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. Tear one apart to dunk into a soup or stew, or slather some vegan butter and dig in!
The perfect crusty sourdough dinner rolls
These really are the perfect sourdough dinner rolls (200-plus five-star reviews say it all!). 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
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
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
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.
Tobie says
I have a version of this recipe using 437.5g bread flour 12 rolls (printed 3/5/24). This recipe uses 385g of bread flour. Curious why the change in amount of the flour? The amount of water is the same so the dough is much slacker and tricker to shape. My rolls are in the second rise phase, will bake shortly! They might be lighter than the previous recipe?
Vaishali says
Hi Tobie, I tweaked the recipe a bit when I updated it. Water requirements however can change depending on the weather where you are. You can always add more flour if the dough seems too fluid, although I assume you could work with it because you did form the rolls? The rolls may be trickier to shape but you will get a fluffier, lighter roll with the higher hydration.
Tobie says
Hi Vaishali,
Thanks for timely response! I was able to work with the dough, it was just very slack and sticky. Used rice flour to help shape them.
The best thing is that the rolls were terrific. As you said, fluffier and lighter, everyone liked them much better with the higher hydration. Next time, I will add 1-2 tbsp of flour (or King Arthur's Harvest Grains Blend) so they are a little easier to shape. Great recipe, I like the changes you made, will make them many more times!
Rhonda S Torres says
I followed the recipe as directed. The dough at the end of a 9 hour rest time was not set up. It was very thick and sloppy, like my starter. I don't know what went wrong. Can you help?
Vaishali says
You are likely using a starter with a higher hydration. I have covered this extensively in the recipe FAQs.
Anonymous says
Thank you. I am new to sourdough baking and have just came across your site.
Renea says
Can I let raise overnight then put in fridge until later in the day so I can bake for supper or would you suggest doing a partial bake then finishing when ready?
Vaishali says
Put it in the fridge before raising, then give it time to rise before putting in oven.
Lori C says
I'm hoping to make these today, but I think it'll be too late in the day by the time it's risen. At what point could I put them in the fridge to bake tomorrow morning? Should I shape first then fridge, and then tomorrow morning let rise for 2 hours before baking? Thank you! I've made these once before and I can see why they're a fan favourite! They're delicious!
Vaishali says
Hi Lori, I think that should work. Just make sure they don't continue to proof once they have risen enough - that could cause them to fall flat in the oven. Bread dough does continue to rise in the fridge, albeit more slowly.
TR says
That seems like a lot of starter. When I make a regular loaf of bread I only use 50g of starter and 500g of flour (plus 350g of water). Is this so the buns rise lighter or just the difference in starters?
Vaishali says
It's the difference in starters - mine has more water, which makes it heavier. Also you can use any quantity of starter to make a bread, but it would drastically change the rise times, quantity of flour and water used, etc.
Glenn Smith says
Hello ..... the rolls look fab. If you don't have a mixer, can you still make them by hand mixing. Thank-you Glenn
Vaishali says
Yes, absolutely!
Katie says
Would all purpose flour work instead of bread flour?
Vaishali says
Yes, you might get a softer crust.
Charlotte Dobson says
Hi! Can you freeze them after baking? Thanks
Vaishali says
Yes, absolutely. Freeze in freezer safe bag or container.
Brenda Kidd says
I want to try this and I feed my starter on a 1:1:1 ratio.. do I need to change the recipe at all? Very new to this and have never made dinner rolls.. Thankyou
Vaishali says
You will likely need less water. Halve the water and add more as needed.
Kati says
I’ve made these several times and they are so good! I’m now second guessing myself if you use fed/bubbly starter or discard at room temp! Thanks!
Vaishali says
Yay!! So happy you love the rolls. I have used discard in the past but the results are mixed depending on how recently the starter was fed. I recommend a bubbly, active starter for best results.