These Crusty Sourdough Dinner Rolls are amazing. They are perfectly crusty without being tough, and the crumb is soft and fluffy. Best of all, they are no-knead! Tear one apart to dunk into soup or stew, or use it to cradle a veggie burger. Or just slather on some vegan butter and take a bite. A vegan, soy-free and nut-free recipe.
My sourdough starter had been sitting for a while in the refrigerator because it's been crazy-busy at work these past few weeks, and I have had no time to bake bread. So when I pulled the starter out to take a look at it this week I was a little worried. It was rather dry, but otherwise looked okay.
Warm weather is a good time to get anything yeasted going, and once I'd poured some distilled water into the dry starter and gotten it back to workable consistency, I was pretty confident that the unfed starter would make some great, crusty sourdough dinner rolls.
These sourdough dinner rolls are incredibly simple: you need three ingredients, really -- salt, sourdough, and flour. And since sourdough is just flour and water, make that two ingredients. There is an overnight rise involved, so that you get amazingly flavorful rolls, but other than that you don't need to do much work or any heavy-duty kneading. Mix your ingredients, punch down the dough and shape after the first rise, and bake after the second rise. Easy peasy.
There is no need to add any yeast to this recipe. The yeast in the sourdough is quite enough, thank you. Be careful when you score the rolls after the second rise-- this is the only part of this recipe that requires some care, or you could deflate your rolls. I use a serrated knife and I've seen others use razor blades. Whatever you use, make sure it is sharp.
On to the Crusty Sourdough Dinner Rolls now. If you make them, be sure to let me know.
Looking for more vegan sourdough recipes made with a sourdough starter?
- No-knead Sourdough Bread
- The Best Sourdough Sandwich Bread, no yeast
- Vegan Sourdough Biscuits
- Vegan Sourdough English Muffins
Crusty Sourdough Dinner Rolls, No Knead, No Added Yeast
Crusty Sourdough Dinner Rolls, no-knead and no added yeast
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups bread flour
- 1 ¼ cups warm filtered or distilled water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup sourdough starter (made using my recipe-- link below. If using sourdough with a different hydration, you will need to adjust the amount of water)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until a consistent dough forms.
- Cover with cling wrap or a tight lid and let it stand overnight on the countertop, if warm, or in a cold oven with the light on.
- In the morning, punch down the dough and shape the dough into 12 equal-sized balls. Use flour on your palms to roll, if the dough feels sticky. Place the rolls 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Sprinkle some flour on top of the rolls, cover with a kitchen towel, and set aside to rise for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 425° F.
- When the rolls have risen, 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. Remove from the oven and continue cooling on a rack.
Recipe notes
Nutrition
Love these crusty sourdough rolls? Check out more vegan sourdough bread recipes on Holy Cow!
Janice
I’ve been making sourdough bread for almost two years. My husband and I have little will power and these rolls help us with portion control. These rolls are easy to make, delicious, and can be frozen. They are like personal sized sourdough loaves. They are crusty on the outside and soft on the inside with great sourdough flavor.
Kati Spencer
I’ve made this recipe several times and cannot remember if you should use discard or fed starter (levain). Making these for new parents along with dinner for them! Thanks!
Vaishali
You can use discard from a thriving starter fed no more than a week ago.
Cristine
These look amazing! I assume you use unfed starter since you did not state otherwise. and should the starter be room temperature or okay cold from the refrigerator? thank you
Rebekah
So easy and delicious! I sprayed the top with avocado oil and sprinkled everything but the bagel seasoning on them. Most of the seasonings came off when you picked them up. I’ll figure it how to keep the seasonings on. Also, next time I’ll make 16 rolls. The bigger ones didn’t stay in nice balls but the smaller ones were perfect.
Vaishali
Love that you used the bagel seasoning. Sounds delicious!
Bryan
I have a 100% hydration rye flour based starter I used to make this recipe. Its the first time I have made bread using "cups" as the measure...I had always weighed things to the gram. I noticed while the ingredients were mixing in my stand mixer that it seemed too dry. I ended up having to add more water (maybe 1/8 cup total?) to get all the flour combined into a ball. It all worked out to produce great rolls! Much easier than breaking out the big heavy cast iron dutch oven to make a single boule.
Sharon B
First time making these and very pleased with how they came out. A bit tricky working with sticky dough and they seemed flatish after the second rise. However, they puffed up beautifully in the oven.
Rebekah
I do think the amount of starter is more than needed. I doubled this recipe but kept the amount of starter at 3/4 cup (and next time will actually drop it down to 2/3 cup) and let it bulk ferment overnight and it was perfect. I do love how easy this recipe was, the dough consistency was easy to work with, the flavour is great, and it was quick to roll up the buns even with 24 of them. I’ll definitely be saving this recipe for another time!
