These Soft Sourdough Sandwich Rolls are a perfect fusion of tangy sourdough goodness and the comforting familiarity of a soft sandwich roll. Get ready to roll up your sleeves, gather your ingredients, and prepare to elevate your sandwich game!
I wanted to make a simple recipe for sourdough sandwich rolls. They are a staple in our house and I hate complicating things if there's no good reason to do so. I loved the taste and texture of soft sourdough dinner rolls, but they were a bit too small to make sandwiches with. By transforming them into a log shape (a little like sourdough hoagie rolls) and omitting a little bit of fat and sugar, I got a perfect sandwich bread!
And since we're all big fans of sourdough bread, of course, I ditched the commercial yeast. I turned these into a sourdough recipe using only wild yeasts in my own sourdough starter to make them fluffy.
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Ingredients
This simple recipe uses an active sourdough starter, water, flour, and salt as a base. Part of the flour is whole wheat flour because that makes these sourdough rolls just a bit more interesting and rustic-looking. Sugar and butter elevate them to a proper sandwich roll, but they are not overpowering.
- Active sourdough starter: You'll want to use a starter that is bubbly and active, and you fed it in the last 4 - 24 hours. Since we're not using any other evening agent (like instant yeast or baking powder), be sure to use an active starter.
- Water: Tap water is fine (if it's drinkable), only use filtered if you know your tap water contains high amounts of chloride. Chloride can potentially make your starter less effective.
- Flour: I like to use mainly all purpose flour to make the rolls soft and fluffy. Adding a small overall amount of whole wheat flour is going to make rolls a nicer color and give them a bit of a rustic look. You can use only all purpose flour if that's what you prefer. I wouldn't recommend using a big portion of whole wheat flour because it will make the rolls a bit harder and chewier. Using bread flour will make your rolls even more soft.
- Butter: Use melted butter, but be careful not to pour it in too hot, because that could harm your starter.
- Sugar: This recipe is written with regular white sugar in mind. You can change the amount based on your taste preferences, but it is important to use it at least a little bit to give the starter a bit of a boost.
- Salt: You can use any type of salt you want, but you want to use it, believe me. Bread without salt is missing something, and it is noticeable.
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Soft Sourdough Sandwich Rolls
As with any other sourdough recipe, the ratio starter:flour:water is quite important. Therefore I always recommend grabbing your kitchen scale. However, I find that this recipe is quite forgiving, so measuring with cups should work perfectly fine too! This recipe presumes that you fed your starter sometime during the day and are ready to start the dough in the evening. See the baking schedule at the end of the post to make your timeline effortless and see step-by-step instructions below!
Using a bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook, combine active sourdough starter, bread flour, water, butter, salt, and sugar. Allow the mixer to knead the mixture on low speed for 5-10 minutes until the dough pulls away from the bowl's sides and achieves a stretchy consistency.
To determine its readiness, perform the 'window pane' test. Take a small piece of dough and pinch it, then gently stretch and manipulate it into a somewhat rectangular shape. The dough should become thin enough to see through, resembling a transparent window pane. If the dough breaks instead of stretching, it might require a bit more kneading. We want to finish with the elastic dough at the end of the kneading (shaggy dough won't rise well).
Place in a greased bowl (a mixing bowl is fine, it doesn't need to be a large bowl) and cover with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, a tight lid, or (what I like to do) a plastic bag. You can alternatively let the dough rise in the bowl of your standing mixer, but be prepared to stick to it a little. You don’t want to cover the dough with just a damp towel; it will dry overnight and leave you with an unpleasant crust on the dough.
Allow the dough to do the first rise for 8-10 hours at room temperature. If your house is cold, try to find a warm spot. If your house is hot, prepare for the dough to double in size in less time (even closer to 6 hours!).
You can transfer the dough to the fridge after the bulk ferment the next day if you're not yet ready to shape and bake the sandwich rolls.
The next day, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces with a dough scraper and shape them. If the dough sticks to your fingers a little, try wetting your hands with warm water. On a lightly floured surface, flatten each dough portion into a rectangle, aiming for a thickness of around ¼ inch. Then roll it into a compact shape (like a hot dog bun), sealing the ends by pinching them together.
Place the formed rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, ensuring that the seam side is facing downward. Let them rise until they almost double in size.
The second rise could take anywhere from 1 - 3 hours, depending on the temperature in your environment and the level of activity in your sourdough starter.
When the rolls have almost doubled in size, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Optional: Do a slash or two with a sharp knife or a razor. Since the sandwich rolls don't expand that much in the oven, this step is optional, but the lines do look pretty.
Also optional: Spray the rolls with some water to create crusty outsides and soft insides.
Bake them at 375°F (190°C) for 17 - 22 minutes (depending on the strength of your oven), until they are golden brown.
Allow them to cool. The best way to cool them is by placing them on a wire rack. Enjoy your perfect sandwich bread!
Hint: Stand mixers are not created equal. I have one that I should probably replace already. It takes its time to make any dough manageable at this point. So if your stand mixer is a little slow (or super effective, lucky you!), run it a bit longer. Or switch to medium speed. The dough really needs to have the chance to become elastic and pliable.
