These sourdough pull-apart dinner rolls are soft, fluffy and super easy to make! They're the perfect addition to any Thanksgiving spread! These are brushed with a tiny bit of honey butter on top, but you can also add garlic, cheese, or whatever you're craving!
I make these sourdough rolls over the course of 2 days and store the dough in the fridge overnight for maximum flexibility!
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a handful of simple ingredients to make these fluffy sourdough rolls!
Sourdough Starter - I love making everything with sourdough starter and these rolls are no exception! It adds just the right amount of tangy flavor to the dough! Don’t have a sourdough starter? Never fear! Just check out my Sourdough Guide for all my tips and tricks!
Sugar - You can use either granulated sugar or honey in the dough.
Bread Flour - I use bread flour to help the rolls have the best structure and texture, but you can easily substitute all purpose flour. You just made need 2-3 extra tablespoons of flour.
Flaky Sea Salt - I always had flaky sea salt to the tops of these rolls for both flavor and looks! I love using Maldon Flaky Sea Salt because it has the best flavor and texture.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Making the Dough
Since sourdough breads require more rising time that those using commercial yeast, I like to make the dough for these sourdough dinner rolls a day in advance and proof the rolls in the fridge overnight so that you have the most flexibility around when to actually bake the rolls!
Day One
Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine all dough ingredients (sourdough starter, milk, flour, sugar, salt, egg, and melted butter) and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together in a cohesive mass that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then continue to let it knead for 5-10 minutes or until very smooth.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces (roughly 80 grams each) and shape into tight rounds. I shape the rolls the same way I shape a sourdough boule (check out my sourdough guide for shaping tips).
Place the dough balls into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.
Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight (12-24 hours).
Note: The baking dish pictured is a 10x7 which is why it only fits 12 rolls. A normal 9x13 pan will fit all 15 rolls.
Day Two
The next morning, remove from the fridge at let the rolls rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours before baking. The dough should be light and fluffy and doubled in size from the previous day.
If desired, right before baking, brush with a small amount of melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. Make sure you check on the rolls frequently and if the tops start getting too brown, loosely tent with foil for the remainder of the baking time.
As soon as the sourdough dinner rolls come out of the oven, brush with the melted honey butter. This is technically optional but omg does it make them taste extra good!
Optional Flavors
You can add almost any flavoring to these rolls to add some extra pizazz! Just throw in the extra ingredients towards the end of kneading the dough.
- Sweet Honey Dinner Rolls – The base recipe calls for a tiny bit of honey but if you want sweeter rolls, add an extra 2 tablespoons of honey to the dough.
- Cheesy Dinner Rolls – 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese (parmesan is also delicious).
- Garlic & Thyme Dinner Rolls – 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme and 2 cloves of minced garlic (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder).
- Everything Dinner Rolls -- 2 teaspoons of everything bagel seasoning (plus more for on top).
I also have a similar recipe for sourdough sour cream and chive rolls!
Sourdough Tips & Tricks
If you've never baked with sourdough before, it can be a little tricky. But don't worry, I have a full Sourdough Starter Guide all about making and maintaining a sourdough starter! I also have a full guide on different types of flour you can use to make sourdough and of course a guide on how to make a Beginner Homemade Sourdough Loaf. Below are a few quick tips and key terms you need to know.
- Sourdough Starter - A culture of wild yeast and bacteria that leavens and flavors sourdough bread. I use what's called a "liquid starter" versus a stiff starter. This means the starter is made with equal parts flour and water and should be a consistency similar to cake batter.
- Sourdough Discard - The portion of your starter that is discarded when feeding your starter (can be used in tons of recipes like sourdough discard blueberry muffins or sourdough pancakes).
- Ripe Starter - A starter that's ready to be used in baking. Your starter is ripe roughly 6 hours after feeding and will have doubled in size, have lots of visible bubbles, and a fresh acidic aroma.
Weigh your ingredients! For all my sourdough recipes, I measure the ingredients in grams because it's much more accurate! I highly recommend getting a kitchen scale if you don't already have one! However, I have included alternate US customary measurements for your convenience.
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If your oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all breads and baked goods! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Easy sourdough recipes for beginners! If you've never made sourdough bread before, I recommend starting with some simple, no-fuss recipes like my sourdough naan or sourdough bagels! But if you're already a pro, I have a ton of fun sourdough recipes you can try!
Recipe FAQ's
For all my sourdough recipes, I measure the ingredients in grams because it's more accurate! I highly recommend getting a kitchen scale if you don't already have one!! However, I have included alternate US customary measurements for your convenience.
Yes! Shape the rolls and place in the greased baking dish. Them immediately cover and place in the fridge for up to 36 hours. When ready to bake, let them rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until puffy.
