I’m a sucker for super soft rolls.
Before I knew how to bake, I’d buy a bunch of Rhodes Rolls to keep in my freezer and make those whenever I had a classic chicken dinner planned. They were soft, they were easy, and they went well with just about anything.
But now, I have a recipe that I love to make more than Rhodes Rolls. These super soft sourdough discard rolls are flavorful, simple, and fast. Top them with melted butter or jam, and you have the perfect side for a variety of meals.
Freeze These Rolls Ahead of Time
Quite a few people have asked about preparing these soft sourdough discard rolls ahead of time for big events like Thanksgiving or Christmas. And you absolutely can!
After you’ve finished shaping your rolls, place them on a large, parchment-lined cookie sheet. Put the entire sheet in the freezer for 3 to 4 hours until the balls have hardened. Then, remove the frozen rolls from the pan and place in a freezer friendly Ziploc bag. When frozen correctly, these rolls stay well for up to a month.
Once you’re ready to bake, treat these rolls in the same way you’d treat store-bought ready-made frozen rolls. Remove them from the freezer, place on a lightly greased pan and cover with lightly greased plastic to minimize sticking. Let the rolls thaw and rise until puffy, then bake as per usual.
Don’t Have Starter?
This recipe also works well if you don’t have any sourdough starter on hand or if you don’t like that telltale tang of sourdough. Simply replace the sourdough starter with equal amounts flour and water (so 113 grams of each), and you’re good to go.
If you want to make your own sourdough starter, I have a step-by-step guide for a wild yeast starter at my bread blog, BreadbytheHour.com.
Soft Sourdough Discard Rolls
Ingredients
- 600 Grams Warm Water (2 1/2 cups)
- 18.6 Grams Dry Active Yeast (2 Tablespoons)
- 226 Grams Sourdough Starter Discard (1 Cup)
- 1020 Grams All-Purpose Flour (8 1/2 Cups)
- 50.25 Grams White Granulated Sugar (1/4 Cup)
- 12 Grams Salt (2 Teaspoons)
- 54.5 Grams Vegetable Oil (1/4 Cup)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the warm water and the yeast. Stir and then let the yeast sit for 10 minutes to proof.
- Add the sourdough starter and stir until well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture and the vegetable oil to the standing mixer bowl.
- On a low setting, use the dough hook of the standing mixer to knead everything together. Continue to mix until the dough pulls away from and cleans the sides of the bowl.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly greased surface and shape into a round.
- Place round in a lightly greased container with a lid. Let dough rest until double in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on kitchen temperature.
- Turn dough out onto lightly greased surface and punch down. Divide the dough into 24 pieces and shape into balls. Each ball should weigh about 80 grams.
- Place dough balls onto a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rest for 30 to 45 minutes until double.
- Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit (204° Celsius) and bake for 16 to 18 minutes.
- Brush with melted butter and serve warm.
Notes
Did You Try It?
I love these super soft bread rolls, and I love how easy they are to make for my family. But what did you think of the recipe? Did you like it? Did you adjust it to make it better?
Share your baking experience in the comment section below! I appreciate all your helpful feedback and suggestions. Thank you for all your kind words.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Just did it yesterday and I appreciated how simple it was and the delicious taste + texture of the rolls — also how versatile they are. For example, last night we ate them as dinner rolls but today we’re using them as hamburger buns. Have you ever shaped them into other forms than rolls, like loaves?
I haven’t tried making them into loaves but that’s a fantastic idea! I’ll have to play around with it and see what happens. I have made them into buns and they were excellent 🙂 I’m so glad you tried them and liked them.
Love this recipe. I make my balls a little smaller so I get about 30. I have added rosemary and garlic powder sometimes because we love the flavor too.
Oh those are fun flavors to add in! I’ll definitely have to try those next time because that sounds delicious. Thank you for your helpful suggestions 🙂
Can you make these right up to the “ready for the over stage”and then put in fridge to slow them down? Id like to pause until ready to bake so I can serve them hot at a friend’s dinner.
I’m not entirely sure? You could give it a try, but I worry they might over proof in the fridge. I guess it depends on how long you keep them chilling before your friend’s dinner. Maybe keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t get too puffy.
