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Buttery sourdough pull-apart rolls fresh from the oven with golden brown tops and soft interiors

Buttery Sourdough Pull-Apart Rolls

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Fermentation & proof 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 12 rolls
Course: Bread, Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Ingredients
  

  • 115 g active sourdough starter recently fed and at peak
  • 360 g water room temperature
  • 500 g bread flour or all-purpose in a pinch
  • 11 g fine sea salt
  • 60 g unsalted butter grated and chilled
  • cooking spray or softened butter for greasing the pan

Method
 

  1. In a large bowl, combine the sourdough starter and water. Mix until the starter is mostly dissolved.
  2. Add the flour and sprinkle the salt over the top. Mix until a shaggy dough forms and no dry flour remains. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  3. Perform two sets of stretch and folds, spaced 30 minutes apart. With a wet hand, stretch one side of the dough upward, fold over the top, rotate, and repeat on all four sides.
  4. Before the third stretch and fold, grate the chilled butter using a microplane or box grater. Add 15 grams of grated butter, fold the dough over itself, rotate the bowl, and add another 15 grams. Repeat until all 60 grams have been incorporated across four folds.
  5. Cover and bulk ferment until the dough has nearly doubled and feels soft and jiggly, about 3 to 8 hours depending on kitchen temperature.
  6. Lightly grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin (or a 9-inch round cake pan for pull-apart style). Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal portions, about 90-95 grams each.
  7. Shape each piece into a smooth ball by pulling the edges underneath to create surface tension. Place one in each muffin cup, seam side down.
  8. Preheat oven to 450°F. Bake the rolls uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and score the top of each roll with a simple slash.
  9. Return to oven and bake an additional 20 minutes, until deeply golden brown (internal temperature around 200°F). Cool in the pan 5 to 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes

Use cold butter. Room temperature butter smears instead of grating cleanly. Pull straight from the fridge.
Pan options: Muffin tin gives golden edges all around. A 9-inch round cake pan or 9-inch square baking dish gives true pull-apart style with soft sides where the rolls touch.
Overnight option: Shape the rolls in the greased pan, cover, and refrigerate 8-16 hours. Bring to room temperature for about an hour while the oven preheats, then bake as directed.
Brush with butter: For extra-shiny, extra-buttery tops, brush each roll with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.
Storage: Room temperature in an airtight container for 2 days. Reheat wrapped in foil at 300°F for 8-10 minutes. Freeze baked rolls up to 2 months.