Sourdough Rolls

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Soft, pillowy, pull-apart sourdough rolls with a faint tang. Honey + oil keep them tender for days. Same dough makes 16 rolls OR 8 rolls plus a sandwich loaf.

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time45

Rising Time10

Total Time12 15

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Servings: rolls

Calories: 173kcal

Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

1 Thermometer
1 Food Scale

Ingredients

150 grams active sourdough starter
325 grams warm water
20 grams avocado oil
30 grams honey
500 grams bread flour unbleached
20 grams salt
30 grams butter melted
1 large egg for the egg wash
1 Tablespoon water for the egg wash

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the active sourdough starter, warm water, avocado oil, and honey until smooth. Add the bread flour and salt. Mix by hand until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 1 hour.
Perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds, 30 minutes apart. The dough should be smooth and stretchy by the end.
Cover and bulk ferment 4 to 8 hours at warm room temperature (75º F to 80º F), or refrigerate overnight (8 to 12 hours) for a slower, deeper-flavored ferment. The dough is ready when it has roughly doubled and looks puffy with bubbles on top.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. For 16 rolls, divide into 16 equal portions of about 65g each. For 8 rolls (plus a sandwich loaf with the other half), divide that half into 8 portions of about 130g each.
Shape each portion into a smooth ball by cupping your hand over it and rolling in tight circles on the counter to build surface tension.
Arrange the shaped rolls in a parchment-lined 9x13 dish (glass for softest) or two 8" round pans. The rolls should be close together but not touching yet.
Cover and let second rise for about 2 hours at warm room temperature, until the rolls look puffy and just begin to touch one another.
Heat the oven to 400º F. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter.
Bake at 400º F for 15 minutes (for initial color and oven spring), then reduce the temperature to 375º F and bake another 25 to 30 minutes, until the internal temperature of the center roll reads 205º F. The crust should be deep golden brown.
As soon as the rolls come out, brush with another light coat of melted butter and sprinkle with flaky salt. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Ingredient notes:

Starter must be active (recently fed, bubbly, doubled in 5 hours). Discard won't work for this recipe.
Avocado oil is my preferred oil but olive, canola, vegetable, or melted butter all swap 1:1.
Honey is hygroscopic and is the secret to rolls that stay soft for days. Maple syrup or agave swap 1:1 but reduce shelf life slightly.
Bread flour gives the best chew. AP works but the rolls will be slightly less structured.

Method tips:

The 4 stretch-and-folds (30 min apart) replace kneading. They develop gluten without a stand mixer.
Bulk ferment time depends on kitchen temp. 75º F = 4-6 hours. 68º F = 8-10 hours. Use visual cues (doubled, puffy, bubbly) not just time.
The 205º F internal temp target is what prevents day-2 gumminess. Don't skip the thermometer.
Glass pan = softest rolls. Metal pan = crustier base. Pick by preference.

Make-ahead and storage:

Overnight cold ferment: After bulk ferment, refrigerate up to 36 hours. Warm on counter 30 min before shaping.
Freeze before baking: Shape rolls in the pan, cover, freeze up to 1 month. Thaw on counter 4-5 hours, let do second rise, bake.
Room temperature storage: Sealed container or bread bag, up to 3 days. Don't refrigerate.
Frozen baked rolls: Wrap in foil + freezer bag, up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Reheat: Wrap in foil, 350º F oven for 15-20 minutes (room temp) or 25-30 min (frozen). The foil is essential. Naked reheat dries them out.

Variations:

Cheese rolls: + ¼ cup shredded cheddar per roll, tucked into the shape.
Garlic herb: + 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary + 2 cloves garlic in the final fold, garlic butter brush after.
Cinnamon sugar pull-apart: dip shaped rolls in butter then cinnamon sugar before placing in pan.
Slider rolls: divide into 24 portions of ~45g, reduce bake time by ~8 minutes.
Whole wheat: swap up to 250g of bread flour for whole wheat, add 10g water.
Sandwich loaf flex: half the dough → 8 rolls, other half → small sandwich loaf in 9x5 pan.

Critical do-nots:

Don't use discard. The rolls won't rise.
Don't skip the second rise. Dense, gummy rolls.
Don't pull at 190º F internal. Day-2 gumminess.
Don't refrigerate baked rolls. Stales faster than room temp.
Don't reheat without foil. Dries them out.

Nutrition