Can I make this in a bread machine? TIA!
Courtney, I’m not sure if you can? I don’t own a bread machine, and I know they vary wildly on what they can and can’t do depending on the brand you have. I do know that these rolls can be made by hand if you don’t have a mixer.
Can you substitute vegetable oil with olive oil?
Hey Christina, Olive oil won’t affect the consistency of the sourdough rolls. However, it will affect the flavor somewhat. Opt for a mild oil olive if possible.
I used olive oil and they have an absolutely dive softness. I actually never use vegetable oil.
Olive oil works great too! I’m glad you enjoyed them. Thank you 🙂
I substituted soft butter for the vegetable oil and it was delicious! Great recipe. Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you for the positive feedback!
Love your recipe for sourdough rolls!!! I often make 2 loaves of bread with it, bake at 375 for 35 minutes. I have also added cheese and garlic, weigh the entire dough and divide by 24. Bake for 25 minutes
Oh the garlic and cheese sounds tasty! Thank you for the suggestion.
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I’m just beginning my sourdough journey and decided I wanted to make dinner rolls for my family’s Christmas Dinner so in my search for recipes I found yours and I’m so glad I did, so is my family. These rolls were a hit, I know they’ll be requesting them all the time now. Absolutely Delicious! The recipe is simple enough for beginners yet taste like I’ve been baking bread for years. The only thing I changed was the size of the rolls, I made them a little smaller, other than that I made as the recipe stated. Oh & your note about the flour, thank you for that, my starter is also a 1:1 ratio so I needed a little extra flour as well. I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thank you so much for your kind words Brenda. It really made my day. I wish you the best of luck in your sourdough journey.
Hi there! Can I use organic unbleached bread flour (I have King Arthur brand) instead of all purpose flour? Thanks!
Sure! Bread flour should work just fine. In fact, it might have even better texture than all purpose. Happy baking!
Just trying this today for the first time and though I’m not finished I have to say I have never had anything rise as well as this did. I’m using a gluten free flour so even more suprised by the quickness of doubling. Can’t wait to sink my teeth into one!
Oh wow! I never would have thought about gluten-free flour. I’m so glad that they’re rising well for you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do 🙂
I hope you see this!
I am trying my hand at gluten free baking, sourdough currently (I’ve got cookies and cakes about down to decent, lol) but I’m having the hardest time with breads, any tips, tricks etc for gluten free?
Hey Jennifer, I have a bread blog with gluten free rice flour bread recipe and an almond flour bread recipe. As far as sourdough breads go, what kind of problems are you facing? I’d love to help.
Lisa, do you mind telling me what type of gluten free flour you used? Thinking of making these for my dad at thanksgiving and he cannot do wheat at all.
Could you turn these into sweet cinnamon rolls? Suggestions?
I bet I could! Oh my goodness – I will definitely have to try and share what happens. Thank you for the suggestion.
It is a great recipe. Thx
These were AMAZING. My fridge was completely bare (yet here I am making bread – says something about my life!) and so I especially appreciated how this recipe didn’t call for eggs or milk. 10/10 would make again in a heartbeat.
Yay! I’m so glad you loved them. Thank you for the positive feedback 🙂
Hello! I used about 1 cup less flour than the recipe called for. Is that normal? Also should I add more salt and sugar when this happens since it is premixed with the flour?
That is normal if you have a stiff starter! Since it’s only about a cup, you don’t need to add more salt or sugar unless you want to adjust the flavor and make the dough more savory or more sweet. Just keep in mind that salt slows the rise time and sugar can speed it in small amounts so you’ll want to keep an eye on your dough.
I have been making these weekly for the past year and they’re brilliant, occasionally have to add more flour if my start is extra hydrated, thanks for the recipe, it’s a favorite!
Woohoo! Thank you for sharing. You’ve made my day – I’m so happy these rolls have been a favorite for you!
So good- I only had a half hour to let them rise and they still turned out tasty and fluffy.
A keeper for sure!
woohoo! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you 🙂
DELICIOUS! I made these last night to freeze for Thanksgiving. My husband and I ate 2 each so I’m working on another half batch to make sure there is enough. I’m sure we’ll have to test this batch too.
