Super Soft Sourdough Discard Rolls

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• 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!

  • 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!