This recipe makes delicious Sourdough Dinner Rolls, with the option to omit sourdough starter by adjusting flour and water quantities. For the dough without sourdough starter/discard, use 840g all purpose flour and 395g water. The recipe yields 15 extra-large rolls or 24 regular rolls.
1. To make the dough: Combine all dough ingredients except for the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed for a minute or two until the flour is all absorbed, then mix on high or medium high speed for about 10 minutes until you have a soft, smooth dough that is close to passing the windowpane test. At this point you can add the softened butter and mix for a few more minutes until all combined. The dough should be smooth, strong, and slightly shiny. Shape it into a ball in the mixing bowl and cover. Let rise until it’s nearly doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours OR more if your house is cold.
2. To shape the buns: Divide dough into 15-24 rolls depending on the size you want. These were each about 105 grams (they were huge lol) and it made 15. For a more standard size, do ~65g each (this will make 24 rolls). Shape each roll. To smooth it out, cup your hands and pull the dough ball towards you to tighten the outer layer & create a smooth, round ball. Place buns on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover & let rise until noticeably puffy, about an hour. Put in oven with the light on to help them rise if your house is cold.
3. Toward the end of rising, preheat oven to 375F & make an egg wash to add an extra golden shine on top. Mix one egg w/ a splash of milk or cream until you have a smooth liquid, then brush over the buns before baking. Now sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
4. Bake: for small buns, bake for about 15-18 minutes, until golden. For large buns, you’ll need to bake a bit longer, about 25 minutes or until the middle reads 190F on a thermometer.