I’m so glad! I make these for thanksgiving every year, too. It’s become a family tradition. Thank you for your positive feedback. 🙂
I was also going to ask about making these for the holidays! The recipe looks delicious! I’m hoping to fully bake them and then freeze them. Is that a thing? Lol I wouldn’t be able to get family members to let me bring “something different” if it had to finish baking on the actual holiday. My best bet is to have them done and then re-warm in the oven.
Have you ever tried that? Do you have any temp or time suggestions?
I haven’t frozen these rolls after baking specifically – but I have frozen similar bread recipes! Here’s my approach. After baking, make sure they completely cool (you don’t want any extra moisture leftover from the steam). Wrap them tightly in aluminum foil, place in a freezer friendly bag, and then freeze. If you have time, let thaw at room temperature overnight. Then re-warm (in their loose foil packing but not in the freezer bag) for about 10 minutes in a 300°F oven. If you’re rushed for time, heat the oven to 300°F. Place the loosely-wrapped frozen rolls directly on an oven rack and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until everything is warm all the way through. When I follow this technique, though, bread tends to dry out pretty fast afterward so make sure to serve them warm.
I don’t have a standing mixer… is that going to be okay?
You can mix by hand! It just takes a bit longer. 🙂
If I wanted to make it ahead, could you tell me how/when to put the dough in the refrigerator?
That is an excellent question. This recipe has a lot of yeast, so the dough rises quickly. I have not made these in advance because it’s a fairly quick recipe. If I were to take a guess, however, I’d say put the rolls in the refrigerator overnight right after shaping. If they haven’t risen fully, let them sit on the counter for a bit until puffy. Otherwise, bake them as usual.
I love this recipe, it’s simple and a great way to use up sourdough discard. I was wondering if you have any tips on freezing the dough balls so I only have to make the recipe once, but then we can enjoy them throughout the month.
Hey Anna – thanks for the feedback. I have not tried freezing this recipe because we tend to eat our rolls pretty fast at my house. However, if I were to take a best guess about how to go about freezing them, I would try this: after shaping, put the rolls on a large, parchment lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer for 3-4 hours. Then, transfer the frozen rolls to a zip-top freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to one month. When ready to bake, place the frozen dough balls on a lightly greased pan and cover with plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Let thaw and rise until puffy, and then bake as per usual.
This is exactly what I do! I make some larger for buns and some the normal 80g for rolls and then I can just take out and let rise before baking and I always have fresh as needed. Works GREAT!
Oh wonderful! I’m so glad this works great for you 🙂 Thank you so much for your feedback.
I’m new in the baking sourdough world. I cut the recipe half and made smaller rolls. I like the ideas of making buns and rolls and maybe a couple of hoagies too. I’m sure to work at the lil kinks in the next batch. ???? Thank You.
I wish you all the luck in your baking journey! I hope you have a lot of fun experimenting with sourdough 🙂
How long do you let your dough balls thaw and rise for?
Hey Ashley, the thawing process could take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours depending on room temperature.
These rolls are to die for! wow! so fluffy and soft. My old/other discard recipe makes hard biscuits like one would imagine cowboys on the trail choking down with beans and coffee. Jennibee’s recipe is life-changing to this old boy scout. bravo!
Thank you so much! Your feedback made my week 🙂 Happy baking and enjoy!
I started by making a half recipe of this one, because it is very abundant and I wanted to try it first. I loved it! I just made a full recipe and got over 3 dozen cloverleaf rolls with it.
That’s wonderful! I’m so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
I first made these on Thanksgiving and after I placed them in the oven I was cleaning up and realized I’d (blush) forgot to add the starter. To my delight they turned out great! Made them again at Christmas, remembered the starter, and they turned out even lighter and fluffier! I also had extra so I popped it in a bread pan and had the most beautiful loaf of bread. And the flavor is fantastic!! We have also used leftovers for hamburger buns and they are the best. After reading the comments I am excited to try making cinnamon rolls and try freezing dough for later. New favorite recipe. Thank you!!
Thank you so much for sharing. I’m so happy you enjoyed my recipe. Your kind comment really made my day!
