Homemade Sourdough Discard Rolls (Easy 3 Hour Dinner Rolls)
These 8-ingredient sourdough discard rolls are easy to make and incorporate sourdough discard for an extra depth of flavor. You can prep them ahead of time for hot-out-the-oven dinner rolls in a jiffy.
- Need to use up some sourdough discard?
- Love the extra flavor discard adds to a recipe?
- Want some homemade rolls for supper but no time for long-fermented sourdough bread?
If you said yes to any of these questions, then you’re going to love these sourdough discard rolls.
This recipe is adapted from my favorite yeasted dinner rolls recipe, which everyone raves about over the holidays. My mother-in-law always asks me to bring them for our Thanksgiving gatherings, and my husband and kids are happy to eat them any day of the week.
It was a light-bulb moment when I realized I could add discard to any regular yeasted bread recipe. I love the tangy depth of flavor that discard imparts to my baked goods, and I have converted so many cookie recipes into sourdough discard cookie recipes because of the delicious effect it has.
These rolls are soft, fluffy, and oh-so buttery. You can whip them up in about 3 hours or prep them ahead of time for a quick and convenient side dish right when you need it.
Make Ahead Directions
You can easily prep these rolls ahead of time for busy days or holiday frenzies. Follow these instructions: mix up the dough, allow it to rise for the first time, punch the dough down, then shape the rolls. Place the rolls in a buttered baking dish and cover them with plastic wrap.
Pop your dish full of shaped rolls into the refrigerator, and allow them to slowly rise for up to 24 hours. You can do this in the evening the night before. Keep the unbaked rolls in the fridge overnight, and then take them out the next day and set them on the counter at room temp while the oven preheats — about 30 minutes before you are ready to bake them.
Quick-Guide How-To Make Sourdough Discard Rolls
- Mix up the dough. I like to bring the ingredients to room temp before mixing.
- Cover for 1st rise: 60-90 minutes.
- Punch down and shape rolls.
- Cover for 2nd rise: 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat oven and bake at 375F.
- Brush tops with melted butter.
Instant Yeast or Active Yeast?
Does it matter? No. Use what you have. Here is the difference:
Instant yeast can be added straight to dry ingredients, and you don’t need to do the extra step of activating it by dissolving it in liquid. They both will work perfectly, but if you use active yeast, the rise time will take a bit longer, and you need to dissolve the yeast granules in the lukewarm liquid before adding the rest of the ingredients.
To use active dry yeast in place of instant yeast, start by warming the milk to lukewarm between 100 degrees F to 110 degrees F. Then, add in the yeast and whisk it up. Cover the mixture and leave for about 10 minutes or until it gets bubbly. After this, you can continue adding the rest of the ingredients.
No Stand Mixer Required.
If you’ve got one, great. I love to work smarter instead of harder, but you don’t need one for this recipe. Mine has been out of service for a long while, so I have gotten used to mixing up bread dough by hand. It’s easy and therapeutic!
Start the dough by bringing the ingredients to room temperature. This makes incorporating the butter easier. Add the warm milk, yeast, sugar, discard, eggs, and softened butter to a large mixing bowl.
Use a hand-held mixer or wooden spoon to incorporate everything together. Then, add the flour and salt and use a wooden spoon to mix the dough until it becomes too difficult to stir.
Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes if mixing in a stand mixer, or dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and finish incorporating the flour and kneading by hand for 10 minutes. The dough should look smooth and elastic.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow to bulk rise for the 1st rise. This may take about 60-90 minutes. Let it rise until it doubles in size. I like to use a cylinder-shaped pitcher to bulk-rise my dough. It is much easier to see precisely when it has doubled.
Punch down the dough and then split the dough into 15 roughly equal-sized portions. Use your hand to cup each dough ball and pull it towards you while turning in a circular motion to create a tight ball shape.
Place each ball of dough into a buttered 9×13 baking dish. You can also use a large cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise a second time for 45-60 minutes or until rolls are very puffed up.
Get the oven preheated to 375 degrees F, and once it is ready, bake the rolls for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. I don’t care for doughy centers, so I tend to bake for a couple extra minutes. You can tent the rolls with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.
Remove rolls from the oven and brush a tablespoon of melted butter over the tops.
Homemade Sourdough Discard Rolls (Easy 3 Hour Dinner Rolls)
Ingredients
- 1 Cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons instant yeast
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 Teaspoons salt
- 1/2 Cup sourdough starter discard
- 6 Tablespoons salted butter softened
- 2 eggs
- 5 Cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon melted butter for brushing
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the warm milk, yeast, sugar, discard, eggs, and softened butter; you can also use a stand mixer. This works best if the ingredients are at room temp.
- Next, add the flour and salt, and use a wooden spoon to mix the dough until it becomes too difficult to stir.
- Dump the dough onto a surface to finish incorporating and knead by hand for 10 minutes. 6-8 minutes if using a stand mixer. The dough should look smooth and elastic.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size. This can take around 60-90 minutes.
- Once doubled, punch down the dough and shape 15 equal-sized dough balls.
- Place each dough ball into a greased 9×13 baking dish. A 3×5 pattern works well.
- Cover again and allow to rise for the second time 45-60 minutes or until very puffed up.
- Preheat oven to 375F and bake rolls for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush melted butter over the tops of warm rolls. Serve.
