Sourdough Discard Rolls [soft + pull apart]
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These super soft sourdough discard rolls couldn't be easier to make - and you can have them ready in just a few hours!
This sourdough discard rolls recipe is a great way to use up excess sourdough discard (although you can use fed starter too!).
If you love my recipe for Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread, then you are going to love these sourdough discard rolls!
They are super simple, soft and tender with a slight sourdough tang.
Sourdough Pull Apart Rolls
I have chosen to shape these sourdough discard rolls into "pull apart rolls". By placing them into a cast iron skillet and allowing them to rise "into each other" they form a deliciously soft pull apart rolls.
If you'd prefer individual rolls, you can place them further apart on a baking tray and allow them to rise.
The choice is entirely yours.
If you're looking for other sourdough roll recipes you might also like to check out sourdough buttered knot rolls, Sourdough Hot Dog Rolls, Sourdough Sandwich Rolls, Sourdough Discard Hamburger Rolls, sourdough Tiger rolls or Soft & Sweet Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls. Or for the ultimate sourdough garlic buns, try this Sourdough Pampushky recipe.
Making Sourdough Discard Rolls
These rolls are super simple to make. Using commercial yeast along with sourdough discard allows you to have these on the table in record time.
The great thing is, you'll still have some sourdough flavor by using your discard. They are a great way to use up some sourdough discard while you build your sourdough starter - but you can also use fed, active starter too!
The trick to getting the softest, squishiest rolls is allowing them to get super puffy on their second rise. If you don't allow them to rise enough, they will be dense when you bake them.
How To Make Sourdough Discard Rolls
- Combine the sourdough discard, water, sugar and yeast into the bowl of your stand mixer or Thermomix and mix for 30 seconds until it's foamy.
- Now, add the flour to the foamy mixture and combine until it forms a shaggy dough (around 30 seconds will do it). Leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
- Now add the salt and butter to the bowl and knead the dough for around 3 to 6 minutes.You want the dough to be elastic, silky and slapping the sides of the bowl. Just keep the mixer going until you achieve this. If you are using a stand mixer you'll need to use your dough hook attachment for this step (see notes for other kneading options).
- Now you need to let your dough rise. You are using instant yeast as the leavening agent in this recipe, rather than sourdough/wild yeast, so it will rise very quickly, particularly if your home is warm.Leave it for around an hour (it will take longer if your house is cooler). You want it to double.
- Once the dough has doubled, tip it out onto the counter top. Divide the dough into equal pieces. You'll need to use a set of scales to get them exactly weighted - or you do it by sight if you prefer. For this recipe I did 11 rolls at 86g each. If you want 12 rolls, you'd need to make them 78g.
- Shape each piece of dough into a ball and place the balls of dough into a cast iron skillet (see notes for options).
- Now you need to let the rolls rise again. It's really important to make sure their soft and puffy before you bake them! This will take around an hour, depending on the temperature of your home.Make sure you cover them with a plastic food cover to stop them drying out.
- Once the rolls have risen, you'll need to bake them.Turn your oven on and set the temperature to 180C/350F.Let it warm for around 10 minutes. Spray the top of your rolls with some water mist and place into the oven.
- Bake your rolls at 180C/350F for around 30 minutes or until they are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and while they're still in the skillet, use a pastry brush to slather them in melted butter.
- Once the butter has soaked in, remove them from the skillet and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Can You Knead These By Hand?
Yes you absolutely can make this recipe by hand. I do prefer to use a stand mixer because I find it much easier to get a silky, elastic dough. It's also easier to add the butter when the machine does it for you.
But if you don't have a stand mixer - or you just don't want to use one - you absolutely can mix by hand.Just follow the recipe as it is.
The only thing I would say you might want to change is to add the butter in small dots when you are hand kneading. If you add it all at once it can sometimes be hard to knead in thoroughly.
Flavor Additions for Sourdough Discard Rolls
While these rolls are truly delicious just as they are, there are always a few things you can do to jazz them up! Here are a few ideas:
- Brush the baked rolls with garlic butter and sprinkle with parsley
- Add 20g of honey and 50g of oats to the mixture. Top the risen rolls with rolled oats before baking.
