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    Home > Vegan Sourdough Recipes

    Soft Sourdough Rolls

    Posted: Jan 5, 2020 ยท Updated: Sep 30, 2021

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    These pillowy sourdough rolls require no added yeast, just your well-fed sourdough starter. Serve them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You'll be hooked.

    Close up photo of two soft sourdough dinner rolls with their soft crumb showing

    I've long preached baking with sourdough on this blog, and hooked many of you into this healthful and rewarding tradition, especially with my no-knead crusty sourdough dinner rolls and sourdough sandwich bread recipes. For you, I have today these pillow-soft sourdough rolls that are sure to become a favorite at dinnertime.

    Twelve soft sourdough dinner rolls in a  glass baking pan

    I've loved baking with sourdough for as long as I can remember, but in past years I found it challenging to keep my sourdough starter alive and as a result I'd end up discarding batches after long periods of neglect. All that changed the more I learned about sourdough and how it is nearly impossible to actually kill the starter. No matter how long you've failed to feed it, it's always possible to bring it back to life.

    My current sourdough starter, George, has been kicking around for nearly three and a half years now. I don't feed him on any regular basis -- I usually pull him out of the refrigerator and start feeding him a few days before I have a baking project in mind. And because I've been really busy at work these past few months, that has been rarely, except for the occasional sourdough waffle or sourdough pancake.

    Even if your sourdough starter looks awful when you pull it out of the back of the refrigerator, with discolored, strong-alcoholic-smelling liquid collected on top and a dark top skin, you can revive it. Here's what I do: I pour out the liquid, carefully scrape off the discolored top with a spoon, and then use about half a cup of the clear starter underneath to begin a new starter in a clean container. It always works. When you do this, though, be sure to feed your starter twice a day for a few days to bring it back up to strength.

    And don't worry -- there are tons of recipes you can make with sourdough discard, the portion you would throw out when you feed your starter.

    This bread roll needs a well-fed starter, though, so be sure to use one you that is ripe and has been fed up to six hours before you start making the bread dough.

    Close up shot of several soft sourdough dinner rolls in baking dish.

    Tips for making the softest sourdough dinner rolls:

    • Like I just said, you will need a freshly fed sourdough starter for this recipe. Feed it the night before or the morning of -- at least six hours before you start making the dough.
    • You need aquafaba (chickpea brine) in this recipe, and a nondairy milk, to add softness and lightness. I use almond milk, but you can certainly use any other nondairy milk if you'd rather be nut-free.
    • I use unbleached all purpose flour for these rolls. Sourdough keeps this bread healthy, by digesting complex starches before you put the bread in your tummy. But if you want to make them healthier, you can sub half the flour with whole wheat.
    • Because we are making the rolls without any added yeast, the rise time for these rolls is on the higher side, about four hours for each of two rises. You can also do an overnight rise for the first rise, in the refrigerator.
    • If you want your bread to rise faster, add some yeast to the recipe -- one and a half teaspoons of active dry yeast should do the trick. If using yeast, mix it with the nondairy milk first and make sure it blooms.
    • The proportion of nondairy milk in this recipe works perfectly for me, and I add in all the ingredients all at once to the bowl and then mix. But bread dough tends to behave differently in different climates. So if you'd rather, you can mix all the ingredients except the milk first and then drizzle in the milk until you get a smooth dough. You may need more milk if you're working in an especially dry climate.
    • You don't need to knead this dough much -- just enough to make it soft and smooth and pliable. You can do this in a stand mixer or by hand.
    • This recipe makes 12 rolls. You can bake them in two round cake tins or in a rectangular 12 by 13 pan.
    • These bread rolls need to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes after baking, and you can then remove them from the pan and continue cooling them on a rack. It is not hard to get them out of a well-oiled pan, but you might need to help them with a spatula. Otherwise, sprinkle on some cornmeal on the baking pan before you place the rolls in it, which should make unmolding them a breeze.
    Close up of two soft sourdough bread rolls

    Ingredients for Soft Sourdough Rolls:

    • Sourdough starter
    • Unbleached all purpose flour
    • Aquafaba (chickpea brine)
    • Sugar
    • Vegetable oil
    • Nondairy milk

    Looking for more sourdough recipes?

    • No Knead Sourdough Bread
    • Vegan Sourdough Blueberry Pancakes
    • Herby, garlicky Sourdough Focaccia
    • Vegan Sourdough Waffles
    • Sourdough Pretzels
    • The Best Sourdough Sandwich Bread

    Soft Sourdough Rolls Recipe

    Photo of rows of pillow-soft sourdough rolls in baking dish.
    Close up of two soft sourdough dinner rolls with their soft crumb showing

    Soft Sourdough Rolls

    These pillowy sourdough rolls require no added yeast, just your well-fed sourdough starter. Serve them for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
    5 from 30 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe
    Course: Bread
    Cuisine: nut-free, Sourdough, Soy-free
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: Soft Sourdough Rolls
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 30 mins
    Rise time: 8 hrs
    Total Time: 8 hrs 40 mins
    Servings: 12 rolls
    Calories: 177kcal
    Author: Vaishali ยท Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

