Easy Crusty Sourdough Rolls
Learn how to make these reader-favorite chewy and crusty sourdough rolls using a small amount of yeast and a special steam technique in your oven. Easy to make, with a great crust and soft interior.
This is the most popular of all my sourdough bread recipes. You’ll love how flexible this recipe is: make them for dinner tonight, sandwiches for lunch, or freeze them for later.
Crusty Sourdough Rolls
Ingredients
- 7 ounces active sourdough starter 1 ¼ cups / 200 grams
- 13 ounces bread flour 2 ½ cups to 3 cups / 370 grams
- 6.5 oz water ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon / 185 grams
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon yeast
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Instructions
- Mix all ingredients except salt and yeast. Combine the starter, flour, water, and sugar in a large bowl. Stir well, using your hands if needed to incorporate all ingredients. The mixture may look dry but will feel slightly sticky to the touch. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature for thirty minutes.
- Knead in the salt and yeast. Add the salt and yeast on top of the dough, and knead until smooth, stretchy, and elastic. (If using a bread machine, set it on the dough cycle. For a stand mixer, set it on low about 5 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead for about 10 minutes.) Check the consistency of the dough after a few minutes of kneading. It may seem sticky, but should clear the sides of the bowl and should not be too difficult to work with. If it seems very wet, add more flour a few tablespoons at a time.
- The first rise. When the dough is kneaded, cover it and put in in a warm place to rise between 60-90 minutes, until nearly doubled in size.
- Shape the rolls. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter or a cutting board. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or oil and flour. Dust the top of the parchment with cornmeal. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, either by dividing into half, then quarters, then eighths, or by. using a kitchen scale. Shape the pieces into rolls by pinching the bottoms. Place on the cornmeal dusted parchment. Rub the tops with flour. Slash, if desired, using a lame or sharp knife.
- The second rise. Cover the rolls with heavily greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes, until puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place one rack in the center, and one in the lower middle area. Place an empty baking sheet on the lower rack to get hot while the oven preheats.
- Bake with steam. When the oven has heated and the rolls have risen, pour one cup of water on the hot baking sheet to create steam. (It may buckle, this is ok.). Place the rolls inside and bake for 17-21 minutes, until browned outside. Cool rolls on wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
It only took me a million different tries to get this recipe right. I really hope you like them.
Adding steam is the secret method that gives them the artisan look and nice high rise. We’re doing it the cheap way without a profession steam oven. Just pour some water onto a hot pan as your putting the rolls in to bake. Now they’ll have a steamy environment that lets them rise higher and faster.
Getting the dough right is super important too. You want it slightly sticky but not so sticky that it’s hard to handle.
Tips for Success
Let them cool for at least 30 minutes; they’ll finish baking as they cool
You need to eyeball your dough. If it’s super wet, add flour. If it’s dry and crumbly add water. Just a little of each will make a difference.
The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but still feel slightly tacky.
Pinch the bottom of each roll to shape them, don’t squish down from the top.
This is one of the keys to a great oven spring. Don’t be afraid of this process.
Set up your oven like this, with a metal-rimmed baking sheet on a lower rack. (Do not use glass, or it will shatter!)
Ingredients and Equipment
Sourdough Starter: Should be active and bubbly, about the consistency of pancake batter
Bread Flour: Gives you chewier rolls with better structure
Digital Scale: Not required but really helps with consistency
Baking Sheet: You’ll need two – one for the rolls and one for creating steam
Parchment Paper: Prevents sticking and makes cleanup easier
Most sourdough starter is a thick, pourable liquid with the consistency of pancake batter. If yours is thicker or thinner, you will need to adjust the amount of water, so start with a lesser amount and add more slowly if needed.
Make It Your Own
- Try substituting up to 25% whole wheat flour
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil for softer rolls
- Divide into 12 pieces instead of 8 for dinner roll size
- No bread flour? All-purpose works too – just use a bit less water
Kneading Options
To knead by hand
Fold the dough in half, then punch it down. Stretch it out again, fold, and punch. Repeat this process for at least five minutes, until the dough is stretchy and smooth. You should be able to pull it flat without tearing it.
Kneading with a stand mixer
Place the dough in your mixer bowl with the dough hook and let it run on low for five to ten minutes.
Bread machine method
Simply add everything to the bucket and select the dough cycle. When the machine beeps, you’ll have a risen dough that’s ready to shape. I use this method the most.
Common Questions
You can reduce the water a bit and use all-purpose. They won’t be as chewy though. I really recommend bread flour!
You probably used all-purpose flour or measured it differently. Add some more flour. You’ll be okay.
Yes, an overnight rise in the refrigerator will work. Just shape them the next day, let them rise again, and bake.
I hope you come over to the sourdough dark side where everything is easy and works with your everyday life. This is a recipe you’ll make over and over.
By Katie Shaw
Katie shares simple, reliable recipes from her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens.
Easy to follow recipe, and oh my gosh, are they delicious! Turned out perfectly, and the texture is spot-on. Yum! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.
