These sourdough sandwich rolls are perfect for holding your favorite sandwich toppings. Made with sourdough starter, they are light and chewy with a slight tang that pairs perfectly with your favorite cold-cuts.
Why I Love This Recipe
I love a good grinder in the summer months. These sourdough sandwich rolls are my favorite sub rolls to make them with. They have a soft flavorful interior and chewy crust that is perfect for holding all your favorite cold-cuts.
This recipe is perfect for beginner and novice sourdough bakers alike. No fancy equipment is needed, just a baking sheet a bowl and a bread lame. The dough has a 4 hour counter bulk fermentation with an overnight fridge ferment that helps develop the flavor and makes the dough easier to handle when shaping. The entire recipe makes 4 foot long subs, and is super simple. I’ve included a sample bakers schedule to make it that much easier!
Using Your Sourdough Starter
What is Sourdough Starter? These homemade sourdough sandwich rolls use sourdough starter to rise instead of traditional bakers yeast. If you’re not sure what sourdough starter is, check out my How to Make a Sourdough Starter post to learn all about it.
For this sourdough sandwich roll recipe use your sourdough starter when it is at its peak. When is that? Each sourdough starter will behave differently, so learn your starter to know for sure its ready to bake with. As a general rule of thumb most starters will peak about 8-16 hours after their last feeding. When your starter is at its peak it will have at least doubled in size, be light, airy, and filled with bubbles.
Still not sure? Try a float test. To float your starter drop a spoonful into a glass of water to see if it floats. If it does your starter is mature and ready to bake with!
Tips and Tools
Plan Ahead: Sourdough baked goods have a long rise times in comparison to conventional bakers yeast. Take a look at the Sample Bakers Schedule for this recipe before you begin so you have a better idea on when to begin and how to plan ahead.
Measure Your Ingredients
It can be easy to add too much flour to the dough when measuring in cups, so for best results I recommend weighing the ingredients. The recipe card below has weight measurements for the listed ingredients. If converting to volume measurements, try spooning the flour into the measuring cup to prevent it from packing and creating a dough that is too dry.
Chill The Dough
The dough for these sub rolls is pretty sticky. To make shaping easier and to help develop the flavor it’s best to chill the dough for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator before shaping. I prefer to make the dough the evening before I plan to bake and place it in the fridge for an overnight cold ferment after I’ve finished the room temperature ferment.
Tools I Recommend
For this recipe I find the following tools quite handy (Amazon affiliate links):
- Stand Mixer
- 13″ x 19″ Baking Sheet
- Bread Lame
Sample Bakers Timeline
Sourdough baked goods have a long rise time. To make your life a whole lot easier I have included this sample bakers timeline to give you a better idea on when to start and how to plan ahead.
5 PM (day 1): Mix the dough together and cover to rest.
5:30 PM (day 1): Knead the dough, and cover for bulk ferment.
9 PM (day 1): Transfer the dough to the refrigerator for an overnight ferment.
7 AM (day 2): Shape the sourdough sandwich rolls and cover for second rise.
9 AM (day 2): Score and bake the sourdough sandwich rolls.
9:30 AM (day 2): Set them aside and allow them to cool for two hours at room temperature.
11 :30 AM (day 2): Store the sandwich rolls for later, or serve them with your favorite cold cuts.
How to Store Sourdough Sandwich Rolls
Store at Room Temperature: Sourdough sandwich rolls can be left uncut at room temperature for up to three days. Store them in a bread bag to keep them from drying out and becoming too chewy.
Freeze Them: Allow the sandwich rolls to cool completely after baking before freezing in a freezer safe container or air tight bag for up to a month. When ready to serve allow the sub rolls to thaw completely.
More Sourdough Recipes to Try
Sourdough Sandwich Rolls
4
servings30
minutes1
hourThese sourdough sandwich rolls are perfect for holding your favorite sandwich toppings. Made with sourdough starter, they are light and chewy with a slight tang that pairs perfectly with your favorite cold-cuts.
Ingredients
400 g filtered water, room temperature
75 g sourdough starter, active and bubbly
580 g all-purpose flour
8 g salt
57 g unsalted butter, softened (4 tbs)
Directions
- Make The Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your filtered water and active sourdough starter, until the starter is completely dissolved.
- Then, sift in the all-purpose flour and salt, mixing until a shaggy dough forms.
- Incorporate the softened un-salted butter by hand or with a stand mixer, until it’s fully incorporated into the dough.
- After mixing, cover the bowl with a damp cloth and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
- Uncover the dough and knead it on medium speed with a dough hook attachment for approximately 12 minutes. The dough is ready when it becomes smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If working without a stand mixer strengthen the dough by hand. To do this perform three sets of stretch and folds with rests in between each set.
- Bulk Fermentation
- Cover the bowl with a damp cloth to bulk ferment the dough at 72°F(21°C) for 4 hours. It’s important to note that rise times can vary based on the temperature in your home, so adjust the time accordingly.
- Transfer the dough to the refrigerator to cold ferment for 4-12 hours, or overnight. This step is important because it makes the dough easier to shape and helps to develop the flavor.
- Shape The Rolls
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a bench scraper or a non-serrated knife, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. For precise measurements, weigh each piece out to 280 grams using a digital kitchen scale.
- Take a piece of dough and gently shape it into a ball. Repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough, then allow them to rest for about 10 minutes.
- Take each ball of dough and flatten it into a rectangular shape using a floured rolling pin or your hands. Starting from one of the shorter sides of the rectangle use your fingers to roll the dough tightly into a log.
- To seal the seams, tuck and pinch the ends of the dough together firmly. Then, using your hands, gently roll the dough into a length of approximately 12 inches, ensuring it is uniformly shaped. Repeat this process with the remaining balls of dough.
- Second Rise
- Place your shaped sandwich rolls on a parchment lined 13″ x 19″ baking sheet seam side down. Leave about 2 inches between each to allow room for rising.
- Place a cloth or kitchen towel over the sandwich rolls, ensuring they are well covered. Let them rise at a temperature of around 72°F (21°C) for approximately two hours. During this second rise, the buns will increase in size and become visibly poofy. It’s important to note that rise times can vary based on the temperature in your home, so adjust the time accordingly.
- Bake
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- Using a bread lame or sharp knife, score each roll lengthwise before placing them on the lower center rack to bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops turn golden brown. Once out of the oven brush the buns with melted butter if desired.
- Allow the rolls to cool for approximately one hour before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Storing at room temperature: Sourdough sandwich rolls can be left uncut at room temperature for up to three days. Store them in a bread bag to keep them from drying out and becoming too chewy.
- Freeze Them: Allow the sandwich rolls to cool completely after baking before freezing in a freezer safe container or air tight bag for up to a month. When ready to serve allow the sub rolls to thaw completely.
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