Sourdough Sandwich Rolls | A Perfect Sourdough Discard Recipe (2024)

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Sourdough Sandwich Rolls | A Perfect Sourdough Discard Recipe (1)

The Best Sandwich Rolls

This recipe for sourdough sandwich rolls is practically perfect. These buns are easy, fast, and a sturdy-yet-soft vehicle for sandwiches and hamburgers. Over the years, I’ve tried plenty of recipes for hamburger buns, but I never found one that I liked more than what I could find on the grocery store shelves. My past attempts were often too dense or too crumbly (or both!) But this recipe is close to perfect (as a perfectionist, I’ll probably never rate any recipe as truly perfect.)

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Sourdough Sandwich Rolls | A Perfect Sourdough Discard Recipe (2)

Meet Rosie

During the pandemic, like many people, Sean and I made a sourdough starter. Sean has been the main caretaker of our starter which we named Rosie (Queen of Corona!). And he’s spent so many hours working towards baking an artisan quality sourdough loaf. He’s made some awesome loaves–and some stinkers because there is a huge learning curve when it comes to a pure sourdough loaf.

I have more enjoyed using Rosie to make easier sourdough discard recipes like crumpets and pancakes. And now, these sourdough sandwich rolls. The base recipe of these rolls comes from King Arthur Baking’s big batch quick dinner rolls. This recipe is heavy handed with the instant yeast to get a really quick rise.

Recipe Rescaled

But with bread baking, a quick rise often equates to little taste. So I thought: “what if we add sourdough starter for flavor?”. Sean rescaled this recipe to include a dose of starter in addition to the heavy-handed dash of yeast. I added an egg wash, a sprinkling of sesame seeds, and changed the shaping technique to create buns instead of rolls.

The result: a flavorful and extremely fast sandwich roll. Want burger buns tonight? You probably still have time to make these rolls!

Sourdough Sandwich Rolls

Sourdough sandwich rolls are a perfect, easy home-baked sandwich roll or hamburger bun. They rise fast with a combination of sourdough discard and instant yeast. You can have a batch of buns ready within 90 minutes!

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Keyword Baking, Bread, Quick & Easy, Sourdough

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

  • cup (113g) sourdough starter 100% hydration
  • 1 cup (227g) milk warmed to ~100F
  • 1 ½ tbsp (23g) butter room temperature
  • 1 tbsp (11g) sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp (9g) kosher salt
  • 1 ½ tbsp (14g) instant yeast
  • 2 ¾ cup (330g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg for egg wash
  • 1 tbsp cream or half & half for egg wash
  • sesame seeds for sprinkling on top of rolls
  • flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top of rolls

Instructions

  • Mix together the sourdough starter, milk, butter, sugar, salt, and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer–or large bowl if you aren't using a mixer.

    Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes until it starts to foam which means your yeast is working and has bloomed.

  • Add the flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough has come together in a rough shaggy mass.

  • At this point, you can switch to the dough hook and knead using the stand mixer for 5 minutes or until the dough comes together into a smooth ball. The dough will feel elastic and bouncy.

    Or knead by hand (this is what I like to do.) Pour the dough out onto your counter and knead for 10 minutes. I think it's fun to watch the dough change as I hand knead. It will be slightly tacky to start and that's ok. Just keep kneading until it morphs into a smooth, elastic ball.

  • Spray your bowl with non-stick spray and spray the top of the dough too. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 minutes in a warm area of the kitchen. I like to put mine in the microwave because it's pretty toasty in there. The dough should rise during this time. It won't quite double, but you'll notice the rise.

  • Remove the dough from the bowl and portion into 6, ~4.25 oz pieces. Roll these into a ball by cupping your hand over the dough and lightly rolling across the surface of the counter.

    Then press the dough down into about a 1-inch thick disc. This will give the rolls a good shape for sandwiches.

    Place discs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper (or sprayed with non-stick oil.)

    Sourdough Sandwich Rolls | A Perfect Sourdough Discard Recipe (4)

  • Cover with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise for another 20 minutes. During this rise, preheat your oven to 350F.

  • Whisk together egg and cream. Uncover your rolls and brush each one with a good coating of egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and flaky salt.

  • Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown.

  • Cool for at least 15 minutes. These will last for about 5 days bagged in plastic.

Notes

  • Our sourdough starter is a basic recipe at 100% hydration–if you feed with equal parts flour and water by weight, you also have a recipe at 100% hydration.
  • If you’d like to make dinner rolls instead of sandwich buns, during the shaping phase, portion your dough into 12, ~2 oz. pieces. Make the balls as indicated, but don’t flatten. Instead of using an egg wash and sesame seeds, bake plain and brush with melted butter when they come out of the oven. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt at this point would also be delicious.
  • You will not use all of your egg wash. I keep my extra in the fridge because we bake a lot around here. If you don’t bake a lot, mix this with a couple more eggs and a sprinkle of salt. Then scramble them. Scrambled eggs would make a good topping for breakfast sandwiches on your fresh sourdough sandwich rolls!

