Fluffy Sourdough Orange Dinner Rolls

These soft and fluffy Sourdough Orange Dinner Rolls include a hint of orange zest for an added zing.

The monthly challenge for the Sourdough Surprises Baking Group was to make soft and fluffy dinner rolls using sourdough starter.  I love rolls: big ones, small ones, soft ones, you name it.

The biggest challenge for me was choosing what kind of bun to make. I finally decided to convert a recipe I had made before.  I substituted sourdough for the buttermilk, made the rolls smaller, and added black sesame seeds on top.

These fluffy sourdough dinner rolls include a hint of orange zest for an added zing. They are delightfully easy to make and can be scheduled a day (or so) ahead of time to be ready for your Holiday meal.

Start the dough the evening before you plan to make these rolls, and they’ll be ready for the final proof and bake the next morning or early afternoon.  If you want to extend the fermentation due to a hectic schedule, place the dough in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Just keep in mind the longer fermentation will increase the sourdough tanginess slightly and reduce the rise a little, but you’ll still get great rolls, in my opinion.

Sourdough Orange Dinner Rolls

Makes: 15 small rolls

Adapted from: Cooking Light November 2010 Issue and Classic Sourdoughs Revised by Ed Wood and Jean Wood

Inspired by: Pennsylvania Dutch Tea Rolls from Cooking Light 2010 Holiday Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sourdough culture
• 1/2 cup warm milk (100 – 110 degrees)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 teaspoons grated orange rind, optional, but tasty
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 14 ounces (about 3 cups) all-purpose flour, plus additional for sprinkling
• 2-3 tablespoons milk (for brushing the tops of the rolls)
• Poppy or black sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Step 1: Feed sourdough starter

Feed your sourdough starter following your normal procedure and increase it so that you have 2 cups of starter to use in this recipe.

Or

Create a culture proof following the instructions in this post on Activating a Sourdough Culture & Creating the Culture Proof. It will show you how to easily feed and increase your sourdough starter as well as reduce the acidity level. It only takes a few minutes to prep each step.  Most of the time is spent proofing the starter.

Step 2: Prepare the final dough

Pour the sourdough culture into a large mixing bowl. Add the warm milk, melted butter, sugar, honey, grated orange rind (if using) and salt and mix thoroughly.  Add the flour a cup at a time and mix using a Danish dough whisk. Switch to mixing the dough by hand when the dough gets too stiff for the whisk. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead until the dough is smooth and satiny.  Add in additional flour if necessary.

At this point, you have two options for proofing the final dough, depending on your schedule and when you plan to bake the rolls.

Step 3: Bulk Fermentation

1) Overnight proof at room temperature

Prepare the final dough, place in a clean, greased bowl, then cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest overnight (8 – 12 hours) at room temperature, about 70 degrees F.  During the proof, the dough should double in size. Follow the instructions for shaping, proofing, and baking the rolls below.

Or

2) Overnight fermentation in the refrigerator

Prepare the final dough, place it in a clean, greased bowl, then cover it with plastic wrap, and let it proof for 4-5 hours at room temperature, about 70 degrees F. Then place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake the rolls.

This is the method I used. I started the process in the morning the day before I planned to bake the rolls and they were ready to be baked the next evening.

This schedule worked quite well and didn’t require a lot of hands-on prep time.

• Saturday Morning: Feed sourdough starter (proof 2 hours). Create the culture proof (proof 8-12 hours)
• Saturday Early Evening: Prepare final dough, proof for 3 -4 hours at room temperature, then let it ferment in the refrigerator overnight.
• Sunday Afternoon: Shape, final proof, and bake the rolls.

If you place the dough in the refrigerator overnight (or a little longer), allow the dough to warm up to room temperature before shaping the rolls.

Step 4: Shape rolls  and final proof

After the dough proofs, gently ease the dough onto a floured work surface. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. If considerable flattening occurs, you can knead in additional flour before shaping the rolls.

Cut dough into 15 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, roll dough into a ball by cupping your hand and pushing against the dough and the surface while rolling.  Arrange the dough balls on a baking sheet or a baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Cover with plastic wrap and let them rise at room temperature for 1 hour or until they are doubled in size.

 

 

Step 5: Bake the Rolls

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush the rolls lightly with milk, then sprinkle with seeds, if desired.

Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Remove the rolls from the pan and cool slightly on a wire rack.

Serve rolls warm.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy