Soft Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls (2-Hour Recipe)
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Craving that amazing sourdough flavor, but you don’t have days to wait? These Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls are my go-to weeknight fix! They’ve got just the right tang, similar to buttermilk, and turn out soft, fluffy, and buttery every time.
With a little help from instant yeast, you can mix, rise, and bake them in just 2 hours! It’s the fastest way to get warm, homemade bread on the table without the long wait.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
You can have fresh sourdough bread on the table tonight.
This easy sourdough dinner isn’t one of those all-day bakes. With instant yeast, you can mix, rise, and bake these rolls in just a few hours. You’ll have warm, homemade bread tonight without spending the whole day in the kitchen.
When you have extra time, try my Sourdough Dinner Rolls or Sourdough Crescent Rolls, made with an active sourdough starter. These soft dinner rolls have a deeper flavor that’s worth the wait.
A great way to make good use of your extra discard
If you’re one of those people who bake sourdough often, you probably have a jar of discard sitting in the fridge. This sourdough discard rolls recipe is the best way to use it instead of throwing it away. It turns what some people waste into something you’ll be proud to serve to your family or guests.
These dinner rolls bake up soft and fluffy
The dough has milk, butter, and bread flour, which makes it rich, soft, and easy to pull apart. These homemade rolls come out tender inside with that perfect golden top.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
- Milk – Use warm milk and melted butter, but make sure the mixture isn’t hotter than 110°F. Too much heat can kill the instant yeast and discard and prevent your dough from rising properly. I used whole milk in this easy homemade dinner roll recipe, but non-dairy options like almond milk works just fine.
- Sourdough discard – I use fresh, room temperature sourdough discard that’s no older than 1-2 days. You can use older discard, but it will bring a more tangy flavor to the rolls. If using discard straight from the fridge, it’ll slow down the rise time. By the way, you can swap in the same amount of active starter (grams).
- Sugar – If you’d prefer a natural sweetener, you can use the same amount of honey by weight.
- Flour– You can use all-purpose flour for these rolls, but I recommend bread flour. Its higher protein content results in softer, fluffier dinner rolls.
- Instant yeast – I used instant commercial yeast for this recipe, not active dry yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in liquid to activate and takes longer to rise dough. Instant yeast, in contrast , can be added directly to dry ingredients, and it works much faster.
Baking Time For Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls
|
Time |
Process |
|---|---|
|
3:00 PM |
Mix dough |
|
3:15 PM |
First rise |
|
4:15 PM |
Shaping and second rise |
|
5:00 PM |
Bake |
How to Make Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls
- Add the milk, sourdough discard, egg, melted butter, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix until smooth.
- To the wet ingredients, add the flour, instant yeast and salt. Mix again on low speed until a shaggy dough is formed, then knead the dough on medium speed for 6-8 minutes.
- Remove the dough and place it in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it double in size.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the top of the dough to remove all the air bubbles. Then, place the dough on a lightly floured work surface.
- With a bench scraper, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces.
- Pull the corners of the dough towards the center, flip, and then roll each piece of dough into a round, tight ball. Place them on a greased 9×13 baking dish. Repeat until all the rolls are shaped.
- Once shaped, cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for its second rise. The final proof is complete when the rolls have grown and look puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for 18-22 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.
- Remove the buns from the oven and brush more butter on top. Serve warm and enjoy!
How to Store
Room Temperature
Make sure the leftover dinner rolls are fully cooled before storing. Set them in a single layer inside an airtight container with a paper towel underneath and on top. Using paper towel helps keep that perfect soft texture. They hold up best at room temp for 2-3 days.
Freezer
If freezing, pack them in a zip-top bag, squeeze out as much air as you can, and thaw on the counter before reheating. Then, pop them in a warm oven for 5 minutes or microwave for 10 seconds under a damp paper towel.
FAQs
Yes, an active starter works perfectly. Use the same amount, measured by weight.
Yes, honey works well for these dinner rolls. For the best rolls ever, use the same amount of honey as sugar when measuring by weight. Honey adds a mild natural sweetness and helps the tops of the rolls brown nicely while baking.
Yes, you sure can use active dry yeast for these homemade sourdough rolls. Stir it into the warm milk and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until it starts to foam before mixing your dough. Because active dry yeast works more slowly, the dough will take longer to rise during both the first and second proof. Everything else in the recipe stays the same.
Yes, all-purpose flour works just fine. Bread flour gives these pull-apart rolls a little extra structure and chew because it has more protein, but all-purpose still makes soft, tender rolls. You might notice the texture is slightly lighter, but the flavor will be just as good.
Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls Recipe
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Ingredients
- 220 grams milk, warm 3/4 cup + 3 Tablespoons
- 100 grams sourdough discard, room temperature 1/3 cup
- 1 egg room temperature
- 57 grams unsalted butter, melted 4 Tablespoons
- 24 grams sugar 2 Tablespoons
- 450 grams bread flour 3 3/4 cups
- 7 grams instant yeast 2 teaspoons
- 9 grams salt 1 ½ teaspoon
Instructions
Mix Dough
- To a bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm milk, room temperature sourdough discard, egg, melted butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until smooth.Reminder: The temperature of the warm milk and melted butter was 110 degrees F. Any hotter can kill the instant yeast. You use sourdough discard straight from the fridge, but this can slow down the rise time. This dough can also be kneaded by hand. I would increase the kneading to 10-15 minutes.220 grams milk, warm, 57 grams unsalted butter, melted, 100 grams sourdough discard, room temperature, 1 egg, 24 grams sugar
- To the wet ingredients, add the flour, instant yeast and salt. With the hook attachment, mix again on low speed. Stop to scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the dry ingredients and then continue to mix on medium speed for 6-8 minutes.You’ll know the dough has been kneaded completely when it is smooth and elastic. The dough will completely pull away from the sides of the bowl when it is being kneaded and it will pass the windowpane test.7 grams instant yeast, 450 grams bread flour, 9 grams salt
- Remove the dough and place it in a lightly greased bowl and cover
BULK RISE:
- Place the dough in a warm place in your kitchen and allow the dough to double in size.
- In my 70 degree F proofing box, this took about 1 hour. The bulk rise greatly depends on the temperature of your dough and kitchen. If you have a colder kitchen, the rise time will take longer. If your kitchen runs warm, the first rise will take less time.*See notes for Make-Ahead Options*
SHAPE:
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the top of the dough to remove all the air bubbles. Then, place the dough on a lightly floured work surface.
- With a bench scraper, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces (about 55 grams each).
- Pull the corners of the dough towards the center, flip, and then roll each piece of dough into a round, tight ball. Place them in a greased 9×13 metal baking dish. Repeat until all the rolls are shaped.
Second Rise
- Once shaped, cover the baking dish with this plastic wrap and let the dough rest for its second rise. The final proof is complete when the rolls have grown and look puffy. This took about 30-45 minutes.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the buns are beautifully golden brown and the internal temperature is 190 – 200 degrees F. If the buns are starting to brown too quickly, cover them with aluminum foil and continue to bake.
