Sourdough Discard Honey Butter Rolls
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If you’ve been looking for a new and delicious way to use your sourdough discard, these sourdough honey butter rolls are about to become your go-to recipe. They’re soft, fluffy, and lightly sweetened with honey, coming together with simple ingredients and without the long rise times of traditional sourdough bread. The discard adds a subtle tang that balances the richness of the honey butter, making these rolls perfect for weeknight dinners, holiday gatherings, or anytime you want something warm and comforting straight from the oven. Whether you’re new to discard baking or simply wanting a reliable, crowd-pleasing roll recipe, these honey butter rolls are the perfect place to start.
Why You'll Love This Recipe!
A little decadent - these rolls are made with dough enriched with honey, butter and eggs making them feel so luxurious and a little extra (and everyone needs a little extra sometimes). They really are a go-to side dish everyone reaches for.
Versatile for any occasion - ideal for weeknight dinners, holiday feasts, potlucks, or as a cozy weekend bake. Since the dough can be chilled overnight or baked fresh before serving, they really are super versatile.
Beginner-friendly sourdough baking, offering great flavor without the long fermentation times of traditional sourdough bread.
Ingredients
- Water
- Sourdough Starter - you can use sourdough discard or active sourdough starter for this recipe. I generally use discard and commercial yeast for this recipe because the enriched dough takes a very long time to rise if using active starter. I've included notes in the recipe card for using active starter.
- Butter - you'll need melted, salted butter.
- Eggs - my eggs are large, I've used 2 eggs weighing 130g total. If your eggs are smaller, I recommend using 3 eggs.
- Honey - you can use maple syrup instead if you prefer, but honey will give you the best flavor.
- Bread Flour
- Salt - You'll want to make sure you have flaky sea salt for the topping of these rolls.
- Yeast - I've used some instant yeast to leaven these rolls, along with my sourdough discard. You can omit this if using active starter.
- Heavy Whipping Cream - just a little bit to brush on the rolls before you bake them. It keeps them so soft and supple. Use water if you don't have heavy whipping cream.
How To Make Sourdough Discard Honey Butter Rolls
To make these sourdough honey butter rolls, start by adding your sourdough starter and water to the bowl of your stand mixer and mixing them together with a spatula. Add the melted butter, eggs, honey, bread flour, salt, and yeast, then use the dough hook to bring everything together into a cohesive dough. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes, then knead on low speed for 3–5 minutes. It may begin sticky, but it will become smooth, stretchy, and elastic as the gluten develops. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and feel slightly tacky but not sticky on your fingers.
Kate's Recipe Tip
If it still feels tight or isn’t coming together, simply cover it and let it rest for another 30 minutes before kneading again. This gives the gluten a chance to relax and the butter time to work its way into the dough.
Once the dough is soft and elastic, cover the bowl and allow it to rise until doubled. Even with commercial yeast, this enriched dough can take a bit of extra time to rise fully, just be patient and let it get nice and puffy. I find these take an extra hour to proof than a leaner dough like these sourdough discard rolls.
When the dough has doubled, divide it into individual rolls (about 15 rolls at roughly 80g each, or adjust to your preferred size) and gently shape them into smooth balls.
Arrange the dough balls in a rectangular baking dish, spacing them slightly apart, then cover with plastic wrap and let them rise again until doubled.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F). Brush the tops of the rolls with a little heavy cream, then bake for 25–30 minutes until golden brown. While they bake, mix melted butter and honey to create a warm honey-butter glaze. Once the rolls come out of the oven, brush them generously with the glaze and let them cool just slightly before serving.
Kate's Recipe Tip
You can make this recipe with active sourdough starter if you prefer, rather than sourdough discard and instant yeast. Just remember that because this is a very enriched dough it will take a very long time for bulk fermentation to happen. I recommend keeping the dough warm during this period.
How To Store + Freeze
These sourdough discard honey butter dinner rolls are best eaten fresh on the day of baking. You can store leftovers in a ziplock bag for around 3 days. The rolls will need to be warmed slightly before eating to ensure they taste fresh.
These also freeze really well. Store the baked rolls in a ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can allow them to thaw at room temperature and then warm them slightly in the oven.
Sourdough Discard Honey Butter Rolls
Equipment
- Rectangle Baking Dish (I've used a USA Pan Sheet Cake Pan measuring 9" x 13")
Ingredients
- 220 g Water
- 120 g Sourdough Discard (discard or active starter)
- 80 g Butter (melted)
- 2 Eggs (large, mine weighed 130g of egg total)
- 100 g Honey (or maple syrup)
- 700 g Bread Flour
- 12 g Salt
- 7 g Yeast (instant yeast)
- 30 g Heavy Whipping Cream (for brushing on before baking)
Topping
- 30 g Butter (melted)
- 20 g Honey
- 20 g Flaky Sea Salt
Instructions
- Add sourdough starter and water to the bowl of your stand mixer and mix together with a spatula.
- Then add the melted butter, eggs, honey, bread flour, salt and yeast.
- Using the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer, bring the ingredients together into a cohesive dough. Let it sit for around 30 minutes.
- Now, knead the dough for around 3 to 5 minutes using your stand mixer. The dough may start out a bit sticky, but as you knead it, it will start to become stretchy and elastic. You'll know it's done when the dough is not sticking to the bowl. It will be slightly tacky but will not stick to your fingers.If the dough isn't coming together as it should, cover it and let it sit for another 30 minutes to let the gluten relax and then knead again for a few minutes and it should become soft and elastic.
- When the dough is sufficiently kneaded, cover it and allow it to double. Because you're using commercial yeast, the dough will rise more quickly than if you were using sourdough starter alone, however this is a very enriched dough, so it may take a little longer than you would normally see.
- When the dough has doubled, you'll need to shape it into individual rolls. I've divided the dough into 15 balls weighing around 80g each (as always, you can make your bigger or smaller).Place the dough balls into a rectangle baking dish and cover with plastic wrap. I try to space them a little bit apart, they will be touching once they've risen). Place them somewhere warm so the dough balls can double.
- When you're ready to bake the rolls, preheat your oven to 190ºC (375ºF). While the oven is preheating, brush a little heavy whipping cream onto the top of each roll.
- Bake the sourdough discard honey butter rolls for 25 to 30 minutes at 190ºC (375ºF).
- While they are baking, take melted butter and honey. Stir together and set aside to brush on the rolls once baked.
- When the rolls are golden brown on top, remove them from the oven and brush with the honey butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Notes
Nutrition
Would this recipe work in a bread machine on a dough cycle?
Yes you could use your bread machine to knead the dough 🙂