
Your friends and family will love these soft sourdough potato rolls. They are such a treat warm with butter and jam and are only subtly sour. They are perfect for holiday dinners or special occasions, and they aren’t difficult to make from scratch.
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These dinner rolls freeze well, but they do not last long around my house. If I leave a bag of these soft sourdough rolls out on the counter, they disappear faster than a jar of cookies. You’ll love how simple this no-knead recipe is!

These are inspired by a favorite potato roll recipe that’s been in my family for years. I have made my own tweaks, the biggest of which was to change it to a sourdough recipe.
I love baking with my sourdough starter whenever I can for the added health benefits and depth of flavor. It’s really a lot more simple to work with than many people think. You just have to plan ahead.
You may also enjoy making my Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Soft Sourdough Breadsticks, or Soft Sourdough Pretzels.
This recipe yields about 17 soft sourdough rolls, but you can easily double the recipe for a bigger batch.

You can bake them the same day if you start the recipe early in the morning. Or to work around your schedule, you can keep the dough in the fridge for 1-3 days before forming the rolls and baking.
You could even bake some fresh rolls one evening and save the rest of the dough to bake a couple of days later.
I’ve included a printable recipe card at the end of this post for your convenience.

Recommended Equipment
- Stand mixer (or a bread dough mixer machine like mine)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large bowl
- Plastic wrap
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush
How to Make Soft Sourdough Potato Rolls
Step 1- Mix Dough Ingredients and Ferment
Your sourdough starter should be active and bubbly. If you store your starter in the refrigerator, make sure you pull it out and give it a fresh feeding a few hours before you are ready to make this recipe.

To scald your milk, heat it on the stove top or in the microwave until it exceeds 180°F. Then allow it to cool down to lukewarm.
Fit your mixer with either the bread hook or cookie paddles.
Add your sourdough starter, cooled milk, softened butter, sugar, mashed potatoes, beaten egg, salt, and flour to the bowl of your mixer (reserve the 1½ T. melted butter for later).

Mix until the ingredients come together into a smooth dough. If the dough is still really sticky you can add a little more flour, about 1/8 cup at a time.
The dough has enough flour once it pulls away form the sides and bottom of the mixer, but avoid adding too much flour, or your rolls will turn out dry.

Transfer your dough to a large oiled bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap.


You have two choices: you may do the entire 8-hour ferment on the countertop at room temperature and bake the rolls directly after, or you may ferment for 4 hours on the counter and then transfer your bowl to the refrigerator.
You can refrigerate the dough for 24 hours and up to 3 days before forming and baking your rolls. Simply remove the dough from the fridge an hour before you are ready to form your rolls to allow your dough to come to room temperature.
You’ll know when your dough is fully fermented when it has doubled in size. (Keep in mind fermentation may happen more slowly or more quickly depending on the ambient temperature in your house.)

Step 2 – Form Dough Into Rolls and Proof
Two hours before you are ready to bake, form your dough into 17 rolls. For uniform rolls, you can weigh out 58g portions of dough with your kitchen scale.
Place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a second pan, if you need to, but feel free to squeeze them all on one baking sheet.
If you’ve never shaped rolls before, you might find this video helpful.

Cover the rolls with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and let them proof in a warm area for about two hours, or until the rolls look poofy. (You can put your pan in your turned-off oven with the light on if your home is chilly.)

Step 3 – Bake and Brush with Melted Butter
Bake on the center rack in a 375°F oven for 12-15 minutes, or until your rolls are lightly golden brown.


While they are still warm, use a pastry brush to brush the remaining 1½ T. melted butter on each one. This will make the exterior shiny and soft.

Serve warm. Allow any leftovers to cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to three days or freeze.


If you make this recipe and love it, I would be so grateful if you would come back to leave 5 stars and a comment or review! Constructive feedback is appreciated as well. Tag me on Instagram @aberlehome to show me what you made!

Soft Sourdough Potato Rolls
Soft sourdough potato rolls that your friends and family will love. Delicious served warm with butter and jam, and perfect for the holidays!
Ingredients
- 100g (1/2 cup) active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
- 120g (1/2 cup) whole milk, scalded and cooled*
- 75g (1/3 cup) salted butter, softened
- 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 105g (1/2 cup) mashed potatoes (or 22g (1/3 cup) instant potato flakes stirred into 118g (1/2 cup) hot water)
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 440g (about 3-1/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour (may need more or less)
- 1½ tablespoons melted butter for brushing the rolls after baking
Instructions
- Add sourdough starter, cooled milk, softened butter, sugar, mashed potatoes, beaten egg, salt, and flour to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook or cookie paddles (reserve the 1-1/2 T melted butter for later).
- Mix until a smooth dough forms. Add additional flour a little at a time if your dough is too sticky. The dough should pull away from the sides and bottom of the bowl when you have enough flour. No additional kneading is necessary.
- Transfer your dough to a large oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the bowl to sit on the counter at room temperature for 4 hours.
- At this point, you may leave the dough out for 4 more hours if you're baking the same day, or transfer it to the refrigerator to bake after 24 hours-3 days. Pull your bowl out of the fridge one hour before forming your rolls to allow the dough to come back to room temperature.
- Form the dough into about 17 rolls. For uniform rolls, weigh each ball of dough on a kitchen scale and make them 58 grams a piece.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap, and allow to proof in a warm area for about 2 hours or until the rolls look "poofy."
- Bake on the center rack in a 375°F oven for 12-15 minutes or until rolls are lightly golden.
- Brush the warm rolls with the 1½ T. melted butter.
- Serve warm. Allow any leftovers to cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze.
Notes
*heat milk to 180°F, then allow to cool
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Hiware 200-Piece Parchment Paper Baking Sheets 12 x 16 Inch, Precut Non-Stick Parchment Sheets for Baking, Cooking, Grilling, Air Fryer and Steaming - Unbleached, Fit for Half Sheet Pans
-
Pyrex 8-piece 100 Years Glass Mixing Bowl Set (Limited Edition) - Assorted Colors Lids
-
GreaterGoods Digital Food Kitchen Scale, Multifunction Scale Measures in Grams and Ounces (Ash Grey)
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 17 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 171Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 168mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 4g
*Nutrition information is not always accurate.
These look delicious. Have you weighed your starter measurement? I find dry measuring starter really inconsistent. Thanks!
You are right, Gina. I have been using weights for my most recent sourdough recipes, and I need to update this recipe with weights as well! I do 100g starter (at 100% hydration) for 1/2 cup.
Good God are these amazing! Definitely a keeper, great way to use up sourdough discard and leftover mashed potatoes in one recipe. I think Sister Schubert is off somewhere crying in a corner. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it!