- Add 40g of chopped jalapeños and 100g of grated cheddar to the dough or alternatively serve the rolls with spicy sweet jalapeño butter.
- Add 100g of chocolate chips to the dough and brush with golden syrup or whipped honey butter once baked.
- You might also like to use this dough to make sourdough discard monkey bread.
Freezing Instructions
These sourdough discard rolls freeze really well!
I have frozen these rolls with great success. I have frozen them as a whole "pull apart" without breaking them into individual rolls. I've also frozen a few leftover rolls on their own.
They have both frozen successfully wrapped in foil and placed into the freezer.
Allow them to come to room temperature before using. You can zap them in the microwave to make them soft again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can make this recipe dairy free by using vegan butter or your choice of oil. You can use the exact same weight as listed for butter in the recipe.
Yes you can omit the commercial yeast, but you will need to use active, fed sourdough starter instead of discard. You'll also need to allow them to rise for a lot longer to ensure they are soft and squishy when you bake them.
I would not substitute more than 250g of bread flour for whole wheat flour. Using whole wheat flour will make the rolls more dense and less fluffy than if you used all bread flour.
Yes you can substitute the bread flour for all purpose flour in this recipe.
Sourdough Discard Rolls Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Digital Scales
- Cast Iron Skillet or Baking Tray
Ingredients
- 100 g Sourdough Discard unfed sourdough starter
- 500 g Bread Flour or All Purpose Flour
- 250 g Water
- 10 g Salt
- 20 g Sugar
- 60 g Butter room temperature
- 7 g Instant Yeast
- 50 g Melted Butter for brushing
Instructions
- Combine the sourdough discard, water, sugar and yeast into the bowl of your stand mixer or Thermomix and mix for 30 seconds until it's foamy.
- Now, add the flour to the foamy mixture and combine until it forms a shaggy dough (around 30 seconds will do it). Leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
- Now add the salt and butter to the bowl and knead the dough for around 3 to 6 minutes. You want the dough to be elastic, silky and slapping the sides of the bowl. Just keep the mixer going until you achieve this. If you are using a stand mixer you'll need to use your dough hook attachment for this step (see notes for other kneading options).
- Now you need to let your dough rise. You are using instant yeast as the leavening agent in this recipe, rather than sourdough/wild yeast, so it will rise very quickly, particularly if your home is warm. Leave it for around an hour (it will take longer if your house is cooler). You want it to double.
- Once the dough has doubled, tip it out onto the counter top. Divide the dough into equal pieces. You'll need to use a set of scales to get them exactly weighted - or you do it by sight if you prefer. For this recipe I did 11 rolls at 86g each. If you want 12 rolls, you'd need to make them 78g.
- Shape each piece of dough into a ball and place the balls of dough into a cast iron skillet (see notes for options).
- Now you need to let the rolls rise again. It's really important to make sure their soft and puffy before you bake them!This will take around an hour, depending on the temperature of your home.Make sure you cover them with a plastic food cover to stop them drying out.
- Once the rolls have risen, you'll need to bake them.Turn your oven on and set the temperature to 180C/350F. Let it warm for around 10 minutes. Spray the top of your rolls with some water mist and place into the oven.
- Bake your rolls at 180C/350F for around 30 minutes or until they are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and while they're still in the skillet, use a pastry brush to slather them in melted butter.
- Once the butter has soaked in, remove them from the skillet and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast for this recipe?
I rarely review recipes but I have to say, this one is perfection. I’ve made it about 10 times now and the rolls are perfect every time. The weird thing is that I live at 8600 ft elevation! We eat half with dinner while hot and use the other half for sliders the next day. GREAT recipe!
I love all of the positive comments. Can't wait to try this --question --what size cast iron pan please?
Can you do the second rise in the refrigerator (Step 6)? I want to prepare the dough in the morning and bake for dinner. If so, do I need to adjust the bake time?
I see the instructions for freezing after they are baked, but is there a way to freeze the dough before it is baked?
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. It came out perfect. Soft and fluffy. I prepped them in the morning and after the rose in the cast iron I placed them in the fridge. Baked when I got home. Hot bread and homemade soup for a late dinner after soccer practice!