I used this recipe to make sourdough rolls for the first time ever, tonight. We paired them with chicken salad, and it was a perfect combination! They were the best rolls we’ve ever eaten, thank you!
That’s fantastic! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you so much for the feedback. Happy baking 🙂
I was wondering if you have tried to freeze them after punch down> then take as needed and let raise
I haven’t tried it! But I think it should definitely work. Maybe give it a try and let me know how it goes?
Unbelievably easy and they kept for days without drying out. I froze a bunch and they heat up just as soft and moist as they did when first made. Thanks for this recipe!
Wonderful to hear! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Delicious ????
Turned out great. And the texture is perfect. Great recipe.
Thank you so much for the feedback! I really appreciate it 🙂
I made these for the first time and WOW, will definitelybe in my rotation. This is a keeper of a recipe! They were delicious, and simple to make. I brought them over for a dinner party and everyone said that they were the best buns they ever had. Thanks so much for sharing.
YAY! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you for the thoughtful feedback 🙂
Soo I’ve just made this and not sure what I did wrong. Followed recipe exactly. Dough was super sticky couldn’t make the ball pre rising. Then far too sticky with no shape to be able to cut into pieces. Then when shaped into balls they just flattened. About to cook then soo will see what happens.
Might as less water next time.
When you put on the baking tray should they be touching? What size baking tray did you use?
Oh dang! I’m sorry you struggled with the recipe. It could be that your sourdough starter is at a higher hydration than mine. If your dough is sticky, you can always add more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until you get the consistency you want to see. Lightly greasing your hands can also help during the shaping process. My baking pan is a 12 inch by 10 inch pan. They don’t touch when I initially put them on the pan, but they will touch when they’ve risen a bit.
These are incredible!! I made a batch and brought them to work, now I have folks asking me to make them for them for Thanksgiving!! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe with us. 🙂
Yay! I’m so glad they had such an impact. They’re my family’s favorite rolls to make for thanksgiving too 🙂
Everyone in my family loved this recipe. The only thing I would change is to make smaller rolls as 80 g were more hamburger size and not dinner size. I made a dozen dinner size and froze them. Hopefully I can thaw them and do the second rise to have fresh ones on Thanksgiving.
Thank you for the suggestion and the feedback. I’m so glad you guys enjoyed them and I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving.
I am about to try these for Thanksgiving after reading the rave reviews! I’m wondering how long they stay fuffy after baking? I would like to bake them Tuesday. Should I wait until Wednesday?
They stay pretty fluffy, especially if you keep them tightly sealed in a plastic Ziploc bag. But for maximum fluff, you want them right out of the oven if possible. Since they don’t take too long to make, I suggest waiting until Wednesday in this case.
Hi! I don’t have a scale and am a bit confused on the measurement for the yeast. It says 18 something grams or 2 tablespoons. But my packets of yeast I have say they are 21 grams but I didn’t even get a full tablespoon from one full packet. Help lol!
Oh dang! I’m sorry for the confusion. I’m in the US, and I use google as a standard for all my measurement conversions. According to Google, 1 US Tablespoon of Dry Active Yeast weighs 9.3 grams, so 2 Tablespoons would weight 18 grams. I’ve never used yeast packets, but a quick search shows that the average yeast packet only has about 7 grams of yeast, not 21 grams. So maybe your yeast packet came as part of a three-packet that has a total of 21 grams?
They are probably using bulk yeast not packets
Great recipe, thank you!
I added cardamom, and mixed melted coconut oil and my oat/coconut coffee cream to brush on top with about 5 minutes left of baking.
I’ll be making these ahead to freeze and bake for our christmas work dinner 🙂 thanks again!
Oh cardamom is a fantastic addition to this recipe! Thank you for the tip.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! Such good rolls, perfect for hamburgers too.
That’s so wonderful to hear. Thank you for the kind words 🙂
I don’t have a mixer – is it a ton of work to mix this dough without, by hand? It’s great to find a vegan recipe for discard sourdough starter, thank you!
Sue, you can definitely mix these rolls by hand! In fact, this is one of the first recipes I made before I even owned a mixer and I loved making them by hand. It just takes a little longer to knead the dough to the right consistency, but it shouldn’t wear you out.
