Soft Sourdough Potato Rolls

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 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.

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.

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 to bake a couple of days later.

I’ve included a printable recipe card at the end of this post for your convenience.

If you would like to bake a chewy, artisan-style sourdough loaf, you’ll also love my Long-Fermented Artisan Sourdough Bread.

If you have yet to make your own sourdough starter, you will find these instructions from King Arthur Flour useful.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup active sourdough starter (feed it ahead of time so it’s bubbly and ready to go)
• 1/2 cup milk, scalded and cooled
• 1/3 cup softened butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup mashed potatoes (or 1/3 cup instant potato flakes stirred into 1/2 cup hot water)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3¼ cups all-purpose flour (may need more or less)
• 1½ tablespoons melted butter for brushing the rolls after baking

Tools Needed

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• Stand mixer (or a bread dough mixer machine like mine)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Large bowl
• Plastic wrap
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Pastry brush

Directions

Step 1- Mix Dough Ingredients and Ferment

Your sourdough starter should be active and bubbly.

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 3 cups of the 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, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour (and up to 1/2 cup more, if you need it.)

The dough has enough flour once it pulls away form the sides and bottom of the mixer.

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.

If you house is warmer than 69°, I would recommend doing the long ferment in the refrigerator to prevent your dough from becoming too sour at room temperature.

You’ll know when your dough is fully fermented when it has doubled in size.

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 your dough on a kitchen scale, making each ball 58 grams.

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 tea towel 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 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.

Yield: About 17 Rolls

Soft Sourdough Potato Rolls

Print

Soft sourdough potato rolls that your friends and family will love. Delicious served warm with butter and jam, and perfect for the holidays!

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 10 hours

Total Time 10 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup active sourdough starter
• 1/2 cup milk, scalded and cooled
• 1/3 cup softened butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cups mashed potatoes (or 1/3 cup instant potato flakes stirred into 1/2 cup hot water)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3¼ cups all-purpose flour (may need more or less)
• 1½ tablespoons melted butter for brushing the rolls after baking

Instructions

1. Add sourdough starter, cooled milk, softened butter, sugar, mashed potatoes, beaten egg, salt, and 3 cups of the 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).
2. Mix until a smooth dough forms. Add the additional 1/4 flour (and up to 1/2 cup flour) if your dough is still too sticky. The dough should pull away from the sides and bottom of the bowl when you have enough flour.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Form the dough into 17 rolls. For uniform rolls, weigh each ball of dough on a kitchen scale and make them 58 grams a piece.
6. Place on a lined baking sheet, cover with a tea towel, and allow to proof in a warm area for about 2 hours or until the rolls look poofy.
7. Bake on the center rack in a 375°F oven for 12-15 minutes or until rolls are lightly golden.
8. Brush the warm rolls with the 1½ T. melted butter.
9. Serve warm. Allow any leftovers to cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

17

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 171Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 168mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 4g

*Nutrition information is not always accurate.

If you enjoy making this recipe, I would greatly appreciate a review!