These Sourdough Discard Garlic Rolls smell absolutely incredible right out of the oven! They're brushed with melted butter, garlic, and fresh parsley, and they're the perfect snack or side dish. Plus, they have some additional lift and sourdough tang from the sourdough discard.
If you're in a garlic bread mood, check out my recipes for Sourdough Discard Garlic Knots and Sourdough Discard Garlic Pull Apart Bread, too!
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I've made these rolls several times; they are so good that I refuse to buy store-bought anymore!
- Michelle
Why you'll love this recipe
- This easy recipe comes together with about 20 minutes of hands-on time.
- The house will smell amazing when these rolls come out of the oven and you brush them with melted butter, fresh herbs and garlic!
- Sourdough Discard Garlic Rolls are a great side dish (or snack!) to serve with any meal.
- Looking for other dinner rolls? Try these Sourdough Discard Rolls and Sourdough Discard Hawaiian Rolls, and Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Dinner Rolls.
- This recipe is a great way to use up some of your sourdough discard, but you can also easily modify it to use active sourdough starter if you prefer.
- These rolls also freeze well, so if you have any left over, you can store them to enjoy later.
- You can use either garlic powder or minced fresh garlic to make these rolls.
Ingredients
As long as you have sourdough discard, you are well on your way to making these easy Sourdough Discard Garlic Rolls!
- Sourdough discard: The sourdough discard should be unfed and at room temperature for this recipe. This recipe is designed for a sourdough starter with a 1:1 ratio (when you feed your starter, it's with 1 part water and 1 part flour). If your starter uses a different ratio, you may need to adjust some of the ingredients in this recipe.
- Learn more about how to make a sourdough starter.
- Garlic powder: This recipe uses garlic powder, but if you wanted to use minced garlic cloves instead, you could. Use 4 minced garlic cloves in place of the garlic powder. As with all things that call for garlic, measure with your heart!
- Parsley: Fresh parsley will taste the best, but if you're in a pinch and only have dried parsley, that will also work! Use 1 teaspoon dried parsley in place of the fresh parsley. Alternatively, you could use another herb (such as rosemary) as well!
- Flaky sea salt: I like to use Maldon Sea Salt for some beautiful salty crystals on top of the rolls.
See full recipe below for detailed directions.
Substitutions & Variations
This is a very adaptable recipe and below are a few easy substitutions and variations you can try.
- Use active sourdough starter - If you'd like to use active sourdough starter instead of sourdough discard, you can! To do so, omit the yeast and replace the sourdough discard with active sourdough starter (200g). You will also need to adjust the rise times.
- Change the herbs - Try fresh rosemary, sage, or another herb instead of parsley. I do recommend using fresh herbs if possible.
- You might also love this Sourdough Discard Naan.
- Use garlic cloves instead of garlic powder - If you'd rather use garlic cloves, you can! Mince 4 garlic cloves and add to the melted butter mixture in place of the garlic powder.
- Add cheese - If you're interested, sprinkle the rolls with ¼ cup of shredded parmesan cheese before baking or just before serving!
- Make a potato roll - Try these Sourdough Discard Potato Dinner Rolls, too!
How to Make Sourdough Discard Garlic Rolls
This recipe has two rises, but the rolls come together very easily! The full recipe with detailed directions is at the bottom of this post.
- Step 1: Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Step 2: Transfer to a work surface and knead for 3-4 minutes until you have a smooth dough. The dough should be slightly tacky, but not sticky.
- Step 3: Transfer to a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 90 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Step 4: Turn the dough onto a work surface and divide into 9 equal-sized pieces. This doesn't have to be exact, but you can use a kitchen scale if you want your rolls to be exactly the same size.
- Step 5: Roll each piece into a ball and place in a greased 8x8-inch baking pan with the dough seam on the bottom.
- Step 6: Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 60 minutes, or until doubled in size. Brush with melted butter and bake until golden.
- Step 7: While warm, brush with the melted butter and parsley mixture, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Serve while warm.
Expert Baking Tips
- Make sure to knead the dough long enough. The dough should be soft and smooth before you set it in the bowl for the first rise.
