Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls (2024)

Posted on Published: January 30, 2023

Now that you have your active sourdough starter going on the counter, you are going to accumulate discard — which you can use to make these Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls.

These rolls are the best rolls I have ever made. Of course, my most popular rolls are still those Bobby Flay Parker House Yeast Rolls. But these rolls are right up there as a top favorite of mine!

What is Sourdough Discard?

Once you start making your starter, every day you have to get discard half of the starter so that you can feed it. Instead of throwing that discard out, you can use it to make all sorts of delicious sourdough discard recipes like sourdough bread, cinnamon rolls and more.

I store my discard in a jar in the fridge and pull it out when I want to make a new recipe. It has a slight sourdough taste so you will notice it for sure in all of the recipes you choose to make.

This is the first one I made and my family went nuts for these rolls.

This is a great recipe and is simple to make and I am going to show you just how easy it is to use.

How Soon Can You Use the Discard?

The discard should not be used until about day 4. You want to give it some time to start getting that sour flavor and it takes 3-4 days for that to start developing.

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What is the Difference Between Active Starter and Sourdough Discard?

Sourdough starter and sourdough discard are basically the same things.The discard is just the active sourdough starter that you remove when you feed your starter. Once you feed the starter, the wild yeast will allow the starter to bloom and grow.

It is called discard because it is often “discarded” during your starter's feeding.

The recipe is below. I hope you love how easy it is to make these yummy rolls! I have already made about 6 batches of these. These rolls do not require bulk fermentation like regular sourdough does. This is a yeast dough so they will rise pretty quickly.

However, you are free to place them in the fridge once you have rolled them out to bake the next day if you like. Putting them in the fridge will help stop the rising process until you are ready to use.

How to Make Soft Sourdough Dinner Rolls

For this recipe you will need the following ingredients —

• 2/3 cup of milk slightly warmed
• 2 teaspoons of active dry yeast or instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 4 tablespoons of melted butter that has been cooled
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of sourdough discard at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons of corn starch
• 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

In the cup where you warmed the milk, add in the yeast and the sugar. Mix together and allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes.

In a stand mixer, add the milk mixture, butter, sourdough discard, salt, cornstarch, and flour.

Using the dough hook, mix together until the dough is pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Set a time for 5 minutes and allow it to mix well. If the dough is still wet you can add a bit more flour but don't add too much flour. It will make the rolls dense and will not allow the dough rise.

Now, add a drop or two of olive oil to a large glass bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and place it into the bowl. Roll the dough around to coat all sides. This will keep the dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size. The rise time should take about an hour if you let the dough rest on a warm surface.

After the first rise, turn the dough onto the counter and punch it down. Use a knife to cut the dough into 16 equal pieces. You can use a kitchen scale if you want to make sure that each roll has the same weight, but I just eyeball it.

Roll each piece of dough into a ball and place it on a baking sheet , baking dish, or a cast iron skillet. Be sure to leave a little room for the rolls to expand.

Cover the pan and let the rolls have a second rise until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter using a pastry brush.

If you want to turn these into hamburger slider buns, brush an egg wash on top before baking and add some sesame seeds on top.

These soft dinner rolls go perfect with any meal to serve at the dinner table! Enjoy!

Storing the Rolls

To store the rolls, I like to keep mine in an airtight container, like a bread bag or a plastic container. The bread should stay fresh for 3-5 days.

For all kinds of sourdough recipes, be sure to check them out on the website.

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