Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Name: Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Yield: Options for 12 or 9 (x 80g rolls)
Ingredients: 100% AP/bread flour (11.5-12.5% protein); 64% whole milk; 31% liquid sweet starter (recipe below); 15% unsalted butter; 4.4% granulated sugar; 1.8% salt; 454g AP/bread flour (11.5-12.5% protein); 290g whole milk; 140g liquid sweet starter; 68g butter; 20g granulated sugar; 8g salt; 341g AP/bread flour (11.5-12.5% protein); 218g whole milk; 105g liquid sweet starter; 51g butter; 15g granulated sugar; 6g salt; 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water for egg wash; Sprinkle of flake salt; 56g flour; 56g water; 16g white sugar; 16g starter; Mix all ingredients together in a bowl or large jar. Let it proof for 3-5 hours at 82F until it has at least doubled in size. It's now ready to use in your recipe.; 42g flour; 42g water; 12g white sugar; 12g starter; Mix all ingredients together in a bowl or large jar. Let it proof for 3-5 hours at 82F until it has at least doubled in size. It's now ready to use in your recipe.

A Thanksgiving dinner without dinner rolls, in our house anyway, is like Fall without pumpkins! These pillowy soft sourdough rolls are a bit involved, but not difficult. Slightly tangy, slightly sweet and slightly salty, our family can't get enough of them!

Sourdough Dinner Rolls, baked and glazed, cooling on a wire rack

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Sourdough Dinner Rolls: A Thanksgiving Table Fixture

Pillowy Soft, And A Mild Sweet Tang

These rolls are built on a liquid sweet starter rather than an everyday continuation starter, which is what keeps them soft and mild instead of tangy. Milk and butter add richness, and a long, warm proof, sometimes a full 8 hours, is what gets them properly pillowy rather than dense. If you want the fuller explanation of why a sweet starter behaves so differently from a regular one, our Sourdough Challah page has a whole section on it.

Baking and Enjoying This Recipe

What Makes These Rolls A Thanksgiving Regular?

Built On A Sweet Starter: a liquid sweet starter, not a regular one, is what keeps these soft and mild rather than tangy.
Two Sizes, One Formula: the card gives you both a 9-roll and a 12-roll ingredient list, plus baker's percentages if you want to scale to your own pan.

Yield & Scaling

We have provided TWO Ingredients lists, for making 9 x 80g rolls or 12 x 80g rolls. If you want to make some other quantity, or roll size/weight, use the formula provided to adapt the ingredients list.

Tips for Success

Really push the proofing on these. Sourdough made with sweet starter has a long lag time and long proof time, so be patient and be rewarded!
If using a sprayer for the egg wash, add a scant pinch of salt to the egg/water to prevent gumming up the sprayer nozzle.
Once baked, remove parchment with rolls still in place, and lay whole thing on racks to cool before pulling apart.
Once cooled, store in an airtight container, for up to 3-4 days.
For keeping longer, freeze, defrost and reheat/refresh in oven (325F for 10 mins, covered in foil).