- Remove the Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls from the oven and brush the top of each roll with melted butter. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
MAKE-AHEAD Option
If you are looking to prepare these Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls in advance – here are some options and tips! Freeze & Bake Option 1: Prepare the dough and once it has doubled in size, cover the bowl and chill the dough in the fridge overnight. The following morning, shape the dinner rolls and allow them to rise and get fluffy in a warm place before baking as normal. Option 2: Prepare the dough and shape the dinner rolls the night before, then pop the covered baking dish into the fridge overnight. Pull out the unbaked rolls 1-2 hours before baking to allow them to rise and get fluffy in a warm place. Option 3: Prepare the dough and shape the dinner rolls, then pop the covered baking dish into the freezer. Once frozen solid, about an hour or so, place the sourdough dinner rolls into a freezer-safe bag and store for 2-3 weeks for the best results. When ready to bake, place the frozen rolls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and place them in the refrigerator the night before. The following day, take them out of the fridge and allow them to rise in a warm place, about 1.5-2 hours, or until fluffy. Bake as normal. Bake, Freeze & Reheat Otherwise, you can bake the dinner rolls as normal, then allow them to cool to room temperature. Cover the rolls tightly with plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag. When ready to enjoy, allow the rolls to thaw on the counter top at room temperature. Once thawed, reheat them in a 350 degree F oven for about 8-10 minutes or until warmed through.Ingredients & Substitutions
- Milk – Use warm milk and melted butter, but make sure the mixture isn’t hotter than 110°F. Too much heat can kill the instant yeast and discard and prevent your dough from rising properly. I used whole milk in this easy homemade dinner roll recipe, but non-dairy options like almond milk works just fine.
- Sourdough discard – I use fresh, room temperature sourdough discard that’s no older than 1-2 days. You can use older discard, but it will bring a more tangy flavor to the rolls. If using discard straight from the fridge, it’ll slow down the rise time. By the way, you can swap in the same amount of active starter (grams).
- Sugar – If you’d prefer a natural sweetener, you can use the same amount of honey by weight.
- Flour– You can use all-purpose flour for these rolls, but I recommend bread flour. Its higher protein content results in softer, fluffier dinner rolls.
- Instant yeast – I used instant commercial yeast for this recipe, not active dry yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in liquid to activate and takes longer to rise dough. Instant yeast, in contrast , can be added directly to dry ingredients, and it works much faster.
This is our go-to recipe when we need dinner on the table fast! So soft, fluffy and the perfect side.
These came out amazing. It was my first time making dinner rolls too! I swapped the sugar for honey and I kneaded the dough by hand, took about 25-30 minutes. I put some good tunes on and had a great time!!
Ahh I love this so much! I’m thrilled they turned out amazing—especially for your first time making dinner rolls! Swapping the sugar for honey is a great idea, and I’m seriously impressed that you hand-kneaded for 25–30 minutes. That’s some dedication (and the perfect excuse for good tunes!).
Thank you for sharing your bake with me!
This is the only dinner roll recipe that you’ll ever need! Fabulous!
Thank you so much for this lovely review! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much.
Thank you for such an easy-to-follow recipe!
You are so welcome! Thrilled you enjoyed it and I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. Thank you!
Does the baking dish have to be metal? I just have a glass one.
Great question! You can use a glass baking dish, so no worries there. Just keep in mind that glass heats a bit differently than metal. I recommend lowering the oven temperature by about 25°F and keeping an eye on the rolls toward the end of baking, as glass can cause the bottoms to brown a little faster.
If the tops are getting golden before the rolls are fully baked, you can loosely tent them with foil for the last few minutes. They’ll still turn out soft and delicious in a glass dish!
Great recipe!! I only had active dry yeast on hand so I activated it after warming up the milk. It did take slightly longer but it actually worked out as I was doing other stuff in the kitchen.
Taste is great, soft & fluffy!!
That’s wonderful to hear—thank you so much for sharing!
Active dry yeast is a great swap here, and you’re exactly right that it just needs a little extra time after being activated. I love that the longer rise actually fit into your kitchen rhythm, and I’m so happy the rolls still turned out soft, fluffy, and delicious. Thanks for taking the time to leave such a helpful note for others, too!
Thank you for posting this! I only have active dry yeast as well and planning to make these for dinner. How you did it is exactly what I was planning to do. Glad you had success! Looking forward to baking these.
Hope you love the recipe, Colleen!
We love these rolls! Light and fluffy and delicious and EASY!
We can’t get enough of them either! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this thoughtful comment!