Yes! If you want to use sourdough discard or speed up the process, make the following adjustments: Add 2 teaspoons of instant yeast to the dough. For the first rise after mixing the dough only rise at room temperature for 1 hour. Then shape as directed add to the baking dish, cover and let rise at room temperate for 60-90 minutes or until the rolls have increased in size and are fluffy. Then bake normally. Alternatively, after shaping you can immediately transfer them to the fridge for 12-24 hours and bake immediately after removing from the fridge.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Sourdough Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Dough
- 227 grams ripe sourdough starter
- 240 grams whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 540 grams bread flour, substitute all purpose flour
- 45 grams granulated sugar, or honey
- 12 grams kosher salt
- 85 grams unsalted butter, melted
Top With
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
Day One
- Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine all dough ingredients (sourdough starter, milk, flour, sugar, salt, egg, and melted butter) and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together in a cohesive mass that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then continue to let it knead for 5-10 minutes or until very smooth.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
- Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces (roughly 80 grams each) and shape into tight rounds.
- Place the dough balls into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.
- Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight (12-24 hours).
Day Two
- The next morning, remove from the fridge at let the rolls rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours before baking. The dough should be light and fluffy and doubled in size from the previous day.
- About 30 minutes before you bake the rolls, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- If desired, right before baking, brush with a small amount of melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. Make sure you check on the rolls frequently and if the tops start getting too brown, loosely tent with foil for the remainder of the baking time.
- When the rolls are almost finished baking, add the butter and honey to a small microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.
- As soon as the sourdough dinner rolls come out of the oven, brush with the melted honey butter. This is technically optional but omg does it make them taste extra good!
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Kim M says
Rising time seems like it should be more than two hours. They won’t rise much in such a short time.
Ashlee says
If they’re not in the fridge for the full 12 hours, will they still turn out okay??
Kyleigh Sage says
Ideally at least 8 hours so they have enough time to fully rise, but they should be okay as long as they still rise a bit at room temp before baking!
Nadia says
These turned out absolutely divine!!! SO Yummy! Can't wait to share them with the family at thanksgiving!
Kristina Russell says
Can I make this dough and freeze it. If so do you have instructions on when.
Kyleigh Sage says
I generally don't recommend freezing the dough because since there's only sourdough (and no commercial yeast), it just doesn't rise properly again after freezing. However, you can freeze the already baked rolls! Once fully cooled, tightly wrap them individually (or in groups of 2/3) and then store in an airtight bag. To reheat you can just pop them in the oven at 350 until warmed through (10-15 minutes usually).
Toni says
I froze mine before the big rise right after shaping took them out in the morning and am baking them up now
Adriawna says
Can you freeze these and what would you recommend for reheating them? In the oven for how long and at what temperature?
Kyleigh Sage says
After baking you can wrap in foil or plastic and seal in a bag with as much air removed as possible; then unwrap and let them thaw at room temperature for about 20 minutes and reheat in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes or until just warmed through.
Carly says
So soft and the honey butter topping was an amazing addition!
Carole says
How do you recommend storing these and reheating if you’re unable to eat them immediately?
Kyleigh Sage says
Once fully cooled, you can cover and store at room temperature. Then just heat up for a few minutes in a toaster oven or oven!
Chris says
For some reason, I’m not getting a rise from this recipe. I’ve used room temp ingredients as well as active starter (my starter is healthy). This is my third time trying this recipe and I can’t seem to get a rise at all.
Kyleigh Sage says
Since the starter is the only leavening agent in these rolls, if they're not rising at all it's unfortunately most likely a starter issue. Temperature is the other typical culprit if they're just rising very slowly (ideally you want the dough temperature around 75 degrees F) so if you live somewhere very cold and keep your house cold it will also cause issues. You can try warming the milk (just lukewarm, NOT hot) and trying to keep the area where the dough is rising 75-80 degrees.
Gina Smith says
I was wondering if the milk that’s added to the dough should be cold or warm?
Kyleigh Sage says
I usually just use room temperature, but slightly warmed up is even better (just not actually hot).
Hannah says
This is the 5th sourdough roll recipe I've tried and so far my favorite! Easy an delicious!
Kayt says
Hello!
Can I do the second rise at room temperature and bake the same day? I figure that the fridge would slow that final rise, so if I don’t do that part, then I would expect a faster rise, what do you think?
Kyleigh Sage says
Yes!! For the second rise it should be anywhere from 2-4 hours depending on temperature, etc.
Kim says
Can I make this in advance? I want to make it for next weekend but won't have much time during the week so was hoping to bake or prepare it to be baked this weekend. Would it be an issue keeping it in the fridge until I bake them next weekend?
Kyleigh Sage says
The shaped rolls will keep for up to 2 days before baking!
Mo says
These were so easy and so delicious! I had to cook them a bit longer than the suggested time, but they tasted amazing and were a hit!