Substitution Notes
I recommend leaving the starter:water:four ratio as is, but you can certainly play around with the amount of fat and sugar in this recipe. Keep in mind that fat can slow down the starter a little and sugar speeds it up, so using roughly equal amounts of fat and sugar keeps this recipe balanced.
- Butter - instead of butter, you can use olive oil, but the rolls may not be as soft (but they will still be as moist).
- Flour - I successfully made this recipe using an even greater amount of whole wheat flour instead of white flour. The rolls did end up stiffer, but tastier in my opinion. So you can definitely up your whole wheat flour portion if you want to.
- Water - you can substitute buttermilk or whey for the water (if you have them as leftovers). You may need a bit less flour in that case.
Tools You'll Need
- Stand mixer with a dough hook attachment - You don't necessarily need a stand mixer for this recipe, but it does make the job so much easier.
- You'll need something to measure the ingredients; measuring cups and spoons or a kitchen scale.
- Baking sheet and parchment paper
- Optional: spray bottle (for spraying the rolls with water before baking) and dough scraper (not necessary, but very practical).
How To Store Soft Sourdough Sandwich Rolls
At room temperature, they're best stored in an airtight bag/container. They stay fresh for 3-4 days in the fridge.
You can even freeze them for 1-2 months, although to be fair, I've never tried it with these. We simply eat them way too quickly!
Tina's Tips
The flour you use, the altitude you live at, the humidity of the air in your kitchen...All this and more will affect how much flour you need in a recipe (a more technical term is the dough's hydration). So don't be afraid to add flour to get the dough to pull away from the bowl's sides and achieve a stretchy consistency! If you see (and feel) that your dough is shaggy and unmanageable, add a little flour and see what happens.
FAQ
There are a few factors that make sourdough bread softer. The biggest one is its hydration level: higher hydration doughs tend to result in a softer crumb. But sandwich rolls are hard to shape if the hydration is high. That's why we turn to fats to make the bread fluffy: adding butter or oil, which is the second factor we can influence.
Apart from hydration and fat content, kneading (or mixing) is a great way to make your sourdough bread softer. Stretching also helps develop gluten bonds. That's why it's important to mix the dough well and for it to pass the window pane test. Gluten bonds are still forming during the bulk rise, so it's also important not to underproof your bread (read more about proofing time at room temperature).
Baking with steam also helps with the softness of the bread, that is essentially what dutch ovens are for! Since we can't bake sourdough sandwich rolls in a dutch oven, you can place a tray on a lower rack while the oven is preheating. Then, when you put the baking sheet with sandwich rolls in the oven, pour some water into the tray. This should result will result in some steam. Close the oven door quickly to trap as much steam as possible inside the oven.
One way to make sourdough bread soft and fluffy is by adding baking soda to the dough after the bulk rise. No need to use baking powder, because sourdough dough is already acidic. Baking soda reacts with the acidity of the starter. It gives the bread a boost and it rises more during the second rise, resulting in a more fluffy texture.
A lot of the factors that contribute to sourdough sandwich rolls being soft also make them chewy: higher hydration, sufficient bulk rise, creating some steam in the oven, and mixing the dough well. A practical step to take if you want your sourdough sandwich rolls to be chewier is to avoid over-deflating the rolls when you shape them. You have to roll them out, that's true, but try not to be very rough and avoid completely squishing them down during the shaping process.
When you divide the dough into 8 equal pieces after the bulk ferment, take one dough portion and gently flatten it into a rough rectangle. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up, like folding a letter. Then, turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat the folding process. This pre-shaping helps to create some tension on the surface of the dough.
If you have time and are prepared to go the extra mile, let the dough rest on the floured surface for about 10-15 minutes before you roll it. This relaxation period makes the dough easier to work with during the final shaping.
Starting from the top edge, roll the dough tightly towards you, using your fingers to create tension as you roll. The goal is to create a tight, even roll. Once the dough is rolled into a log, gently pinch the seam closed along the bottom edge.
Yes, you can eat anything sourdough just like you eat any other bread. Sourdough bread makes great sandwiches, whether you make them from a sourdough loaf, sourdough rolls, or (yes, you guessed it!) sourdough sandwich rolls! Or any other type of sourdough bread for that matter. The sourdough flavor only makes the sandwich more complex in flavor. It also offers some benefits from fermentation that regular breads don't.
Yes! I often use this exact recipe to make sourdough hamburger buns. I just shape them into balls instead of into logs. For best results, use some egg wash to give them a shiny finish, and sprinkle with some sesame seeds.
More Sourdough Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖Printable recipe
Soft Sourdough Sandwich Rolls Recipe (No Yeast)
These Soft Sourdough Sandwich Rolls are a perfect fusion of tangy sourdough goodness and the comforting familiarity of a soft sandwich roll. Prepare to roll up your sleeves, gather your ingredients, and elevate your sandwich game!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225 g) active sourdough starter
- 3 cups (420 g) all purpose flour
- ½ - 1 cup (75g - 150g) whole wheat flour
- 1 cup (235 g) water
- 2 tablespoon (12 g) sugar
- 1.5 teaspoon (7.5 g) salt
- ¼ cup (55 g) unsalted butter
Instructions
- Using a bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook, . Allow the mixer to knead the mixture on low speed for 5-10 minutes until the dough pulls away from the bowl's sides and achieves a stretchy consistency.
