Sourdough Milk Bread Rolls

A recipe inspired by the classic dinner roll, our sourdough dinner rolls are moist, pillowy soft, and perfect for Thanksgiving or your next gathering. This sourdough recipe is without being too sour. These rolls have a tender crumb and a texture made for spreading on butter or soaking up gravy. They’re also great for making leftover sandwiches. Serve them at your next gathering and watch them disappear off the table!

How to Make Soft Sourdough Dinner Rolls

For this recipe, we used a stiff sweet starter. Adding sugar to the starter suppresses the growth of lactic acid bacteria and the production of acid, creating a less tangy flavored dough.

To create soft and tender dinner rolls, we used an Asian technique called tangzhong. Used in Japanese (Hokkaido) milk bread, tangzhong involves cooking a mixture of liquid and flour over low heat until it thickens into a mashed potato-like consistency. Pre-cooking the flour gelatinizes its starch, which helps improve water absorption and allows the starch to retain moisture for longer. As a result, the rolls remain soft and moist for longer, making them perfect for gatherings or making ahead. They also make great leftovers.

The addition of butter enriches the dough and contributes to the irresistibly tender crumb.

Egg & Dairy Free Rolls

This recipe can easily be made egg & dairy-free. Simply replace the milk and butter with non-dairy alternatives. For the milk, we’ve had great success with plain soy milk or oat milk. For the butter, use a stick butter (not a tub spread), preferably unsalted, but salted will work well, too. To replace the egg wash, combine 3 tablespoons of non-dairy milk with 1 tablespoon maple syrup and use this to brush on the rolls.

Sourdough Milk Bread Rolls Recipe

Yield

20 rolls

Timing

Active: 2 hours; Inactive: 19 hours; Total: 21 hours

Equipment

• Brod & Taylor High Capacity Baking Scale or Precision Kitchen Scale
• Mixing bowls
• Standing mixer
• Brod & Taylor Sourdough Home
• Brod & Taylor Folding Proofer
• Small saucepot

• Spatula or dough whisk
• Bench knife
• Pastry brush
• 9 x 13” (23 x 33 cm) baking pan
• Cooling rack

Instructions

Day 1 

Mix the stiff sweet starter.
In the evening, mix the stiff sweet starter. In a mixing bowl, add the water and sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the starter and stir to incorporate the starter. Add the flour. Mix until well combined and no dry flour remains. The starter will be somewhat stiff and feel more like a dough. If stirring becomes difficult, you may hand-knead the starter. Place into a clean container, and place into the Sourdough Home or the Folding Proofer set to 72°F (22°C) for about 12 hours. When ready, the starter will have tripled (or more) in size, and bubbles will be visible on the top and sides of the container.

Day 2 

Make the tangzhong.
About 30 minutes before you are ready to mix the dough, make the tangzhong. In a small saucepot, add the milk and flour. Whisk until the flour is completely dissolved and no clumps remain. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it has thickened (about 3 minutes total). The mixture will resemble soft mashed potatoes when done. Spread the tangzhong out onto a plate and set aside to cool.

The tangzhong can also be made in the microwave. Thoroughly whisk the milk and flour until no lumps remain. Pace in a microwave-safe container and cook on high for about 2 minutes, stopping every 20 seconds to stir.

Remove the butter from the refrigerator and cut into pats. Set aside to come to room temperature.

Bulk proof the dough.
Turn the Folding Proofer on, fill the water tray, and set to 80°F (27°C).

Place the dough into the Proofer. The dough will need about 4 hours total for bulk fermentation, with two sets of stretch and fold performed during the first hour.

To perform the stretch and folds:
After 30 minutes of proofing, remove the dough from the Proofer. Dampen your hand to prevent the dough from sticking. With the dough still inside the bowl, grab one edge of the dough, stretch it up as far as it will go, and then fold it into the center. Repeat this motion until you have gone around the circumference of the bowl. If the dough seems slack, you may go around a second time. Place the bowl back into the Proofer. After 30 minutes, perform one more set of stretch and fold. Leave the dough in the proofer for the remaining 3 hours of the proofing time.

When done proofing, the dough should have visibly increased in volume. It will feel light and airy when touched. If the dough seems tight or somewhat dense, proof for another 30 minutes or so.

Divide and Shape the dough.
Turn the dough out onto a floured counter. Gently press down on the dough to deflate. Using a bench knife, divide the dough into 20 pieces, each weighing about 80g. Shape each piece onto a round.

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13” baking pan. Place the rolls in the pan.

Proof the rolls.
The Proofer should still be set to 80°F (27°C), and check to ensure there is still water in the tray.Place the pan of rolls inside of the Proofer. From this point, there are two ways to proceed with the rolls- same-day baking or next-day baking.

For same-day baking:
Proof the rolls for 2 ½ to 3 hours. When done proofing, the rolls will have visibly increased in size so that they are all closely touching each other and will be filling out the pan. They will still be below the lip of the pan. They will feel light and airy to the touch and not dense.
Near the end of the proofing time, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Bake.
Brush the rolls with the egg wash (or plain milk). Place the rolls in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for another 15 to 18 minutes until they are golden brown.

For next-day baking:
Proof the rolls for 1 ½ hours. Remove the pan from the Proofer. They will not have fully risen at this point. Wrap the pan well and place in the refrigerator overnight. The rolls will finish their rise in the refrigerator.

Bake.
The next day, about 20 minutes before you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and make the egg wash (if using). Once the oven is ready, remove the rolls from the refrigerator. Brush the rolls with the egg wash (or plain milk). Place the rolls in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for another 15 to 18 minutes until they are golden brown.