    Equipment

    • Stand mixer or large bowl
    • 13 X 9 inch baking pan or rimmed baking sheet

    Ingredients 
    US Customary - Metric

    • ยฝ cup sourdough starter (recently fed)
    • 2 ยฝ cups unbleached all purpose flour
    • ยผ cup aquafaba (chickpea brine)
    • 1 ยฝ teaspoon salt (can adjust to your taste)
    • 2 tablespoon sugar
    • 6 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • ยฝ cup nondairy milk (I used almond, but use any nondairy milk of your choice)
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    Instructions

    • Place all the ingredients except the nondairy milk in a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Drizzle in the milk as needed until the dough comes together. Knead it just until it's soft and pliable and smooth.
    • Form the dough into a smooth ball and place in a bowl to rise, turning over the dough once to coat the top with the oil. Cover the bowl with a tight lid or cling wrap and let stand in a warm place for four hours or overnight in the refrigerator, until the dough has doubled. This dough won't rise as fast or as much as a bread dough with added yeast would, but that's fine.
    • If you placed your dough in the refrigerator, and it hasn't doubled overnight, let it stand in a warm place in your kitchen until it does.
    • Knead the risen dough, and divide into 12 portions. Shape each into a smooth ball by stretching the dough and tucking the sides underneath. Place in a well-oiled 13 X 9 inch baking pan. The rolls won't touch at this point but that's okay because they will as they rise and bake.
    • Cover the pan with a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot, like the oven with just the pilot light turned on, for four hours or until they are all puffy and are touching each other.
    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (make sure you remove the rolls from the oven if they are rising in there while the oven preheats)
    • Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake 30 minutes until the rolls are golden-brown on top. Let them stand on a rack 20 minutes, then remove from the rack and continue cooling.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1roll | Calories: 177kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 39IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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    About Vaishali


    Hi! I am so happy you're here. I'm Vaishali, and I've been sharing recipes for delicious vegan food at Holy Cow Vegan since 2007. Every one of the more than 1,000 recipes on this blog has been tried and tested -- and loved -- by my family and I. I hope you will find something here to share with your loved ones. Thanks for stopping by!
    Read more about me here.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kyle

      November 22, 2021 at 6:02 pm

      Could you mist with water during the bake as in a regular loaf recipe for a crispier crust? Or are these meant to have a thinner crust to emphasize the pillowiness of the bread?

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        November 22, 2021 at 6:07 pm

        You can most water. Or use this recipe for crusty sourdough rolls: https://holycowvegan.net/crusty-sourdough-dinner-rolls-no-knead-and-no-added-yeast/

        Reply
    2. Eve

      July 25, 2021 at 10:09 am

      Hi Vai, what is a good substitute of aqufaba? Can I use flaxseed ground?
      Thanks in advance.

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        July 25, 2021 at 10:15 am

        Just sub with an equal quantity of nondairy milk.

        Reply
        • Eve

          July 26, 2021 at 7:21 pm

          Thank you for your reply. Will try this.

          Reply
    3. Fily

      May 24, 2021 at 10:03 pm

      Hi:
      I would love to make these oil-free. Do you think they would be OK if I left out the oil?
      Thanks for your wonderful recipes!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        May 24, 2021 at 10:48 pm

        Hi Fily, you can leave out the oil --they'd be crusty though and not as soft. If you want a no-oil, crusty sourdough rolls recipe here's one from the blog. https://holycowvegan.net/crusty-sourdough-dinner-rolls-no-knead-and-no-added-yeast/

        Reply
    4. Charmsley88

      April 05, 2021 at 10:21 pm

      5 stars
      I made these rolls and they turned out wonderful! My daughter who is a picky eater absolutely loves them! Thanks for the easy, simple and delicious recipe!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        April 06, 2021 at 9:00 am

        So happy to hear.

        Reply
    5. Vicki

      March 04, 2021 at 7:08 am

      5 stars
      Hi, thanks for recipe. First time trying these. I didn't use all the soya as it was quite wet (my flour seems to use less water when making loaves).
      This morning my dough hadn't risen much and the top had crusted?! Perhsps as a result of putting oil on the top?

      I kneaded the dough and weighed each one to 85g but only could make 8, plus one 45g one.. ..how much should each one weigh?

      I'm proving in the oven now and hope to have light fluffy buns soon!

      Thanks for your advise in advance.

      Reply
    6. Layean

      February 07, 2021 at 11:25 pm

      What happen to the bread when it cools down ? Soft or hard ? I have tried the recipe and it turns out hard like a stone when cool down. Please advise. Thanks

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        February 08, 2021 at 10:17 pm

        Hi, I am not 100 percent sure why this could be happening, but one thing you could do to soften the bread after it cools and before you eat is to spritz the rolls with some water and return them to the oven until they warm through. That should help soften the crust.

        Reply
    7. Linda DeAngelo

      December 08, 2020 at 10:06 pm

      This just the best recipe for a dinner roll Iโ€™ve ever made!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        December 12, 2020 at 4:39 pm

        So happy to hear!

        Reply
    8. Sandra

      August 30, 2020 at 11:33 am

      5 stars
      Yes, is there a gluten free version of this wonderful recipe? I have a gluten free starter but failed last week and came out with bricks! Help! I am doing this for my co worker who doesn't do well with gluten but loves these rolls!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        November 25, 2020 at 6:10 pm

        Hi, I'll test our a gf recipe soon! Stay tuned. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
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    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

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    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

    More about me โ†’

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