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Sourdough Sandwich Rolls | A Perfect Sourdough Discard Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between sourdough bread and sourdough discard bread? ›

Sourdough discard bread combines sourdough discard with either active-dry or instant yeast, resulting in a quicker proofing times. In contrast, sourdough bread relies solely on an active sourdough starter for leavening.

How long can you keep sourdough discard before using? ›

I recommend keeping sourdough discard for up to one week.

If needed, mark the date on the container in your refrigerator. After one week, there is a higher chance of the discard growing bad bacteria or mold.

Do I need to feed my sourdough discard before baking? ›

Absolutely! A jar of sourdough discard serves as an insurance policy against starter death. If you have some discard on hand, remove a spoonful of it and feed it fresh flour and water in a clean jar. You should have a bubbly starter ready to bake with after a couple of feedings, depending on the discard's condition.

Is eating sourdough discard good for you? ›

Technically, sourdough discard has the same benefits as sourdough starter, since they are both wild yeast ferments. In terms of beneficial lactic acid bacteria, natural yeasts acetic acid and colonies of microbes, they are both full of them.

Does sourdough discard spoil? ›

You can store mature sourdough discard in the refrigerator indefinitely. As long as there is no mold, it is good to use. It may develop a grayish liquid on top called “hooch” which can be poured off before use or stirred in. If you stir it in, the flavor will become more sour.

How do you make sourdough bread lighter and fluffier? ›

There are several ways to make sourdough bread lighter and less dense, such as:
  1. Increasing the hydration level of your dough, which means adding more water or using less flour. ...
  2. Switching up the type of flour you use, or using a mixture of different flours.
Nov 15, 2015

How do you cut sourdough bread for sandwiches? ›

The idea is to turn the boule into something manageable so you can get consistent slices. I cut it in half, and then cut one of the halves in half. Then I slice off the tall part of the quarters. Slices that came from adjacent parts of load will fit together and make great sandwiches or grilled cheese sandwiches.

What's the difference between a bun and a roll? ›

The technical difference is that a bun is a yeasty, sweetened dough made with butter, and a roll is plain dough with margarine or lard. But people call them a variety of names, pretty indiscriminately. Rolls, buns, baps, barms, cobs and more.

What happens if I forgot to discard starter before feeding? ›

If you didn't discard a portion of your starter each time you feed it, two things would happen: Your starter would grow to an enormous, unmanageable size. Your starter would likely become more and more inhospitable to the bacteria and yeast we want as the mixture would become ever more acidic.

How do I know if my sourdough discard is bad? ›

How Do You Know if Sourdough Discard Is Bad? Sourdough discard will potentially smell acidic and even like acetone if it's a few days old. While it will smell different to a fed, active starter, it won't smell unpleasant.

Can you freeze sourdough discard and use it later? ›

Can you freeze sourdough starter discard? While feeding an active starter is a better idea, freezing discard will also work. I would suggest freezing discard that has been more recently fed, it may take longer for the starter to become thriving and active after thawing.

Can I use sourdough discard straight from fridge? ›

I prefer to use my discard within 7 days of keeping it in the fridge, otherwise, you risk too much sour flavor! To use sourdough discard that's been stored in the fridge, place it on the counter to warm up for 2-3 hours before using.

Why do you discard half of your sourdough starter? ›

Discarding some first allows you to add this fresh food, whilst maintaining your starter at a manageable size. Not discarding your starter will also affect the flavor of your starter. Not discarding before you feed will cause too much acidity which may eventually be detrimental to your microbes.

Can I bake with cold sourdough discard? ›

You can utilize a cold starter in any sourdough discard recipe. These recipes don't require a sourdough starter for leavening, so you can use your starter directly from the fridge. These recipes offer a fantastic solution for using excess sourdough.

What is the purpose of sourdough discard? ›

Tenderizer: The acidity in sourdough discard weakens gluten development and reacts with chemical leaveners which results in soft and fluffy baked goods. Fermentation: Adding sourdough to baked goods also imparts the magic of fermentation.

What exactly is sourdough discard? ›

Sourdough discard is the portion of your sourdough starter that is removed and discarded before feeding the remaining starter. It's an important step in maintaining a healthy and active sourdough starter.

What happens if you bake sourdough discard? ›

You can always use this discard by directly mixing it into a dough for baking. Your discard, as long as it's in good shape, will leaven any bread dough just as well. The discard is just like a levain you would make for a recipe. The only difference is it's the same makeup as your starter.

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