Merber
Made these this evening. Kts hot here, so made the dough this morning and baked this evening (shaped from 7, baked at 8.45). They weren't very big and very crusty. Tasted amazing though. Much easier than doing a loaf so will definitely bake again.
Maria
Hi, Vaishali! Can seeds be added to the dough? When would you recommend doing so, when mixing everything? How much? 10% of the dough weight? I was thinking sunflower and pumpkin, would they work?
Vaishali
Hi Maria, sure, seeds would be great. Brush on some water just before putting the rolls in the oven and add the seeds.
Anne Laloge
I’m having trouble forming my rolls; they seem round but end up misshapen when baked. Any thoughts?
Vaishali
Hi Anne, perhaps there's too much moisture in the dough. You might try reducing it.
Renee
I put sesame, poppy, onion garlic and salt (everything sprinkles) on mine .. smells divine while cooking.
Eboni
I'm making the rolls for Thanksgiving dinner. And a significant portion of my family is vegan. So I am making a vegan version as well. But I want to make them the day before so I don't have to do all of this at dinner. Will these freeze well and reheat well?
Vaishali
If you are making them a day before keep in fridge and reheat.
Chay
Hi! I made the dough now but just unsure the grams to cups isn’t matching up. Which one should I do? 3 and half cups of flour and the 437 grams came out to much more then the 3 and half cups.
Vaishali
Hi Chay, I've noticed that flour from different brands can have different weights. It was a while back but I think I used King Arthur flour for this. Just proceed with 3 1/2 cups of whatever flour you're using.
Arlo
This sounds like a great recipe. Just what I need. You mention that the hydration of the starter should be that of your linked starter recipe. However, those measurements are by volume so it’s hard to determine the hydration level. What starter hydration should I use in this recipe? Thanks!
Jane
Has anyone substituted whole wheat flour for the bread flour? If so do need to change the amount?
James
I did. The rolls came out quite dense and heavy. I think I'll try 50/50 next time and see how they come out.
Paul
I do 1/4 cup rye 1/2 cup WW and the rest AP. Yum.
Hannah Pals
I don't understand the suggested timing assuming I'm making these for dinner. So I'll make the dough and let rise over night. Then if I'm to separate into balls in the morning and proof for 2hr, then I'm about 6hr ahead of my preferred baking time. Mind helping?
Deb
Make the dough early in the morning instead of the night before, then about 3 hours before dinner shape and proof the rolls.
Johanna Bott
Hi,
This is my first time making this recipe and I plan on making it for thanksgiving. We are eating at 1 PM. So my question is, will it be too long to wait and cook the Rolls at noon instead of in the morning?
Vaishali
Hi, yes don’t overproof the rolls. You can reheat them before serving.
Jeb
Or put them in the fridge to slow the rise, that works great, too. They can go in the oven cold, or if they don’t appear to have risen enough, take them out of the fridge an hour or so before baking.
Jennifer
Made these for a work chili cookoff--they were a big hit! I made 2 dozen thinking that would be plenty, and they were gone before the first hour was up. I'm thinking next year I'll have to make 4 dozen, but I'm wondering if the amount of sourdough starter can be reduced and given a longer proofing time instead? 3 cups of sourdough is quite a bit 😉 My starter is also 50% hydration, but I used AP flour so the dough hydration was just fine.
Stephanie
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.
Vaishali
Hi Stephanie, so happy you loved the recipe. Thanks for the feedback.
Salome
I tried the recipe but had to add a bit more flour the douhg was very sticky. It turned out good, but a bit too sour and not fluffy enough. Could I use less starter? Mine were pretty flat, how do they keep the nice shape. I let them rise for 6 hours, it was fairly warm. Any tips how I can improve?
Vaishali
Hi Salome, it sounds like your dough might have overproofed, which gave it the sourness and deflated the rise. Try feeding the sourdough about six to eight hours before you make the dough and don't let it rise as long if it's warm where you live.
Salome
Thank you so much, I will try that, I will watch the rise better, that helps.
BevThorn
My first batch was kind of wet and a little flat, but very flavor full, I read other comments and tips and proofed the next batch in fridge over night.they were perfect round rolls, but not as flavorful. If I have to choose, I’ll go with the flatter and more flavorful,I. The sour dough sense!
Coral
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe. It turned out great. I loved the fact it does not require kneading.
I used 420g flour of bread flour and 3/4 (approx 178g) starter.