I decided to try baking these in my cast iron skillet-they weren’t even slightly brown at 30 minutes, I had to leave them in much longer to get a mildly golden brown top. I have made these before, on a baking sheet and in an aluminum cake pan and they browned better but never quite as deeply brown as in the pictures. I suspect that the cast iron skillet takes a bit longer to get hot. I have tested my oven temperature and if anything, it runs about 25 degrees hot. How did you get such nicely browned rolls?
How big is your skillet? I am trying to figure out which size to use. Cheers 😁
Oh my goodness. These rolls are so delicious and easy! I was amazed with how fluffy they were and the sourdough tang was perfect. I was so proud of myself with how they turned out. Amazing! I think I’ll bring these to thanksgiving dinner.
Hi! Can these be frozen after shaping? Then thaw & rise & bake? If yes, any tips? Never done it before but would be much more convenient for my schedule prepping for a Thanksgiving lunch. Thank you for the recipe!!
Can you provide instructions to freeze? Would it be better to freeze after they've been cooked or can you freeze the dough and at what point in the process would you put the dough in the freezer? Would it need to be thawed and allowed to rise further prior to baking?
Can you put these in the fridge or freezer the day or 2 before baking and then pull out and then bake and they still turn out well?
I’ve made these a couple of times now and they were fantastic. I want to make them for Christmas. Can I freeze the dough after shaping and before the second rise? I was thinking I could take them out Christmas morning and let them thaw/rise for late lunch/early dinner. Do you think that would work? Thank you!
Can this be made with active starter? Also how can this be made without a stand mixer?
Yes you can make it with active starter, you just need to omit the yeast and allow the dough plenty of time to bulk ferment and proof. You can definitely knead by hand 🙂
What size of cast iron skillet do you use?
These are now my go-to dinner rolls! They turn out perfect every time. I’ve made them plain and as cheesy garlic herb rolls (with melted butter, minced garlic, herbs/seasonings, and shredded cheese added after baking, and then put back into the oven for a couple minutes to melt the cheese). Tonight I’m using this recipe but I divided the dough into 6 large balls instead of 12 smaller ones and I’m making hamburger buns out of them. 😋
I made these for Thanksgiving. The best rolls I've EVER made!! They were a huge hit with everyone, carnivores and vegans alike!
I can't stand throwing away the discard & am thankful for your wonderful discard recipes!
How should I reheat these in the oven. Thank you!
This is my several time a week go to discard recipe!
I've got a question though- could you make these as a loaf if you needed to? How would I need to change the baking temp and time?
Thanks so much!
This is the loaf version 🙂
Sourdough Discard Sandwich Loaf Recipe
Thank you so much!
These look amazing! Do you need to let the discard sit out of refrigerator to warm up before making? If so about how long? Thank you!
Can you freeze the rolls before baking? if so, how long to let them rise when taken out of the freezer
Could your freeze the raw proofed dough then thaw and bake?
These are super easy to make, we love them and this will always be my go to for sourdough rolls!!
My first batch is on its second rise. They look delicious already and i love the feel of the dough. Did you use a 12" skillet for yours?
Hi Kate! These rolls look so delicious!! I want to make them today. I'm assuming the nutritional information is for the entire recipe? Just checking because I'm currently on a low cal, low carb diet.
I love your website and thanks so much to all your information!! I'm new to the art of sourdough bread making but trying to move into a more healthier lifestyle.
Thank you!!
I made these today, and they were very good, but they looked like cathead biscuits instead of rolls. Would you happen to know why?
Thanks!
Absolutely divine! I've never made rolls before and they came out perfectly. Thank you!
I would love to make these with some wholewheat and bread flour. What combination would work well. Thank you
I make these pull-apart, discard rolls at least twice a week for my partner and our son. Used for sausage patty and cheese sandwiches for breakfast and turkey/ham/or roast beef sliders for lunch. The other favorite recipe is the sourdough Hawaiian rolls.
Hands down, a constant hit at Friday Family Dinners. Highly requested a d very much enjoyed. Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
If I were to freeze these, could I do so after forming the rolls and before second rising?
Thank you again!
I think that I must have over kneaded them in the mixer. They tasted good but were super dense ☹️ Will definitely try again!