You are very welcome, Wendy! So glad you liked them 🙂
Made these rolls tonight to go with a smoked pulled pork my boyfriend worked on all day…delicious!!! Crusty and soft, they didn’t get soggy by the end of the meal either. This is a keeper recipe. My only problem was kneading without adding extra flour, so I added just enough to get the job done. Thank you do much for pistong this recipe.
So glad you liked them them Doreen! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
This recipe is great, thank you! I was a little worried about how little the rolls rose before baking, but they baked up beautifully with lots of lovely air pockets inside. I served the rolls as a side with a turkey wild rice soup and my family loved it!
So glad you liked it Annie!
These rolls were delicious. Lightly chewy on the outside but soft on the inside. Lovely flavor. I live in the desert, so my flour is always dry, and everything takes more liquid. I started out as recommended, but used 1.25 c. starter rather than 7 oz. Also I don’t have bread flour so I used all-purpose. All great until time to knead. This was seriously — how do you knead dough without adding flour? I tried. Picture my hands dripping with dough, the cutting board gripping tightly, a big sloosh, sloosh as I attempted to ‘knead’ this dough-that-is-more-like-batter. Probably my error. Eventually gave up and scraped all the dough together and added flour and kneaded properly. All else went perfectly. I did use the convection setting on my oven and would drop the temp if I did like that again … just thought the steam was important, but could drop the temp to 425 after putting the rolls in. Anyway, really delicious and wanted to say thank you and share my geographic issues.
Hi Ann, I’ve found that for some reason with this dough it looks dry at first and then gets wetter over time, which is kind of weird! I’m glad it all worked out for you in the end and thanks for letting me know.
The dough looked dry to me, as well, but after it rested for the first 20 min. period, it absorbed all the flour. Yes, it was a very loose dough, however – I found a tip on another site that recommended pulling and “folding” the dough instead of standard kneading. To do this, you grab an edge of the dough in the bowl and pull it up, then lay it on top of the dough. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. You keep pulling and folding the pulled section over the dough for five minutes. Let it rest for five, then repeat pulling and folding for five. I never took the dough out of the bowl until it was time to form the balls. It became easier and easier to work with, and eventually didn’t stick to my hands at all. And it rose beautifully!
I was wondering if I can use the metal bowl for my stand mixer. I know metal is no good for the starter but can I use it for kneading the dough?
Yes that is absolutely fine, I would just transfer it to different bowl for rising (although to be honest I think that would be fine too)
I live in Colorado at a little over 5000 feet above sea level and I’m going to try this recipe on Sunday. Do you think I need to make any adjustments for my altitude? Also, thanks for your educational tips.
I never knew what a lame was and now I am going to get one.
Hmmm I wish I knew more about high altitude baking! My FIL lived in Colorado during grad school and said he always had to add a little more liquid to recipes and bake them at a higher temperature for a shorter time. I found this website which might be helpful to you. Good luck! https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/sourdough/how-altitude-affects-sourdough-baking/
I live in Utah at just under 6000 ft elevation, and these rolls turn out awesome every time! I do the weights just as written. I let my stand mixer do the kneading for almost 10 minutes, and the dough is lovely.
Cynthia thank you so much for adding this! I always wonder about higher elevations. I’m glad you like them.
OMG, I have been making sourdough bread for a number of years, some good, some not so. THIS recipe and method are so awesome, THANK you for all your efforts and for sharing you recipe!!! I made one small change because I love the sour flavour, I subbed 1/4 t citric acid as part of the salt…AWESOME!!
Geri this comment makes me so happy!! So glad you enjoyed it and I love the tip about the citric acid!
I’m asking these tonight!! I appreciate how easy to understand your recipe is.
I’m so excited! and thank you!
These are amazing! Thank you!
You are welcome! Glad you liked them!
Definitely need to try this! My hubby will eat the whole batch. Thanks for the tip in weighing:)
Thanks Angela! My husband is a bread monster too.
I am making these! Yum!
At some point I am going to have to jump on this sourdough wagon. I love bread, and those rolls look a little too perfect to eat… who am I kidding perfection has NEVER stopped me from eating!
Ha! Love it. I love sourdough, and I don’t care about the health benefits. I am just a bread lover too.
These look simply delicious! Will need to try to make them to go with some homemade soup!
Perfect thing to pair them with, thanks for the idea
These look amazing! I love the unique taste sour dough bread has!
Love this! I’ve been wanting to make my own starter for a while now. Can’t wait!
thanks alleigh!
Good luck! You’ll get addicted.
My husband is always looking for ways to use his sour dough starter. I’m printing this recipe for him to to try! Thank you for sharing.
Hope he likes it! ??
Have made these several times….LOVE them! Quick question ~ family campout next week and I have couple days cooler weather coming at the end of the week so turning the oven up high and adding steam won’t cook us out! ???? Assuming I can double the recipe without any adjustments? Thanks!
yes I’ve doubled them many times! ????
I just bought a lame but never thought to use it on rolls. These look amazing! I grind my own flour and use hard white for bread and rolls.
Wow! I am all about white flour. It’s just…better!
Yum! They look delicious.
Thanks Jenny!
Those look absolutely delicious!!
Thank you! I hope you try them!
These look delicious!
Thanks Jayme! ????