- The rolls do not need to be exactly the same size (you can eyeball dividing the dough!). If you prefer, you can use a kitchen scale to weigh the dough so you have exact rolls of the same size.
- Rise times will vary depending on the temperature of your room. You may find that your dough needs to rise for a shorter or longer amount of time, depending on your environment.
- Before it bakes, this is not going to seem like a lot of dough. It's ok! The dough will rise and expand during the rises and while baking. Trust the process!
- These rolls are best served warm while the butter is melty and you smell the fragrance of the garlic and herbs!
- Looking for a fun dinner idea? Try this Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough and these Sourdough Discard Tortillas.
Storage
Room Temperature Storage: If you plan to eat these rolls within 1-2 days, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. You can reheat them in the microwave for about 30 seconds to make them warm and soft again.
Freezer Storage: Once fully cooled, transfer the rolls to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat in the microwave: When you're ready to serve, reheat the rolls in the microwave for about 60 seconds to make them warm and soft again. I find this works best for individual rolls (rather than the whole pan).
- Reheat in the oven: When you're ready to serve, let the rolls thaw to room temperature. Brush with 1 Tablespoon melted butter. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees (F) for 10 minutes. I find this works best if you're reheating an entire pan of rolls.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! To do so, omit the yeast and replace the sourdough discard with active starter (200g). You will also need to adjust the rise times.
Yes! This recipe uses fresh parsley, but you could use other herbs like rosemary or sage. I do recommend using fresh herbs, if possible.
Sourdough discard is not as active as active sourdough starter. You will need a leavening agent (in this case, yeast) to make sure the dough rises predictably and consistently. Don't worry, you will still taste the sourdough flavor!
Yes. I use non-dairy milk (I'm lactose-intolerant!), but you can make this recipe using regular dairy milk as well.
If you want to make these rolls in advance, you can. I recommend baking the rolls completely (omit the flaky sea salt just before baking). Once the rolls have cooled fully, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag.
When you're ready to serve, let the rolls thaw to room temperature. Brush with 1 Tablespoon melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees (F) for 10 minutes.
More Sourdough Discard Rolls
If you tried these Sourdough Discard Garlic Rolls or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you! Happy Baking!
Sourdough Discard Garlic Rolls
Ingredients
For the rolls
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk or regular dairy milk warmed to 110℉
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 200 grams (about ¾ cup) sourdough discard unfed, at room temperature
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter divided
For topping
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Combine the warmed milk, instant yeast, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer*. Add the flour, sourdough discard, beaten egg, garlic powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add 2 Tablespoons of melted butter. Increase speed to medium and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a smooth work surface and knead until a smooth dough forms, about 3-4 minutes. The dough should be smooth and slightly tacky (but not sticky). If needed, add more flour or milk (1 Tablespoon at a time) to reach your desired consistency.
- Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for about 90 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Brush an 8x8-inch baking pan** with 1 Tablespoon melted butter and set aside.
- Turn the dough onto a smooth work surface and divide into 9 equal-sized pieces. This doesn't have to be exact, but if you want perfectly identical rolls, weigh the dough and divide that number by 9 to determine how much the dough for each roll should weigh. Roll each piece of dough into a ball in the palm of your hand, then place the rolls into the prepared baking pan. Repeat until you have 9 rolls.
- Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise for 60 minutes, until puffed and doubled in size. They should be touching in the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Brush the rolls with 1 Tablespoon melted butter. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
- While the rolls bake, melt the remaining 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter. Remove from heat, then add the garlic powder and chopped parsley and stir to combine. Remove the rolls from the oven and immediately brush with the parsley and butter mixture. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve while warm.
Chatty says
For everyone saying they were dense and crumbly...how?? I didn't even use my kitchen scale (it was 1AM and I was too lazy ) and just added a splash more milk and the dough came out soft and pliable. Very easy to knead by hand. Refrigerated the dough overnight before shaping and just let them rise a bit longer. They came out fluffy and delicious. My daughters ate half of them before me and my husband had a chance to have one. Thank you for this recipe!
