Soft and Fluffy Freshly Milled Sourdough Dinner Rolls

This recipe for freshly milled sourdough dinner rolls is soft, fluffy, and incredibly delicious!

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I am making my Thanksgiving menu and gearing up for a delicious meal from scratch.

These freshly milled sourdough dinner rolls are at the top of the menu. Made with whole grains that are long fermented, they are incredibly delicious and will convert even the pickiest eater to whole grains!

This is a great recipe for the beginner sourdough baker using fresh milled flour.

Most sourdough dinner recipes will use at least a portion of all purpose flour or bread flour. This one is 100% freshly milled flour!

Why I love this recipe

These rolls are quite easy to make using simple ingredients.

Make the dough the night before and shape and bake the next day.

These types of recipes are great for making ahead of time. You can put the shaped rolls in the fridge until you are ready to bake making them super convenient for a busy holiday baking schedule.

Sourdough recipes don’t use commercial yeast and require a fermentation process using a sourdough starter. This process makes the bread more digestible. When made with whole grain flour, it is one of the healthiest breads you can eat!

If you are brand new to sourdough, you will need to make your own sourdough starter which is super easy!

What is Active Sourdough Starter?

Active starter is starter that has been fed within the last 24 hours. It will be bubbly and active looking with a pleasant yeasty smell.

For best results, use this stage of a starter for recipes that require a rise like breads or rolls.

What is Sourdough Discard?

Sourdough starter discard is starter that has not been fed recently. It will have a liquid on top and smell of acetone.

This stage of a starter is better suited for recipes that don’t require a rise like quick breads, biscuits, or pancakes.

Do I need to use a whole wheat starter for this recipe?

No, you can use any sourdough starter regardless of what kind of flour you use to feed it.

Which wheat type works best for this recipe?

I prefer to use freshly milled hard white wheat because of its mild flavor and light texture.

You can use any hard wheat variety. Hard red would add more flavor and be a bit more dense, Kamut and Spelt would also be wonderful for this recipe.

If you are new to using Freshly Milled Flour In Sourdough you just need a few tips to make successful bread products with whole grain flour.

Ingredients you will need for these freshly milled sourdough dinner rolls

• Freshly Milled Flour – As noted above, I use freshly milled hard white wheat. This recipe could also be made with store bought whole wheat flour.
• Sourdough Starter – Use active fed sourdough starter for this recipe.
• Water – For best results, use room temperature filtered water.
• Olive Oil – Olive oil add softness to the rolls. You can substitute with melted coconut oil or melted butter.
• Honey
• Salt – We use Redmond Real Salt but any sea salt will work just fine.

For complete ingredient amounts, see recipe card below

Try my Freshly Milled Sandwich Bread Recipe made with yeast.

And for a sourdough bread made with fresh flour, try my Whole Grain Sourdough Sandwich Bread

How to make freshly milled sourdough dinner rolls

Mix the dough

The night before you want to make these, add the water, sourdough starter, olive oil, and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.

In my kitchen, I use the Nutrimill Artiste Stand Mixer

Alternatively, you can mix the dough in a large bowl and knead by hand.

Pulse to combine the liquid ingredients.

Add 2 cups of flour. Mix until combined, cover and let soak for 30 minutes to an hour.

Add the salt and continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time on low speed until a soft dough forms that cleans the sides of the bowl.

To grind my wheat berries for flour, I use the Nutrimill Classic Grain Mill

Knead on speed 2 for 10 minutes or until it passes the windowpane test.

This means you can stretch a piece of the dough so thinly you can see light through it without it tearing.

Bulk Fermentation

Put the bread dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise overnight in a warm place.

Shape the sourdough dinner rolls

The next day, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces using a bench scraper.

Roll each dough ball on the work surface into a round shape. Pinch the seam side closed.

Place each roll on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Second Rise

Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let rise for an additional 1-2 hours.

Bake the Rolls

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush the tops of the rolls with an egg wash. This is optional, but gives the rolls a golden color.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Let rolls cool on a wire rack or cooling rack before storing.

Storage Tips

Store in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days.

Freeze in freezer safe bag for up to 3 months.