Will this take a large baking sheet to fit them all? Or can I use a 9×13 or 2 of them. Do they need space apart?
Hey Rachel, I currently use a 12 x 10 x 1 inch stainless steel baking sheet to fit them all. They do need a little bit of space between them so they can puff up together, but they don’t need an excessive amount. I think a 9 by 13 inch should fit them pretty well, but you’re welcome to space them out and use two if that’s your preference. These rolls are not fussy.
My only complaint is that I made these for Thanksgiving and now I have to make them for every family function for the rest of forever! Great texture. Great taste. Thanks for this recipe! I’m going to experiment with making this recipe into loaves next!
That’s awesome! Thank you so much. I hope you continue to have fun with the recipe 🙂
Needed a good sourdough discard recipe and this one did NOT disappoint! Will make this at least once a week! I portioned them out smaller (around 50g per roll) which made around 36 rolls. Experimented and filled some with cheese and one with sausage and cheese and it came out amazing!
Oh cheese and sausage would be perfect with these! Thank you so much for sharing.
Made these tonight. Made them smaller and made 32 rolls. Turned out beautiful.
These were easy and they turned out FANTASTIC!! I would experiment into making a shape like a hotdog, but keeping grams (80) consistent made for a consistently perfect bun!! I would make these again and again. Next time i eat them I’ll try some sandwhich filling, i just couldn’t get enough of the bun goodness! This is by far the best “discard” recipe.
Thank you so much for your positive feedback! I think hotdog buns would be lots of fun with this recipe. Let me know how that turns out if you try it. 🙂
These were fun and easy to make. Very light. But they have don’t have much flavor. I didn’t forget sugar or salt but it seems they need more of one or both. What do you suggest? Could I try adding more of both?
Hey Mary, these rolls are supposed to have a light sourdough flavor to match their light fluffy texture. I’m sorry the flavor wasn’t to your liking but I’m not entirely sure what you’re hoping for. If you want a stronger sourdough presence, you may need to let your starter mature for a bit longer. If you prefer a sweeter roll, more sugar. A savory one would need more salt. However, adding more sugar or more salt would affect the dough rise times (with sugar speeding things up and salt slowing things down).
Thank you for your response. I’m going to try a bit more salt to start.
Good luck Mary! I hope your next batch turns out beautifully.
I haven’t made these yet but have saved the recipe and plan to! My starter is 25% Rye and 75% All Purpose! So with the water and starter it is a 1-1-1. I would use All Purpose to make the buns! Just wondering if I would need to use less water since there is less protein in the flour?
That is a very good question. I haven’t tried this recipe with rye, so I can’t be absolutely certain. However, the amount of rye in your starter is small enough that I think the difference in water would be negligible. Generally speaking, rye flour bread typically need more water, not less, as it contains high amounts of water-absorbing pentosans.
Love love love this recipe! I use it for hamburger buns, sub buns, dinner rolls and more! So easy, always turns out and freezes very well.
Thank you so much Brenda! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed my recipe. I appreciate your comment.
I made the dough and froze them on a sheet pan so i can bake them in a couple days. (I think you said to put them in ziploc after 3-4 hours but I’m hoping overnight won’t be too long until I can bag them up in the morning). I tasted the dough and it was delish! Very easy recipe to follow. I can’t wait to see how they thaw and bake!
Thank you so much for sharing. I bet your rolls will be just fine over night so long as they were somewhat covered to prevent the risk of freezer burn. I hope that they turn out delicious when you pull them out to bake. 🙂
I have made these a few times and we like very, but is it really supposed to be 2 tablespoons of yeast. That seems like a lot.
Hey Carol, that is a valid question, and yes, the yeast is correct. Generally speaking, many bakers recommend 1 package of yeast (2.25 teaspoons) for every 4 cups of flour. This recipe has 8.5 cups of flour, so it would need at least 4.75 teaspoons (1.5 tablespoons). Furthermore, sugar affects fermentation, and so this recipe includes a bit more yeast to compensate.
These look fabulous and I’m going to make today! Wondering if possible to replace vegetable oil with melted butter, and honey for sugar? Thank you! This is just what I was looking for!
