November Sourdough Surprises - Dinner Rolls

We all know that sourdough can make some flavorful, hearty breads.  But this month, Sourdough Surprises challenged us to try a different kind of bread - soft, pillowy dinner rolls. Now, soft and light aren't usually words one uses to describe a sourdough bread.  But guess what - it can be done!

I chose this recipe for garlic rolls, and they came out so well - reminiscent of soft breadsticks.  

And the insides?

Soft and pillow-y! Exactly as a dinner roll should be! Slathered in butter, these were super easy to eat. I served them with a hearty chicken noodle soup and they were perfect for dipping and for sopping up every last drop of soup-y goodness. 

Did you join us this month? Link up and share your delicious creations!

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Garlic Sourdough Dinner Rolls
(from Nourishing Time)

For the dough:
1/2 cup fed sourdough starter
1 large egg
2/3 cups warm water
5 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp dried sweet basil
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp salt (leave this out if you use salted butter)

For the topping:
4 tbsp melted butter
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
4+ cloves freshly chopped garlic

Combine the wet ingredients and the basil, mix well.
Add the flour, then the salt, and knead the dough until soft and smooth.
Leave the dough to rise for 4-8 hours. If you are want to start the dough a day in advance, you can let the dough rise for 2 hours at room temperature, the cover it and place it in the fridge. The next day, before you are ready to proceed, simply let it warm up a little and then move on to the next step.
Divide the dough in 16-20 even balls and arrange evenly in greased containers. I got 16 balls out of this dough, and used two 8-inch cake pans.
Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and allow them to rise for an hour or so.
While the rolls are rising, mix up the topping in a glass bowl and set it aside at room temp until you’re ready to bake.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Stir the topping and brush most of it on top of the rolls, then stick in the preheated oven to bake for 22-25 minutes.
Once the rolls are done baking, brush the rest of the topping on so it has a little shine. These rolls do not get very dark, if you want them darker you may turn the broiler on for just a minute or two.
Enjoy!