Pull Apart Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Easy to make, sweet and delicious Pull Apart Sourdough Dinner Rolls that bake up soft, fluffy and golden brown!

With holiday season right around the corner, dinner rolls are kind of a big deal.

These pull apart dinner rolls are easy to make and warm from the oven and slathered with butter they are simply irresistible!

WHAT IS Sourdough Starter?

Sourdough starter is an established colony of wild yeast that can be used for baking. It adds a more complex flavor and texture.

We built our starter from scratch but you can get your own sourdough starter from a family member, a friend, online, a generous bakery or you can even buy it on Amazon.

Sourdough starter is alive. It needs to be fed in order it to use it. We store ours in the refrigerator where it stays dormant. When we bring it out and feed it, it gets very active and happy.

When fed, the amount of sourdough starter should rise to at least double it’s volume like in the picture above. This is what they refer to when they say the starter should be used at or just past the “peak”.

HOW We USE our Refrigerated (Dormant) SOURDOUGH STARTER

We keep our starter in the refrigerator when not in use. For this recipe, we pull the starter out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before feeding.

It often works well to feed the starter before going to bed if you want to bake with it the next day.

For this recipe, you need 1/2 cup (100 grams) of fed sourdough starter. We feed with a ratio of 1:1:1, combining 50g of mature starter, 50 g of warm water and 50 g of flour. We let it rise until doubled. Depending on your starter, this can take from 8-12 hours.

Feed the starter, mark the level in the jar with an elastic band then leave it on the countertop overnight. By morning it should be doubled, and bubbly and active like the picture above. This is how you can tell that it is ready to be used.

After removing the amount we need from the jar, we feed the starter again then immediately cover and put it back in the fridge until the next time we want to use it. This is not the only way, this is just the way that works for us!

What You’ll Need to make Pull Apart SOurdough Dinner ROlls

• Active Sourdough Starter – Any sourdough starter, at or just past peak, where it has doubled in volume and is bubbly and happy.

• Melted butter – Regular salted butter works great in this recipe but you can substitute unsalted butter. Do not use spreadable butter in this recipe.

• Milk – Any milk (whole, 2%, 1%) may be used for this recipe.

• Honey – We love the taste that honey provides to these rolls but you can substitute 3 tablespoons of white sugar in place of the honey with the same results.

• Bread Flour – We like to use bread flour but all purpose (AP) flour may also be used in an equal amount.

How to Make Pull Apart Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Pull Apart Sourdough Dinner Rolls are a welcome addition to any dinner table, especially around the holidays. Light and fluffy, they bake up golden brown and are absolutely delicious!

In the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook, combine the active sourdough starter, melted butter, milk, honey, salt and the bread flour.

Mix on low speed for 2 minutes until the dough comes together and is elastic and smooth.

In the meantime, lightly grease a medium sized bowl with cooking spray and set aside. Using lightly floured hands, remove the dough from the hook and shape into a ball.

Place the dough into the greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Allow the dough to rest for one hour at room temperature, performing three sets of stretch and folds, one every 20 minutes on the dough. Keep the dough covered between sets.

Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal portions.

Shape each portion into a ball by rolling the dough in your hands, gathering the sides together, and then pinching to seal.

Lightly spray a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with cooking spray and place the rolls seam side down leaving space between them.

Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and let rise for about six hours until they have risen about 50%.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F with the rack in the middle.

Uncover the rolls and bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the oven. Serve warm. Store in an airtight container for up to 48 hours. Enjoy!

Other Tasty Bread Recipes for your Table

Cheddar-Dill Dutch Oven Bread – Easy to make bread with a great texture and flavor.

Same Day Sourdough Bread – Making traditional Sourdough Bread is not as hard as you think and this recipe allows you to make the dough and bake all in one day!

Jalapeno Cheddar Focaccia Bread – Flavorful Italian inspired bread gets kicked up a notch with the addition of cheddar cheese and spicy jalapenos. The perfect combination!

Parker House Dinner Rolls – A family favorite for special occasions these also make great slider buns and the best little sandwiches.

Rustic Dutch Oven Bread – Five pantry ingredients come together in this easy to make crusty bread, a delicious addition to homemade soup or chili!