Hey Gina! You can definitely replace vegetable oil with melted butter – they taste fantastic with this substitution. I have not replaced the sugar with honey, however. The honey introduces extra liquid, so you may have to add a bit more flour to compensate. Let me know how it goes?
The search is over, I’ve been searching for the best bun recipe. This is it! All the others say they’re the softest, but these really are! I did substitute melted butter and honey without making any other changes. They were perfect. I did have a question though. Have you tried making these without yeast and long fermenting them? I have some in my family that prefer the long fermentation because of difficulties with wheat.
There’s such high praise! Thank you so much. I have not tried it with a long fermentation, but I bet it would work well. I’ll need to play around with the recipe and see what I can come up with.
My favourite recipe!! The fluffiest bread rolls ever!
I normally just use white flour like the recipe calls for but today I used 850 grams white and the rest whole wheat and they were still so beautiful!
I also sub out the sugar for honey.
I love using a mix of wheat and white flour in baking! And thank you so much for letting me know that honey works as a substitute for sugar – I’ve been curious about whether it charged the consistency of the dough. Your feedback has been super helpful.
Absolutely amazing! ???? Our family recently moved to Uganda and it’s very difficult to find good (soft, fluffy) bread here. Most of the expats I know make their own. But I’m gluten-free so that adds a level of complexity. I finally decided to try to make my own sourdough starter using a gluten-free 1-to-1 flour I get from Kenya. It worked REALLY well! So I tried this recipe… WOW! You never would have known they were gluten-free, and my husband said they are the softest, most American-like bread product he’s had since we arrived in Uganda. ???? We will absolutely be making these again! Thank you so much for such an easy and delicious recipe!
Oh wow! Thank you for such high praise. I’ve never tried this recipe with gluten free products so I’m glad that it worked well for you and your family.
Finally, finally, FINALLY! Gone are the days of sourdough dinner roll recipes that either come out like hard tack, or the dough is so wet and sticky and lacking shape that they never even rise during proofing and just slump over dead and can’t be baked! These rolls were FAN-F****ING-TASTIC!! Thank you so much! I can’t wait to experiment with these- olive and rosemary, cheddar and jalapeño, cinnamon rolls, using leftovers to make overnight sourdough French toast casserole…. The possibilities are *literally* endless! Thank you!!
Oh my goodness thank you! Your compliments made my day 🙂
These are amazing. They are perfectly fluffy! The only change I made was an accident… I closed the window on the phone and the history cleared, so I found a recipe which I thought was yours (it wasn’t) and it said to brush the tops with an egg wash, which I did. They are perfect! I will be saving this recipe so I don’t lose it, again!
Egg wash adds a a lot of fun color and texture to rolls so I’m glad that it worked out for you! Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
This is the only recipe I use for my discard. It’s so versatile. I’ve made caramel rolls, cinnamon bread, pepperoni bread, pizza crust, regular bread…. I am not good at using yeast. The key is to make the water warm as a hot tub. I always used to make mine too cold, but once I warmed the water up it worked. Also, make sure your yeast is fresh.
Wow that’s high praise and excellent advice! Thank you so much.
SUPER YUMMY! My friends were verrrry impressed with these rolls. I felt like a pro baker (and I’m a total sourdough newbie). Thank you for a great recipe! ????
Yay! I’m so happy. Thank you for the positive feedback.
These were amazing, my family loved them!
I’m very new to sourdough and sourdough discard recipes. Your recipe was easy to follow and the results were perfect!
Thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear that. You’ve made my day.
Hi
This recipe looks delicious, will definitely give it a try but I do not have an oven so can I make them in an air fryer. If yes then on what temperature should I bake them.
I just made these for Easter lunch tomorrow! First time ever making rolls and new to sourdough as well. I feel like a professional! They look and taste AMAZING! Never buying rolls at the store again! Thank you and God bless you!
Thank you so much! Your kind comment has made my day 🙂
Can you make them up in balls and freeze them and then thaw and bake them?
Absolutely!
Just made these today, I did cut the recipe in half and made each one about 40 grams each, it made 25. I put them to bake on a pizza pan, they are all touching. They look great and taste even better! Thank you for sharing.