Brandi says
I'm very sorry my poor little yeasties died for nothing trying to make these rolls. I used the alternatives for live starter instead of discard even though the directions were confusing. ("omit the yeast and replace the sourdough discard with sourdough discard (200g)". They never rose and were crumbly. 🙁
Jessica Vogl says
Thanks for catching my typo! I've corrected that.
Kim says
Can I bake these the day before completely to the end where I’ve brushed on the butter and garlic and the next day heat them up.
Jessica Vogl says
You could! They also freeze well, so if you want to make them today, for example, you could bake them completely, then freeze and reheat on Thursday. If you want to go that route, here's my recommendation:
Bake: Bake the rolls completely, but omit the flaky sea salt on top of the rolls (you'll add this later when you reheat).
Freeze: Once the rolls have cooled, transfer them to an airtight bag or container and freeze (for up to 3 months).
Reheat: When you're ready to serve the rolls, let them thaw at room temperature (can take 1-3 hours). Then brush the rolls with melted butter, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and reheat the rolls in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Gabrielle Conner says
Can I refrigerate these and bake the next day?
Jessica Vogl says
If you want to make them ahead, I would do the first rise in the fridge overnight, then shape / bake the next day.
Raluca Whitenack says
Can you freeze them unbaked? If so after freezing do I let them thaw at room temperature and then bake?
Jessica Vogl says
I don't recommend freezing yeasted bakes (which this is) before baking. After freezing, they tend not to rise appropriately, and no one wants a flat / dense roll. They do, however, freeze very well after baking, and I would suggest doing that!
Carol says
Once baked, can these rolls be frozen?
Jessica Vogl says
Yes! They're great to freeze.
Arbie says
Hello,
I would like to try this recipe using bread flour instead of APF, is that possible? Will there be any adjustments in the ingredients and instructions I need to make if I do so. Thank you.
Jessica Vogl says
Yes, that should work (your rolls will be a bit more crusty / chewy as AP flour gives you a softer roll). You don't need to make any other changes to the recipe.
Patrice Fernandez says
Hey there, this looks delicious but the minute I added my milk, sugar and yeast yeast just jumbled up. Any suggestions for that?
Jessica Vogl says
I would start with the warm milk in your bowl, then add the yeast and sugar. And make sure the milk is warm! You can always stir up the mixture if you feel like it's too clumpy (not sure if that's what you mean here!).
Lauren says
Made these once before and they are so fluffy and delicious! Making again soon. Can you refrigerate after shaping and then set out longer right before baking? Or would you recommend refrigerating prior to shaping?
Jessica Vogl says
If you're trying to make these in advance, you could let the first rise happen in the fridge overnight, then shape / second rise / bake the next day. Or if you're wanting to make them earlier in the day to bake for dinnertime (as an example), you could always do some of the rise time (either the first or second) in the fridge. When you're ready, you'd let the dough come back to room temperature (and do any additional rising, if needed) before baking.
BK says
I followed this recipe exactly. My dough was not light and fluffy. It was very dense and crumbly. I didn’t have to add extra flour because it didn’t need it. It was never tacky. Disappointed.
Jessica Vogl says
Sorry to hear that these didn't work out for you! If your dough is feeling too dry, I highly recommend adding some more milk until you reach that desired dough consistency. I also highly recommend measuring at least the flour and sourdough discard with metric measurements rather than cups for the most accuracy!
Sarah says
Followed recipe exactly and this isn’t my first rodeo baking. Unfortunately these turned out like biscuits you would eat for breakfast with sausage gravy. They were not dinner rolls at all. They were too dense and had a crumbly, grainy texture. Very strange. I am so bummed.
Jessica Vogl says
Appreciate the feedback! Can I ask if you used metric measurements or cups measurements?
May M says
Can I bake in a ceramic dish? I am going to triple the recipe and I want it to look nice and pretty for thanksgiving. Thank you! So excited to try this!
Jessica Vogl says
Yes, you can! I find you sometimes need to add a few extra minutes of baking time if you're using a ceramic dish, so just keep an eye on that!