It was a very sticky dough after the first proof, and find it slightly difficult to shape it (tired not get rid of air in the dough) I used about 1/4 cup of flour to flour the surface of the board before transferring the dough to board. Any recommendations:
1. how to shape individual rolls?
2. How to divided/ cut up into individual pieces?
3. In your instructions you mentioned rolling the dough, what exactly did you mean? Rolling it flat?
Thank you.
Vaishali
Hi, happy you loved them. The dough will be a bit sticky--that's what makes the rolls so airy, the high hydration. It is fine to add more flour to help shape the rolls. Apply some flour to your palms which should make it easier. I don't think I mentioned rolling the dough anywhere, so not clear what you are referring to.
Sharon
Same thing happened to me. After the overnight proofing like less than 8 hrs it turned into a sourdough starter like. So i cant roll as its so liquidy. Instead of rolls i transferred it into 2 loaf pan. Added dried cranberries and pine nuts. So still in the 2nd proofing. Lets see if its good later.
Leipuri
Too warm in your kitchen! These might be better if kept in the fridge overnight.
Kalena
Hi! I’m wondering if I can use this recipe to make a sandwich buns. I wanted to make individual muffulettas so I don’t want the texture of hamburger buns. Can I just split this up in to say six or eight balls versus the 12?
Vaishali
Hi Kalena, you can make sandwich buns with this recipe, and yes, make six balls. I think this would work perfectly for muffulettas.
Teri
I just made these this morning, only the second sourdough recipe I tried and OMG, they are delicious! Nice and soft and crusty and such a great sourdough flavor. I will be making these again and again! Thank you for such a great EASY recipe!
Vaishali
So happy you loved them, Terry!
Rhona
Can I substitute all purpose flour for bread flour? How will that affect the outcome?
Vaishali
Should be fine. They may not be as crusty.
Lynn
So do we use just fed starter? Are starter that was fed and is ready for the next feeding?
Jen
My rolls turned out beautiful looking, but taste like straight-up beer. I didn’t realize the starter needed to be fed before using it, oops!
Vaishali
Heheh, sourdough can work in mysterious ways, which makes it all the more fun! 🙂
Joe
Hi Vaishali. Thanks so much for this recipe. Thanksgiving was my first time trying to make sourdough dinner rolls, and of the 3 recipes I made, this recipe was the favorite. I'm planning to make them again for tomorrow's Christmas dinner. I'm drawing a blank, however. Can I use SD discard or does it need to be active starter. I'm thinking I used active last time, but now I can't remember - or does it even matter? Regarding a few of the comments above, the first time I made this recipe, I did overproof it (too many hours) and they were more disc like rather than dinner rolls. Made them the next day with shorter 1st proof and they were perfect! Thanks again.
Vaishali
Hi joe, thanks for the great tip. And best to use a strong, recently fed starter for these!
Joe
Thanks! Looking forward to another batch of these delicious rolls!
Andrew
I've had really good luck using starter discard and adding somewhere between 2t and 1T of dry yeast. Its great flavor in a pinch if the starter isn't active. Its a nice cheat to get the flavor in a faster process. This recipe has become a requested favorite and fast go-to in our house. Thank you.
One other trick is upping the hydration slightly. They are a bit harder to shape, but the crumb is spectacular. We have doubled this amazing recipe & made bread bowls for soup too!
susan
Not sure what happened but my rolls didn't rise. They rose when I left them overnight, but in a warm kitchen the next day the shaped rolls did not rise at all. I slashed the tops, perhaps too late in the rising process that didn't happen. My starter was very active and I use it a lot, so I still am perplexed and caught short here on the eve of Christmas Eve dinner trying to figure out if I serve them or not.
Vaishali
Hi Susan, there can be many causes for sourdough bread not rising. It's possible that the bread overproofed during the first rise, especially if it was very warm. Or it could be that your dough was not wet enough, depending on the starter you used. Or it could be that you didn't wait long enough--depending on the weather and the strength of your starter, rise times can differ dramatically.
Caralyn
Hey! I modified this and I mixed the dough (minus salt and about a tablespoon of water), let it rest for 20-30 mins, mix in salt and remaining water by squeezing dough together.
For the first two hours, fold dough every 20-30 mins. and then once in an hour. Check proofing stage with indent test. Then divide dough into halves, tighten into two rounds, and let sit for 45 mins, then divide into 4-6 rolls per half (8-12 total yield), and gently tighten these into rounds. Let oven preheat to 500, and put dutch oven in for 15-20 mins before rolls go in at temp. Put rolls in dutch oven, score them, and place cover on. Reduce heat immediately to 450 and cook covered for 13 mins, and then uncovered until they reach desired color (for me about 13-15 minutes.