Yay! Thank you so much for the positive feedback.
Hello! These are my go to roll recipe. I am wanting to sell them at a farmers market this weekend. What is the best temp and time to reheat them and how long can they stay out for? Thanks!
Hey Jeni! I hope the market goes well for you. These rolls dry out pretty fast if they’re left exposed to the open air. I recommend keeping them sealed in bags after they’ve cooled completely to avoid sweating too much. If you’re serving them warm from the oven, preheat to 350 and warm them for about 5 to 7 minutes. As far as how long they’ll stay fresh when exposed entirely depends on your environment.
This was my first effort at making dinner rolls and they were the BEST rolls ever!! So soft and fluffy, with a yummy flavor. I used half olive oil and half butter instead of traditional vegetable oil. These rolls are a prize winning recipe! Next stop cinnamon rolls. I am sure they will be amazing!!!
I just need some instruction on how to make the rolls round and uniform like yours…any suggestions??
Thank you!
That’s so wonderful to hear! The olive oil and butter sound like a winning combo. As far as rolling rolls goes, my secret is weighing them out on a kitchen scale so they’re approximately the same size, and then just rolling them around in my hands like a ball of play dough. I don’t do anything fancy, but I’ve made them so many times that they more or less look the same every time. If you need a cinnamon roll of this recipe, I have a large batch and a small batch version.
These turned out great. I even took part of the batch and rolled it into a rectangle, then topped with cheddar and rolled to make cheese buns. Super moist and delicious. They were a hit with my kids and we’ll make them again
Oh that sounds like fun! Great suggestion and thank you 🙂
I recently made these rolls with my “Potato Flake” discard. If you don’t know what it is, the starter is more watery than the traditional starter. However, I cut the recipe in half and followed it exactly. My rolls turned out better than any I have ever attempted. They are soft and fluffy. They taste amazing.
Oh awesome! I’ve been meaning to play around with a potato roll recipe. I’m so glad this worked out for you. Thank you for sharing
I’m about to try this recipe! Can you sub melted butter for the vegetable oil? I don’t have any on hand but usually use butter in the sandwich bread recipe I use.
Oh melted butter works beautifully and is absolutely delicious. I regularly swap between the two. Enjoy!
Have you tried freezing these before baking? I would love to use up quite a bit of discard at one time, while also stocking my freezer!
I have! These freeze beautifully and behave just like store bought frozen rolls. I love making them in big batches to freeze for later.
Thank you for the recipe I made it the other day for dinner and everyone in my family loved it! Even my mom and she is usually particular about food. This is going to be my go to dinner rolls recipe 😋
You’re most welcome! Thank you for the positive feedback.
I’ve been struggling in my sourdough journey and this is the only thing I’ve been able to make that was a success. Thank you! This is now going to be a staple in my household.
I’m so happy that you liked my recipe! I hope your sourdough journey continues to improve and leads you to more positive experiences.
I hope this recipe blows up online because it deserves the attention. I followed the ingredients and amounts by weight to a T, and the results were beyond my expectations. I have baked many rolls according to different recipes, but have never encountered such a perfect combination of flavour and texture. The feel of the dough was not promising prior to baking, so I was astonished by the final product which was soft and fluffy yet chewy all in the same bite. I added an egg wash, sesame seeds and flaked salt to the tops before baking and this only added to the already-perfect quality of the buns. I reckon the addition of the discard in this recipe is what really blows it out of the water. These buns do not have that overwhelming flavour of yeast that most yeast breads yield. I used high-quality ingredients (organic flour, grass-fed butter, avocado oil), but I’m not sure you could mess this recipe up with more accessible ingredients. I can’t get over how good these are. Thank you!!
Wow that’s really really high praise! Thank you so much. The addition of egg wash and sesame seeds sounds excellent – I’ll have to try that next time I make my rolls for sure.
Can you use instant rapid rise yeast in place of active dry?
Yes you can! Just toss the same amount in with everything else. They’re interchangeable.
Made these last night for our family Thanksgiving dinner, and everyone was raving about them. So glad I found your site and recipe. I have been baking for over 50 years and these were honestly the best buns I ever made. Thank you for sharing your excellent recipe!
