Sourdough Honey Butter Dinner Rolls
One bite of these sourdough honey butter dinner rolls will have you swooning. They’re light and fluffy, perfect to go alongside any meal, especially for the holidays. But the honey butter sets it apart. This recipe will have you going back for more; you can’t just have one!
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This recipe is very similar to my regular sourdough dinner rolls. Except these are a little smaller and have honey butter brushed on top. If you’re looking for a larger roll, I highly recommend making a batch of my regular sourdough dinner rolls!
When I was developing this recipe, I meant to create sourdough Parker House rolls, but I went on and forgot to do the iconic dough fold when shaping for every batch. So I quickly turned it into something new, and honey butter rolls were born!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The texture: These rolls have a bakery-style texture that is light and fluffy. Even after they’ve been reheated, they stay the same texture!
The flavor: The sourdough tang mixed with honey butter creates a balanced flavor profile that you won’t be able to get enough of!
They go with everything! You can serve these rolls alongside almost any meal! Whether you’re whipping up a soup, baked chicken, or even a meatloaf, you can serve these dinner rolls as a side. Not to mention holiday gatherings and meals; they’d go perfectly!
Preparing Your Sourdough Starter for This Recipe
I’m starting to add this section to my sourdough recipes to help anyone who’s having trouble baking with their starter. Most of the time it’s not you; it’s the starter’s strength. Follow my simple instructions to get your starter ready to make this recipe or read my starter troubleshooting post.
- Feed your starter a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water (example: 1/2 cup flour + 1/4 cup water) 4–12 hours before you make this recipe. Be sure to leave it out on the counter after you feed it.
Kitchen Tools You’ll Need
- mixing bowl
- unbleached parchment paper
- 9 inch round cake pan
- bench scraper (optional but I LOVE mine!)
Ingredients
- fed sourdough starter (fed 4-12 hours before using)
- all-purpose flour
- water
- salt
- melted butter (salted)
- raw honey
Topping (or can be used as a spread)
- raw honey
- salted butter
How to Make This Recipe
Make Dough
In a mixing bowl, combine fed starter, water, honey, melted butter, and salt until combined.
Add in the flour and mix until combined. It will be shaggy, so use your hands to finish combining it into a dough ball until all the flour is incorporated. (If your dough isn’t coming together, add in 1-2 tablespoons of water to help).
Turn the dough out on the counter and knead for 3 minutes by hand or with a bread hook on an electric mixer. (If needed add a dusting of flour if the dough is sticky).
Place dough back in the bowl and cover loosely with a towel or lid.
Let the dough bulk ferment in a non-drafty place at room temperature for 12 hours. It should double in size and have visible bubbles in the dough.
Once bulk fermentation is completed, uncover the dough, punch it down to deflate gas bubbles, and turn it out on the counter (no flour is needed).
Shape Rolls
Line the bottom of a round cake pan with parchment paper.
Slice dough into 8 pieces
Roll each piece into a ball
Place one dough ball in the center of the pan then line the others around it so that they’re all touching. This should create a circle.
Cover the pan and let rolls rise for 3 hours on the counter at room temperature.
Bake Rolls
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit then bake for 18-20 minutes (they should be golden brown)
In a small bowl combine the topping (honey and melted butter). When the rolls come out of the oven, brush the tops with honey butter OR save it and serve alongside the rolls as a spread.
Expert Tips
- Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbling. It should double in size after you feed it. This will create a light, fluffy roll texture.
- When your dough is bulk fermenting, it should be placed somewhere at room temperature where there’s no draft. This can be in a turned-off oven, microwave, pantry, or on the counter.
- You want your dough to double in size during the bulk ferment. If it doesn’t do this, your starter needs to be strengthened. Read my starter troubleshooting post for help.
Make This Recipe Ahead
If you’d like to make this recipe ahead, you can whip up the dough, let it bulk ferment, and shape the rolls. Then place the dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. This will give you a little time before you need to bake them.
You can also make this recipe and freeze the rolls for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Recipe FAQs
Of course! You can leave it off or even use it as a spread for the center of each roll.
No, you’ll want to use a fed starter so your rolls will be light and fluffy.
It sounds like your starter isn’t strong enough or you needed to let the dough bulk ferment for a few extra hours.
Storage
Store these rolls (without the honey butter) at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If the leftover rolls have honey butter on them, they’ll last 1-2 days at room temperature or up to 5 in the fridge.
More Sourdough Bread Recipes
- Sourdough Dinner Rolls
- Sourdough Sandwich Rolls (AKA Hoagie Rolls & Sub Rolls)
- Sourdough Hot Dog Buns
- Sourdough Hamburger Buns
If you try this recipe and love it, come back and give it a 5 star review! Be sure to share a photo and tag me on Instagram @plumbranchhome
Sourdough Honey Butter Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup fed sourdough starter (fed 4-12 hours before using)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp melted butter (salted)
- 3 tsp raw honey
Topping (or can be used as a spread)
- 2 tsp raw honey
- 2 Tbsp melted butter (salted)
Instructions
Make Dough
- In a mixing bowl, combine fed starter, water, honey, melted butter, and salt until combined.
- Add in the flour and mix until combined. It will be shaggy, so use your hands to finish combining it into a dough ball until all the flour is incorporated. (If your dough isn’t coming together, add in 1-2 tablespoons of water to help).
- Turn the dough out on the counter and knead for 3 minutes by hand or with a bread hook on an electric mixer. (If needed add a dusting of flour if the dough is sticky).
- Place dough back in the bowl and cover loosely with a towel or lid.
- Let the dough bulk ferment in a non-drafty place at room temperature for 12 hours. It should double in size and have visible bubbles in the dough.
- Once bulk fermentation is completed, uncover the dough, punch it down to deflate gas bubbles, and turn it out on the counter (no flour is needed).
Shape Rolls
- Line the bottom of a round cake pan with parchment paper.
- Slice dough into 8 pieces
- Roll each piece into a ball
- Place one dough ball in the center of the pan then line the others around it so that they’re all touching. This should create a circle.
- Cover the pan and let rolls rise for 3 hours on the counter at room temperature.
Bake Rolls
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit then bake for 18-20 minutes (they should be golden brown)
- In a small bowl combine the topping (honey and melted butter). When the rolls come out of the oven, brush the tops with honey butter OR save it and serve alongside the rolls as a spread.
Notes
