, if warm, or in a cold oven with the light on.
Shape the rolls
- Punch down the risen dough and shape the dough into 12 equal-sized balls. Place the rolls 2 inches apart on a generously floured or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Dust the tops of the rolls with more flour, cover with a kitchen towel, and set aside to rise for 2 hours.
Score and bake the rolls
- Fifteen minutes before the rise is done, preheat the oven to 425℉/220℃.
- Just before putting the rolls in the oven, score the top of each roll using a sharp knife. Make the cut fast, to prevent the roll from deflating. Scoring gives the gases that form in the bread escape while baking and helps the rolls rise.
- Place the rolls in the hot oven and bake 25-28 minutes or until the rolls are a light golden-brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove the rolls from the oven and continue cooling on a rack.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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How to make sourdough dinner rolls
- Place all the ingredients in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Mix in the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment or with your hands or a ladle until a consistent dough forms. It can be slightly sticky but it shouldn't be wet.
- Cover the dough with cling wrap or a tight lid and let it stand overnight or for 8-10 hours on the countertop, if warm, or in a cold oven with the light on.
- Punch down the risen dough and shape it into 12 equal-sized balls. Use flour on your palms to roll, if the dough feels sticky.
- Place the shaped rolls two inches apart on a generously floured or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- When the rolls have risen, score the top of each roll using a sharp knife or a bread lame (an implement designed to score bread). Make the cut fast, to prevent the roll from deflating. Place the rolls in a 425 degrees Fahrenheit/220 degrees Celsius oven and bake 25-28 minutes or until the rolls are a light golden brown color. Remove from the oven and continue cooling the rolls on a wire rack.
Top tip
Score the rolls before baking! Scoring allows the gases that form in the sourdough to escape in the oven and helps the rolls rise. If you don't score the rolls the gases will find an outlet at a weak spot in the dough and cause a split there, which might not look great. Scoring ensures your sourdough dinner rolls look artisanal. For the best look, score from end to end - the rolls will puff up like little balls!
Sourdough rolls FAQ
Yes, click on the "metric" tab in the recipe box for precise weight measurements.
Yes. Bread flour will result in a fluffier crumb and a crustier crust, but if all-purpose is what you have, you can use it.
You can, but make sure it was recently fed and is strong.
Use a recently fed, bubbly sourdough starter for best results. I have sometimes had good results with using discard from a healthy starter fed no more than a week before I make the rolls. But if you want foolproof rolls I recommend using recently fed starter.
That could be due to one or all of three things: you let the first rise go on for too long, the strength of your sourdough starter and the weather conditions in your area. Make sure your starter is robust and also don't let the first rise go on and on - no longer than 10 hours. The rolls won't rise a lot after shaping, during the final rise, but they will "spring" in the oven (see my photos in the step-by-step instructions - the rolls haven't quite doubled). Finally, make sure the rolls are sitting in a warm spot. If you take care of all these elements, follow rise times, and score the rolls, rest assured the rolls will rise in the oven.
My sourdough starter uses a 1:¾ ratio of flour to water. If you use a greater proportion of water in your starter, use just 1 cup of water in the sourdough rolls recipe below and slowly trickle in more water into the dough if needed. If your starter has a lower proportion of water than mine, start with the same amount of water as the recipe but trickle in more water into the dough, a tablespoon at a time, if needed. The final dough should be slightly tacky but not wet.
This dough is slightly tacky - it will stick a bit to your fingers and the countertop - but it should not be wet. If the dough turned out very sticky, you likely used a starter with a different water-to-flour ratio. See the question above for how to tweak the dough to your specific starter.
There are two possible reasons: your sourdough starter has a different water to flour proportion, or you are working in a drier climate or at a higher altitude than I am. If your dough is not coming together, add more water a little at a time. The dough should be shaggy and very slightly tacky but not overly sticky.
I always make these rolls with bread flour so I can't say for sure, but one reader commented he has tried these rolls with ½ cup rye, ½ cup whole wheat flour and rest all-purpose flour, and they turned out nicely.
Yes, place them side-by-side in a 9 X 13 inch baking dish or a cast-iron skillet (which will give you a crustier roll). The rolls will join together as they rise and bake.
More sourdough bread recipes
Jeanne says
Great recipe and easy. Thank you for sharing. I needed something for Easter with our soup and these were perfect, and not a ton of work. My variations... I used bread flour, substituting 1/2 a cup with golden wheat. My starter had been fed 2 days prior, so I figured, good enough (it was). I set up the dough the night before, but was watching a movie. So, I let it sit for an hour in the bowl, and then did some stretch and fold every 30 minutes about 4 times. I just figured, why not? The next morning I did another, and let it sit for an hour. It had more to do with timing since there was a lot of baking happening in the morning so, I needed the keep the dough occupied. I finally shaped them, let them sit, scored them, and put in the oven. They baked up perfectly. I did some decorative cuts of top of them, so they looked really nice for our Easter table. They were worked great with the soup...very crusty. Will definitely make these again. Excellent recipe for sourdough in a hurry.