That’s such high praise and it means so much to me. Thank you for your kind words.
I have just baked all of them and they are yum!
I want to freeze some After baking. will that work? i should have read thru before baking
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! And yes you can freeze them after baking 🙂
Wondering if you could sub the AP flour with either white whole wheat or a combo of white whole wheat & bread flour?
Yes you can! Though be aware that wheat flour tends to absorb more of the water resulting in a stiffer dough and denser rolls. You may wish to add a bit more water to achieve the consistency you want.
I made these today…they turned out GREAT ! I did two pans of regular rolls and one pan of garlic/rosemary from our yard. The is the best recipe… I also made them this morning early, placed them in the roll pans to rise, placed them in the refrigerator for 3 hours, pulled them out and let them finish rising…then baked… just perfect…the texture and taste are Wonderfull. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Kiz Rogers… Washington Utah.
Such high praise! Thank you so much for your positive feedback. It means a lot to me.
Dough has great flavor from my small taste. What temperature should these be when done baking? I’ve got them in the oven right now, so I should have commented sooner. Hopefully you’ll see this.
Hey Bonni, sorry if I’m too late, but generally rolls and bread are considered done if they reach at least 195 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. I hope your rolls turned out tasty!
These rolls are amazing! I followed the recipe exactly and they were a major hit at Thanksgiving. So much so kids asked I make them again few days later! Love the simple recipe and the fact that they can be made in less than 3 hours!!! This is my go to roll recipe now!
Wonderful to hear! Thank you so much.
Hello! I have a question. I froze the rolls like you said, but they had already risen, will that make a difference? Also, I made them a bit smaller, 50g, do I need to adjust the temp and time? Thank you. Also, made a batch that I did not freeze and they were amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Those are good questions. I think the bake time and temp should remain the same if you fit them all together on the same pan – they should still rise and fill in the gaps and bake about the same as usual. However, if you separate them into two pans to give them more room to rise, then I think baking times will need to be adjusted. As far as freezing the rolls after they rise, it does make things more difficult because they’ll keep rising as they thaw. If rolls rise too much, they’ll hit a point where they will deflate and their texture won’t be as good. I don’t think these rolls will bake well directly from frozen – but I haven’t tried since I usually thaw them. I would probably lower the temperature and bake for much longer to allow the middle to cook thoroughly.
I was so excited to find this recipe that didn’t require milk or eggs and could be done in one day. I made these for our Friendsgiving and they were a hit! My friend said they tasted just like the ones her grandma used to make. I’m making them today for our Friendsmas. It was the only request! I’m planning on using half the dough to make cinnamon rolls to send home with everyone. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Oh that’s so wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing.
I love this recipe and so does my family. Wondering if you have a dinner roll recipe that uses active sourdough starter and no Dry Active Yeast or could tell me how to convert this recipe to use Active Starter? Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoy my recipe! Unfortunately I do not have a recipe that uses active starter. I should definitely try to work on one though. Thank you for the suggestion.
I love to bake. This was my first time baking with sourdough discard. These may have knocked my tried and true recipe out of first place. Light, soft bun with a delicate taste. So good!
That’s such high praise! Thank you so much.
Holy! I made these tonight and they turned out absolutely incredible. I had discard that was like 5 days old in the fridge so I wanted to try and make something with it. I made it exactly as written and I so wish I could send a picture because they look like they are from a high end bakery. They were easy to make and they are absolutely delicious!! I will definitely be making these a lot!! Thank you for the recipe. I used bread flour after reading a comment that was made and you said they’d be even better and they were perfection 🙌
Oh wow! That’d such high praise. You made my entire week. Thank you so much for sharing. I’m so happy you liked my recipes!
Simple recipe with amazing results! I used 75% bread flour and 25% whole wheat flour. They looked, smelled, and tasted better than any other recipe I have tried. Thank you!
Yay! Thank you so much. I’m so happy to hear that.
I doubled the sugar the second time I made this dough and made two trays of perfect cinnamon rolls that my kids are begging for more of already!! Thanks for sharing this recipe it is so well thought out and turns out beautifully.
You’re welcome! You’re absolutely right that these make great cinnamon rolls. Thanks for sharing and happy baking.