This variation has yielded consistently beautiful rolls for me.
Sheila
Wanting to try these with my refrigerated week-old fed 1:1:1 starter. Was going to do first rise overnight but after reading through comments, may try first rise early (6am) and then second rise at 4pm. Cold DC weather but seems like so many have the experience of no Sri be rise? Stay tuned....
Melanie
I just made the dough and will bake them in the morning. I would like to keep some for Christmas morning. Do they freeze well?
Vaishali
Yes they do!
Elyssa
How did shorter time work for you?
Martha
My dough doubled over night but didn’t rise on 2 hour rest. They’re tasting and chewy but they didn’t “puff” up. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Jody
I would love to try this but can you please advise on what are the proportions used for your starter? what amount starter to water to flour please? is it 1:1:1? or 1:2:2? thanks
Dave
Tried twice... both times rolls are more disk-like than rolls. They dont seem to rise again after punch down in the am. Any tips? Shorter first rise perhaps? Great flavor but no rise! Thx
Vaishali
Hi Dave, yes, try a shorter first rise. It's possible that the dough is overproofing during the first rise. Also use a starter that's been recently fed--up to 8 hours ago.
dave
Thanks I'll try again with shorter rise... first time i let it go 12 hours or so and they were disks. 2nd time I rose first for 8 hours and they were great texture and taste but still about half round. I'll try a 4-5 hour first rise. Starter is well fed and making great 1 rise boules, maybe it's just a fast riser...
Sherri G
I have a question about your sourdough rolls. Trouble figuring out the hydration level. My starter was 1/4 c to 1/4 c. Your sourdough starter was 1 c flour to 3/4 c water. How do I adjust your recipe?
Omega Kyte
Your web site is just one of my top features for useful tips. Thanks for sharing
Vaishali
Thanks so much!
Lesa
Hi... I just found your site and I’m starting my “starter” today with the hopes of serving for Thanksgiving. My question is, can I make 24 rolls (double batch) easily? Can I cook the day before and warm them... just worried I won’t have the oven space and or the time before the big feast. I have never made bread before that didn’t come in a box, but I do a ton of home cooking... is this over my head?
Vaishali
Hi Lesa, yes, you can easily double the batch by doubling ingredients. And yes, you can cook them the day before and warm them before serving. If you are a new baker I'd say start out with something simpler than a sourdough bread--one of the wonderful things about sourdough is its unpredictability, which can be a source of joy for someone used to sourdough baking but it can be bewildering to a new sourdough baker. If you absolutely want to make these for your guests, do a test run first with a smaller batch. If you're looking for a great non-sourdough bread recipe to impress guests with, you can't go wrong with these crescent rolls.
kathty
Can these be frozen after shaping and before baking? I bake sourdough loaves at least twice a week, and sourdough biscuits that I make from discard. I mix, cut , and freeze them airtight and bake when wanted. They always turn out great, can I do that with these?
Vaishali
Yes, certainly.
Shari
Should I freeze the small balls of dough before or after the second rise?
Julia
I have made these twice now. Very easy and they come out great. I added dill to the second batch and oatmeal for a different texture.
christelle
Hi Julia, how many hours do you let them proof overnight?
Barbara Curren
Hi there. My rolls didn't brown very much. A bit pale, but they are done, anymore and they would be rocks. What would cause them not to brown enough? I assume the denseness is not enough hydration? Can you post a video of what the dough should look like?
Anonymous
I've made these weekly now for a few weeks and they're delicious and super forgiving. I'm new to sour dough baking and living in the south with 90 to 100 degree temperatures, I couldn't commit to the duration of oven time for a sour dough loaf of bread...will try that in the cooler weather this fall. I use a 12 ct muffin tin to bake these in with a 12 ct muffin tin below it with hot water to provide some steam.
Janice
Can I use AP flour instead of bread flour?
Vaishali
Yes!
Jennie
They came out great!! Very simple recipe, but lets the flavor of your starter shine
Like Rochelle, my rolls spread kind of wide when they were rising, but once I popped them in the oven they poofed right up.
I only cooked my for about 25 minutes then let them cool completely- the one I ate right of the oven was pretty tasty though.
Admittedly I gave mine an egg wash (I'm a non-vegan) which gave them a beautiful golden brown glow. I believe there are other vegan alternatives that will give the same effect (read soy powder and water?)
Rochelle
I have a starter that takes 10 hours to peak. My dough doubled overnight but when I shaped the rolls and let them proof for 3 hours they spread wider instead of rising. Is this because of my starter or something to do with hydration?