- To determine its readiness, perform the 'window pane' test. Take a small piece of dough and pinch it, then gently stretch and manipulate it into a somewhat rectangular shape. The dough, resembling a transparent window pane, should become thin enough to see through. If the dough breaks instead of stretching, it might require more kneading. We want to finish with the elastic dough at the end of the kneading (shaggy dough won't rise well).
- Place in a greased bowl (a mixing bowl is fine, it doesn't need to be a large bowl) and cover with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, a tight lid, or (what I like to do) a plastic bag. Alternatively, let the dough rise in the bowl of your standing mixer, but be prepared to stick to it a little. You don’t want to cover the dough with just a damp towel; it will dry overnight and leave you with an unpleasant crust on the dough.
- Allow the dough to do the first rise for 8-12 hours at room temperature. If your house is cold, try to find a warm spot. If your house is hot, prepare for the dough to double in size in less time (even closer to 6 hours!).
- You can transfer the dough to the fridge after the bulk ferment the next day if you're not yet ready to shape and bake the sandwich rolls.
- The next day, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces with a dough scraper and shape them. If the dough sticks to your fingers a little, try wetting your hands with warm water. On a lightly floured surface, flatten each dough portion into a rectangle, aiming for a thickness of around ¼ inch. Then roll it into a compact shape (like a hot dog bun), sealing the ends by pinching them together.
- Place the formed rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, ensuring that the seam side is facing downward. Let them rise until they almost double in size.
- The second rise could take anywhere from 1 - 3 hours, depending on the temperature in your environment and the level of activity in your sourdough starter.
- When the rolls have almost doubled in size, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Optional: Do a slash or two with a sharp knife or a razor. Since the sandwich rolls don't expand that much in the oven, this step is optional, but the lines do look pretty.
- Also optional: Spray the rolls with some water to create crusty outsides and soft insides.
- Bake them at 375°F (190°C) for 17 - 22 minutes (depending on the strength of your oven), until they are golden brown.
- Allow them to cool (the best way to cool them is by placing them on a wire rack) and enjoy your perfect sandwich bread!
Notes
Tips:
The flour you use, the altitude you live at, the humidity of the air in your kitchen...all this and more will affect how much flour you need in a recipe (a more technical term is the dough's hydration). So don't be afraid to add flour in order to get the dough to pull away from the bowl's sides and achieve a stretchy consistency! If you see (and feel) that your dough is shaggy and unmanageable, add a little flour and see what happens
Substitution Notes:
- Butter - instead of butter, you can use olive oil, but the rolls may not be as soft (but they will still be as moist).
- Flour - I successfully made this recipe using an even greater amount of whole wheat flour instead of white flour. The rolls did end up stiffer, but tastier in my opinion. So you can definitely up your whole wheat flour portion if you want to.
- Water - you can substitute buttermilk or whey for the water (if you have them as leftovers). You may need a bit less flour in that case.
Storage:
At room temperature, they're best stored in an airtight bag/container. They stay fresh for 3-4 days in the fridge.
You can even freeze them for 1-2 months, although to be fair, I've never tried it with these. We simply eat them way too quickly!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 sandwich rollAmount Per Serving: Calories: 285Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 5mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 3gSugar: 0gProtein: 8g
Baking Schedule
The day before:
- Feed the starter sometime mid-day. Depending on how long your starter needs to double, plan for it to reach its peak in the evening.
- Evening: Mix the dough, cover it with something air-tight, and let it rise overnight (8 - 12 hours).
The next day:
- Morning: Shape the dough into rolls and let them ferment the second time (1 - 3 hours).
- Before lunch: bake the sourdough sandwich rolls and have them fresh for lunch!
End Notes
Feel free to comment down below if something did not go according to plan or if you tried to make this recipe and had problems following the recipe. I will try my best to get back to you. Or just leave your comment and tell me how it went. I love getting feedback from you!
HAPPY BAKING!👩🏻🍳
Pin It For Later
Rebecca says
I saved this recipe for later! I'm definitely going to be trying these!
The Real Person!
Do try! I think you won't regret it! 🙂
Brittany Walton says
I’ve stuck the dough in the fridge this
Morning as I didn’t have time to bake. How long can the dough stay in the fridge and then can I shape immediately out of fridge or do I need to wait for room temp? Thanks!
The Real Person!
Hi Brittany,
In my experience, it’s easier to shape your dough before putting it into the fridge. Then fridge time counts as the second rise and helps develop the dough's flavor and texture optimally. Shaped dough can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours, but keep in mind it will get more sour the longer it sits.
Since you’ve already refrigerated the dough unshaped, try to shape it as soon as you can, within the next 24 hours. After shaping, you can let it rise at room temperature for about 2 hours or put it back in the fridge for the second rise, which can last from 8 to 48 hours.
It'll turn out great either way! 🙂