Soft Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Before you start

These rolls are leavened only with sourdough starter, yet they bake up soft and fine-crumbed like a classic yeasted roll. Milk, an egg, a little sugar and butter tenderize the dough and mellow the tang, so the flavor reads as rich rather than sour. Packed together in a baking pan, the rolls rise into each other and tear apart with feathery sides.

The main thing to plan for is time. Fat and sugar slow wild yeast, so expect a long bulk rise of 5 to 7 hours in a warm spot. Judge it by volume and feel, not by the clock: the dough should nearly double and feel pillowy. An overnight cold rest after shaping makes holiday timing easier, since the rolls can go straight from the fridge into the oven after a short warm-up.

Ingredients

• 100 g (scant ½ cup) active sourdough starter (100% hydration) — fed 4–6 hours earlier and at its peak
• 400 g (3⅓ cups) bread flour
• 200 g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) whole milk — warmed to about 27°C (80°F)
• 1 large (about 50 g) egg — room temperature
• 30 g (2½ tbsp) granulated sugar
• 8 g (1⅓ tsp) fine salt
• 50 g (3½ tbsp) unsalted butter — very soft
• 1 large egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk — for egg wash
• 1 tbsp melted butter — for brushing after baking

Method

1. Combine the starter, milk, egg and sugar in the mixer bowl and whisk until the starter dissolves. Add the flour and salt and mix on low for 2 minutes into a shaggy dough.
2. Knead on medium-low for 5 minutes. Add the soft butter a tablespoon at a time, letting each piece disappear before the next. Continue for 6 to 8 minutes more, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and stretches into a thin, translucent sheet.
3. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly greased bowl and cover. Leave it at 25–26°C (77–79°F) for 5 to 7 hours, until nearly doubled and soft and airy when pressed. An oven with only the light on is a good warm spot.
4. Grease the pan. Divide the dough into 12 pieces of about 70 g. Cup each piece under your palm and roll it on an unfloured counter until the surface is smooth and taut.
5. Arrange the rolls in 3 rows of 4. Cover and proof at warm room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, until puffy, touching each other and about 1½ times their shaped size. (Overnight option: refrigerate the shaped rolls for up to 16 hours, then leave them out 1½ to 2 hours before baking.)
6. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Brush the rolls gently with the egg wash.
7. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, until deep golden and 88–93°C (190–200°F) in the center roll. Brush with melted butter, cool 15 minutes in the pan, then lift out to serve.

Tips for success

• A ripe, vigorous starter matters more here than in lean bread. If yours takes longer than 6 hours to double after a feed, give it two feeds before baking day.
• Enriched dough rises slower than you expect. Mark the dough level on the bowl with tape so the near-doubling is easy to see.
• Use the center roll for the temperature check; it is always the last to set.

Substitutions

Whole milk

Unsweetened oat or soy milk work; the crumb is slightly less tender and browns a little less. Use the same weight.

Butter

Neutral oil in the same weight gives a softer, more cake-like roll. Add it with the milk rather than kneading it in at the end.

Bread flour

All-purpose flour makes a more tender, slightly flatter roll. Reduce the milk by 10 g to keep the dough from slackening.

Variations

Honey butter finish

Brush the hot rolls with 2 tbsp melted butter mixed with 1 tbsp honey and sprinkle with flaky salt.

Herb and garlic rolls

Knead 1 tbsp chopped rosemary into the dough and brush the baked rolls with garlic butter.

Troubleshooting

Rolls barely rose after 7 hours

The starter was past its peak or the room was cool. Move the dough somewhere around 26°C (79°F) and be patient; next time use starter right at its peak.

Rolls taste noticeably sour

The rises ran long and cool. Keep the dough warmer to favor yeast over acid, or add a teaspoon more sugar.

Tops browned before the centers set

The oven runs hot or the pan sat high. Tent with foil after 15 minutes and bake on the middle rack.

Storage

Store cooled rolls in a sealed bag at room temperature for 2 days. Freeze for up to 2 months, thaw in the bag, and warm at 175°C (350°F) for 5 to 8 minutes. Shaped unbaked rolls can wait in the refrigerator overnight, no longer than 16 hours.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw dough; it contains raw egg and raw flour. Contains wheat, milk and egg.