Stephanie
My anniversary was tonight and I couldn’t do an overnight...but since it’s SO HOT out and I was in a pickle, I went for it! Used fed starter, super bubbly, but same quantity. I only let it rise for a few hours, and I did some cool folds periodically...then I formed the rolls. Super sticky, but I Floured my hands and made 12 and formed them almost like little loaves (smooth tight top, pinched bottom together - I put chopped up jalapeños in half of them). I Placed them in an olive-oiled muffin tin let them rise again 2 hours, and then I split the tops, out olive oil and everything bagel seasoning on the non-jalapeño ones...baked at 425 for 25 minutes IN THE TIN and the rose and browned beautifully. They were amazing. I’m thrilled! Next time I’ll put in fridge overnight, but they were super flavorful and popular. Wish I could add a pic!!
Vaishali
So great to hear, Stephanie! Happy they turned out great for you.
Ben Gilchrist
Honestly I do t leave reviews often but I just got starting using a starter and these were my first shot at Rolls. I am on batch 3 and they are fantastic. I make a few modifications
First I tried the two temp recommendation and found the regular 425 for 25-30 min to be spot on with a pan of water underneath
This is what I changed
For me the rolls were way too sticky and hard to handle so I add 520 G of flour. I use 3% (15.6 g) salt as I felt like they were missing some flavor.
I also make these at night. Prove in the fridge and then before I go to work I get the dough out of the fridge so they are ready to rise and bake when I get home. Find the schedule that’s right for you. 8hrs on the counter is great and 2-3 on the baking sheet is perfect. I also found a razor blade the way to go on scoring them.
Thank you very much for this recipe it truly is awesome
Leah
can i put the daugh over night in fridge?
Vaishali
Yes!
Jessica
I just baked these this morning after proofing overnight and I am sooooooo pleased with how they came out! I made 8 rolls rather than the 12 because I'm using some for meatball sandwiches tonight. I took another commenter's suggestion to turn the oven temp down to 375° halfway through baking. 10 mins at 425° then another ~11 mins at 375°. I could have probably baked for another 1-2 minutes but I was afraid of the crust getting too hard. I also had a pan of water in the oven on the lower rack. I got a tiny bit of splitting on the bottoms of my rolls but I think this was due to my scoring not being deep enough on top. 10/10 will bake these again!
Jessica
Also, for reference I used AP flour and a 100% hydration starter and didn't need to adjust the original recipe. Only added a very small dusting of flour when shaping the rolls.
Katie
I also made 8, using the same method, but found they weren't big enough to make full-sized sandwiches. Still tasty, though!
Lacey
I bake alot and also can't find bread flour anymore, but I did find a huge bag of vital gluten at a reasonable price on Amazon. You can add a tbs of that for every 2-3 cups of AP flour and make your own bread flour. If you end up with a 4lb bag like me, you can also try your hand at making seitan from the gluten.
Melody Meinhardt
Started these last night and baked this morning. When I 'formed' the rolls this morning and I was really worried because the dough was very sticky - I had to really flour my hands well to make the rolls. Followed comments about placing pan in oven and adding water for steam, lowered the oven temperature to 375 after 15 minutes because I thought they were browning to quickly.
They are beautiful and delicious! Thank you for this recipe! I wanted to add a photo but don't see how 🙂
Laurie
I use a 100% hydration starter and can see from your page link that you do not. I am new enough to bread baking that the idea of adjusting how much water or flour to your recipe in order to achieve the same result is daunting, Plus, I suck at math. I’d really appreciate your helping me with the adjustments. I did see on a bread forum that someone with a 100% hydration starter consistently uses your exact recipe, but I’d like to give myself the best chance at success and ask for help directly. We use my starter discard often, the starter itself less often in an effort to bake a variety of breads, so a roll recipe that isn’t a yeasted, enriched dough would be great. Thank you. Stay safe.
Esther
I am wondering. Is there any sweetener in this recipe? Or did you forget to add it? Thanks
Vaishali
No.
Kim
Can you use all purpose flour instead of bread flour?
Raani
what is the purpse of sugar in your reciepes ? And what would happen if you left it our or used less.
I am enjoying you web-site and all the sourdough receipes.. .
Thanks
Jak
Hi there, can I use wholemeal flour? And my starter was with different recipe, how do I workout what sort of adjustments to make? My starter is 50gm rye 50gm wholemeal wheat flour and 50gm steerer with 100gm of water.. I'm turning to figure out what adjustments should I make to enjoy these yummy buns.. Thx ?
Tara Prescott
Can they be frozen? If so, from freezer to oven for hot rolls to serve.