Soft Sourdough Dinner Rolls With Olive Oil
These soft sourdough dinner rolls will make the perfect side to your favorite comfort dish. Whether you serve it with a warm cozy soup or turn it into pulled pork sliders, the choices are limitless.
Pillowy soft, slightly sweet and tangy, these homemade sourdough dinner rolls will simply melt in your mouth. Everyone will ask for more at the dinner table.
Why you will love this recipe:
Super soft and tender: these sourdough rolls have a light and fluffy crumb that is easy to pull apart.
Dairy free and egg free: made without milk, butter or eggs, these dinner rolls use only olive oil to achieve the same affect and are perfect for those who prefer not to use dairy and eggs in their recipe.
Sourdough goodness: this traditional way of baking bread is not only better for you but will give your dinner rolls a distinct tangy flavor that will transform your dinning experience.
Ease of making: whether you are a seasoned sourdough baker or a beginner baker you will find this recipe easy to make with straightforward instructions.
Same day bake: this recipe can be prepared in the morning and baked in the afternoon, No cold retard is required. The whole process for me took around 9 hours from start to finish and I could go about my day after preparing the dough for bulk fermentation (times may vary for each individual baker).
Versatility: you can use these sweet sourdough dinner rolls for anything you need bread for. From soups, sandwiches, burgers, sliders, to serving as a side to any dish of your choice. Can be served warm or cold.
Ingredients:
Bread flour: I used a 13% protein strong bread flour.
Sourdough starter: equal parts flour and water. I used my starter at peak but unfed starter straight from the fridge works as well (it will just extend bulk fermentation time). Note: a starving and acidic starter might not yield the same results.
Olive oil: I used a high quality extra virgin olive oil. This is important for the flavor and texture of the rolls.
Granulated sugar: I used unrefined sugar.
Water: make sure you use filtered water when making sourdough. Use room temperature or slightly warm (not hot)
Salt: I used Celtic sea salt (my favorite), but you can use whatever you have on hand except iodised salt.
How to make soft sourdough dinner rolls:
Before starting make sure you feed your sourdough starter so it can reach peak by the time you need it. I like to feed it the night before at a 1:2:2 ratio. In my cold kitchen it takes about 8 hrs to peak (in the summer it is significantly less. Please do not worry if you haven’t caught your starter at peak and it has deflated. It will still work great.
Make the dough:
- In a large bowl mix the flour, salt, and sugar.
- Add the olive oil and sourdough starter.
- Add water and give it a good mix. Make sure to scrape the sides and not leave any dry flour.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and leave it for 10-15 minutes.
- Dump the dough on a clean working surface and start kneading. You might fin it useful to use a bench scraper.
- You will find the dough rather sticky at this point but keep kneading.
- Knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. You can also use a mixer with the dough hook attachments.
- Shape the dough into a bowl and place it into a slightly oiled bowl.
Bulk ferment the dough:
- Cover it with a damp towel and let it bulk ferment in a warm spot in your kitchen.
- The dough is done bulk fermenting when it has a slight domed shape on the surface, has doubled in size, it is jiggly and light, and has lots of large bubbles on the surface.
Shape the rolls:
- Flour your kitchen counter and dump the dough onto it.
- Stretch the dough gently into a rectangular shape and lift the sides to fold it inward (as if you would shape a loaf).
- Flip the dough making sure all side are well floured.
- With your bench scraper or a sharp knife, divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Mine were approximately 150g each.
- Shape each piece into a ball on the floured surface. I like to gently flatten the piece of dough (like you would do with pizza, but with a lighter hand) and then lift each side and stick it together. Then I turn it upside down and shape into a ball between my hands and gently dragging it on the surface of the table.
- Once shaped place the rolls on your baking tray lined with parchment paper. I actually used a round cast iron skillet. I arranged them in a concentric way.
- Gently press on the rolls and cover them with a dry kitchen towel.
- Let them rest for 30-40 minutes.
Bake dinner rolls:
- Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C).
- Bake the rolls for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Brush the sourdough rolls with olive oil (butter if you prefer) while they are still warm.
- Let them cool down for a few minutes before serving.
- Serve and enjoy!
ProTips:
- If your dough is too sticky let it rest for a bit longer and try again. An extra 10 minutes could do the work.
- You can also add extra flour in small increments. Start with a tablespoon. Let the dough rest and try again.
- The dough can benefit from the slap and fold technique. It helps activate the gluten faster.
- Work with wet hands and a bench scraper.
- If your dough is not rising it can be an issue with the starter or the room temperature is too low. Put the dough in a warmer spot. Try the oven light method.
Baking schedule:
This baking schedule is to be used as a guideline and not as an exact timeline. The time-frame can be different for each person. Only rely on reading your dough.
Here is an example of a same day baking schedule:
8:00 am Prepare the dough.
8:15 am Knead the dough and let it bulk ferment.
4:00 pm Divide the dough and shape.
4:30 pm Bake the dough.
5:00 pm Finish baking and take it out of the oven.
Note: if you need a longer fermentation time, keep the dough in a cooler place. You can even put the bowl in a tray filled with ice cubes. It will slow down the fermentation process. If you need faster fermentation time, put the dough in a warm spot (top of the fridge, oven with just the light on).
More sourdough bread recipes:
Soft Sourdough Dinner Rolls With Olive Oil
Equipment
- 1 Baking tray
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 cups bread flour approx. 660g
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter (equal parts flour and water) approx. 125g
- 1 1/2 cups water approx. 360g
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar approx. 50g
- 1/4 cup olive oil (plus a bit extra for brushing on top) approx. 50g
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a large bowl mix the flour, salt, and sugar.
- Add the olive oil and sourdough starter.
- Add water and give it a good mix. Make sure to scrape the sides and not leave any dry flour.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and leave it for 10-15 minutes.
- Dump the dough on a clean working surface and start kneading. You might fin it useful to use a bench scraper.
- You will find the dough rather sticky at this point but keep kneading.
- Knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. You can also use a mixer with the dough hook attachments.
- Shape the dough into a bowl and place it into a slightly oiled bowl.
Bulk ferment the dough:
- Cover it with a damp towel and let it bulk ferment in a warm spot in your kitchen.
- The dough is done bulk fermenting when it has a slight domed shape on the surface, has doubled in size, it is jiggly and light, and has lots of large bubbles on the surface.
Shape the rolls:
- Flour your kitchen counter and dump the dough onto it.
- Stretch the dough gently into a rectangular shape and lift the sides to fold it inward (as if you would shape a loaf).
- Flip the dough making sure all side are well floured.
- With your bench scraper or a sharp knife, divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Mine were approximately 150g each.
- Shape each piece into a ball on the floured surface. I like to gently flatten the piece of dough (like you would do with pizza, but with a lighter hand) and then lift each side and stick it together. Then I turn it upside down and shape into a ball between my hands and gently dragging it on the surface of the table.
- Once shaped place the rolls on your baking tray lined with parchment paper. I actually used a round cast iron skillet. I arranged them in a concentric way.
- Gently press on the rolls and cover them with a dry kitchen towel.
- Let them rest for 30-40 minutes.
Bake dinner rolls:
- Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C).
- Bake the rolls for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Brush the sourdough rolls with olive oil (butter if you prefer) while they are still warm.
- Let them cool down for a few minutes before serving.
- Serve and enjoy!