Phil says
Hi Vaishali, could you tell me ingredient measures in grams please?
Thanks, Phil
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Phil, click "metric" in recipe box for gram conversions.
Lizzy says
First time making rolls--I followed the modification for a higher water ratio starter, and the results were great! They taste like they could have come from a bread basket at my favorite restaurant. Many thanks for the recipe.
Deb says
Worked well with Einkorn AP flour. Just need to decrease liquid or increase flour amount. Otherwise, yum! Thank you! Just what hubby wanted!
Lea Sorley says
when letting the rolls rise after they are shaped, do I cover with a damp tea towel or dry towel?
Vaishali Honawar says
Just a dry towel.
Erika says
Can I refrigerate the shaped rolls after the first rise and bake the next days after the second rise?
Vaishali Honawar says
Refrigerate them right after shaping. Thaw and let the rolls rise before you bake them the next day, but be careful not to overproof or the rolls could lose their structure.
Bob says
Do you recommend adding ice cubews when baking to increase humidity?
Vaishali Honawar says
These are wonderfully crusty and don't need that, I think, but if you like a very hard crust you can place ice cubes or water in a baking pan on the lowest rung when you preheat the oven.
Linda says
Do I need to put a tray with ice to add humidity?
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi, if you want crustier rolls - these are already quite crusty - you can put ice cubes or water in a baking pan and place it on the lowest oven rack while preheating.
Anonymous says
Can I substitute bread flour for einkorn flour with wheat gluten
Deb says
That's my question. Going to experiment with Einkorn. 🤞
A Bailie says
These are so much easier to make than traditional sourdough bread- and I wanted to see if they tasted good so I could use for Thanksgiving, dinner parties etc without the extra hassles of making/cutting loaves. So glad I appointed myself the taste tester! These are the BEST rolls ever! Crusty- yet soft in the middle and so very tasty. THANK YOU for my new favorite recipe!
Doe says
Hi Vaishali
My first time making sourdough rolls. In your directions it states to rise 8-10 hours or overnight. My dough it at its 10 hour rise. I wasn't planning on making these until dinner tomorrow. Is it ok to let my dough sit or should I refrigerate it until I'm ready to use it tomorrow?
Vaishali Honawar says
You can refrigerate but next time refrigerate the dough after first proof, then thaw, shape, do second proof and bake.
Laina says
Thank you, Vaishali, for sharing this recipe.
I had a break of about 15 years from making sourdough recipes then a gift of dehydrated starter from a friend has me going again as, pretty much, a beginner.
My question is after shaping into balls can they be frozen?
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi, you can freeze unbaked bread but it's best to do it after the first rise, not after shaping. You can then let the dough thaw, shape and do the last proof.
Linda L John says
I tried these rolls for the first time, using my existing starter. They turned out great. However, they tasted like they needed more salt. They tasted a bit flat to me, compared to my normal sourdough bread recipe. Can I add more salt without affecting the rise? Also, when I scored the rolls, they didn't score well...kind of tugged at the roll more than cut through it with my scoring blade. They turned out to be darker than expected, after just 20 minutes in the oven. I love the recipe.
Vaishali says
Hi Linda, so happy you loved the rolls. You can add more salt, that's entirely up to you. Make sure you use a very sharp knife or lame to score the bread -- it should cut cleanly. A dull blade will tug at the dough.
Louise says
How much extra salt did you add the next time you made them? We agree it needs more
Vaishali says
Hi Laura, Sorry to hear. Your sourdough starter may not have been strong enough - a bubbly starter that doubled when you made the dough is ideal. Also you need eight hours for the first rise - it's likely your dough was underproofed when you shaped it into rolls.
Carolyn says
I absolutely enjoy these rolls so much. It’s the closest thing I have found to Water Brotchen using a sourdough starter that I could find.
It’s definitely a keeper.
Vaishali says
So happy to hear!
Laurie Heamon says
I cannot believe how easy and beautiful these rolls are to make!!! I made them for the first time for a luncheon and I will admit I was nervous to try a new recipe but I wanted crusty sourdough rolls and this is what I found. Thank you for this recipe, I will be making them often!!! FYI, I used the paddle attachment for my mixer not the dough hook in case anyone like me was wondering...
Vaishali says
Awesome! Thanks for the tip about the paddle attachment.
Heidi says
These are amazing! I feel like they are easier than making sourdough bread too. Made them to go with our Easter lunch and they were a hit! Just made 2 batches and will bake tomorrow. Thanks so much for the recipe!! ❤️
Vaishali says
So happy to hear you loved the rolls, Heidi.
Ido says
Looks very good. I am about to try this recipe.
Can I mix in some whole wheat flour or whole rye flour to replace part of the white flour?
Vaishali says
Yes, so long as your starter is super active. I'd replace no more than a third of the flour.