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.
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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.
Love,
These came out perfect the first time. Thanks.
Worked beautifully for me! Thank you for this great recipe. The only thing I did differently is heat up a baking tray in the oven and then slide the parchment paper with the rolls on it for that lil bit extra spring.
I’m a newbie to sourdough, getting sucked into the Sourdough Vortex during the pandemic. Made this today with some still pretty *active* discard. Misread directions, but still came out fabulous!! I used about 3/4 teaspoon yeast to be sure but dissolved it in some of the water and put it in at the beginning. No cornmeal, but very lightly greased my parchment paper. Still worked out okay…..turned a bit chilly here in the Pacific Northwest so a pot of chicken soup and your fantastic rolls for dinner! Thanks for doing the hard work!
I’m so happy to hear this :). We are still chilly too. (but happy to extend the bread baking season) 🙂
I made these rolls yesterday. Taste was good but turned out flat in shape. wanted a bigger roll for a sandwich could this have been the problem? made five rolls instead of 8 first raise was beautiful. second raise after roll were formed spread out rather than raised. looking for answers. also no browning at all. they actually were probably too done while i waited to see if the crust would brown a little, crust was very hard.
trying desperately to find a good crusty roll recipe as where i live in florida they do no exist.
thanks!
hi Mary Beth! I don’t think making them too big was the problem. I’m assuming you used the steam, bread flour, and the yeast? if you did, I would guess that they might need a little less water. this will help them keep their shape during the second rise and puff up better when they hit the steam. (I have actually had this happen with mine too and its because my kitchen got very humid and my flour wasn’t absorbing. water very well). the dough should be slightly sticky as you knead but not floppy or too hard to work with. add more flour until it seems right. it’s a great recipe I promise 🙂
Yes I did use steam bread flour and yeast, and a “wet” stater at the beginning , however was very worried on making them too dry. thank you I will try again! the taste was good!
Looking forward to trying bread and rolls
I just got a brown sourdough starter but I don’t have any reliable recipe. Can you help
when you say “brown starter” do you mean one with whole wheat flour or rye flour? if you want to transition it, you can just start feeding it all purpose flour.
Hi! Love these rolls! I was wondering if I could make the dough and do an overnight rise in the fridge? its just too hot to have the oven on and prefer to bake in the early morning.
Thanks!
yes that would work great! make sure they are tightly covered 🙂
Made these for dinner tonight. I really like these rolls. There is just enough for a couple of meals, recipe was easy to follow and photos are always nice for comparison. I added an extra 1/4tsp salt because my dough was bland. I baked mine on a baking stone and they came out perfect. This recipe moves from my Breads to Try pins into Best Breads file. Thank you for sharing.
oh I love the idea of the baking stone. I am so glad you like the recipe 🙂
Quick question. I’m planning on making these tomorrow and was wondering if the discard should be fed before (and if so how much time before) or not fed? Looking forward to them. Thanks!
yes you will need an active, recently fed starter! I feed mine about 4 hours before I need it, but its super variable depending on the temperature of your room and the volume of starter you have. check out this post if you need more help: https://heartscontentfarmhouse.com/maintaining-a-sourdough-starter-on-the-counter/
Hello! I want to make this with dinner. I wanted to find out where in the process the sourdough needs to be to bake these? I have discard from early this AM (from my starter I took out of fridge to feed) that I have just fed so thinking by the early afternoon I can use it to make the sourdough rolls?. Let me know if this is what you recommend. Thanks!
yep, as long as its active and bubbly it will be great. if you are using the yeast the recipe calls for it will make up for any issues with the starter.
I have made these several times now to RAVE reviews from my family. I use ap flour and yes, I add more. I always figured bread recipes are based on texture, not measurements. Goodness, I don’t even measure my starter feeding. I dump in a scoop of flour and add water to get the right texture. It’s very happy! This before balance out variations in humidity, flour varieties, etc. These are incredible!!! (literally sneaked out of bed at 2am to eat another one!)
thank you Janelle! we love them too!
So, I added an extra 2/3 cup flour, poured the sticky, stringy dough into a bowl, which I’d coated with a thin layer of EVOO. I left it for about 3 hours. It turned into a workable dough! In the oven now… fingers crossed!! (AP flour… no bread flour at the market these days!)
Laura thank you for the update! I think the AP flour is part of the issue, it definitely absorbs less water than bread flour. thank you for the feedback, I’m going to update the recipe to include some troubleshooting because I know bread flour is hard to get AND. I would just HATE for people to waste their flour on something that doesn’t work for them!
I’ve made these twice now and both times I had to add significant more flour before starting the kneading to get the correct consistency. Perhaps the water in the recipe is too high?
Regardless, I’m a beginner to bread baking and I really really appreciate your recipe and directions. Also, thank you for the info linked here to kneading in a stand mixer. I just got one and followed your directions for kneading. I’m concerned, like you mentioned, that it is really hard on the motor. What do people think? (I just bought a Kitchen Aid and want it to last for many many years!)
hi Laura,
I would love to help you with this… I know many people have tried the recipe with success. are you using bread flour? did the dough seem like normal dough and then turned runny after rising? or did it never quite come together?
sorry the recipe didn’t work for you!
These are awesome! My oven broke recently and I only have a little toaster oven for baking. these worked great in it. I just sprinkled water droplets on them when I put them in the oven. crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, perfect rolls for a stew or roast.
that’s a great trick with your toaster oven, I’ll have to try that! glad you enjoyed them!
Very new to sourdough baking. Can I use my discard on this recipe?
yes, actually you can! most breads don’t work as well with discard. since this one has yeast, it will still work.
I need help. I have made these two times and they never get color. They are dense and chewy. I don’t think they are rising enough on the cookie sheet before going into the oven.
lilliet are you using the steam? they should rise really well in the oven with that. if you don’t want to do the steam for some reason then they will need a longer second rise until they are nice and puffy. as far as they color… mine usually brown in the last few minutes, sometimes I do bake them a few extra minutes if they aren’t browning quickly.
It looks like you use instant yeast. Can I use active dry yeast? What changes would I have to do?
yes that’s fine! add it with the flour, water, etc since it doesn’t dissolve as easily. and increase it to a 1 teaspoon. (you always leave it out and just it rise longer, but it will be a four hour rise both times)
These were so good and don’t take two days to make. It’s the recipe that I’ve been looking for. Reminded us of our favorite rolls from our favorite restaurant. Thank you for doing the hard work and coming up with the perfect recipe.
I’m glad glad you liked the recipe!!! if you ever run out of yeast, you can always leave it out and just let them rise a lot longer. 🙂
Amazing rolls. I make these all the time.
so glad you like them 🙂
Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe 🙂
I am new to sourdough and this recipe turns out perfect every time!
I have made it probably 10 times and friends are so thankful for them.
Now that I have the rolls down do you have other sourdough recipes like the round boules?
hi Jennifer!
So glad you liked them!
I have a very easy, hands off sourdough boule here: https://heartscontentfarmhouse.com/bread-machine-sourdough/
And one that’s a little more work folded by hand here: https://heartscontentfarmhouse.com/artisan-sourdough-bread-tutorial-and-recipe/
Would it be possible to make these rolls without the yeast and only use sourdough starter?
Yes! The rising times will be a lot longer, as I’m sure you know. I have done it a few times and done 4 hours for each rise at room temp