Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe (Vegetarian, Sourdough Discard) (2024)

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These sourdough Hawaiian rolls are a fluffy & sweet bread recipe, no-knead and rise overnight. This pantry staple sweet bread is great for sliders, French toast, or just as a snack!

Mix the dough with a spoon, let the bread rise overnight, and form the rolls and bake the next day. This overnight sourdough Hawaiian bun recipe is simple and delicious, and a great bread for a BBQ, potluck, or gathering.

Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe (Vegetarian, Sourdough Discard) (1)

After making my sourdough brioche bread a few weeks back, I was inspired to make one of my favorite sweet bread recipes: Hawaiian rolls! I love the delicious Hawaiian rolls you get at the store (King’s Hawaiian is the kind they sell near me, a particular favorite of mine!) and wanted to recreate it with my sourdough starter.

And let me tell you – these little sweet rolls make the perfect bite for breakfasts, brunches, sliders, and toast! The sweetness of the Hawaiian rolls is a fantastic flavor and will really level up your bread game. Whether you are new to sourdough baking or a seasoned pro, this a great recipe to make with sourdough discard.

This No Knead Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe Is

  • Light
  • Airy
  • Sweet
  • Flaky
  • Simple
  • Flavorful
  • Made without Kneading
  • An easy overnight bread
Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe (Vegetarian, Sourdough Discard) (2)

Sweet Sourdough Discard Recipes for Hawaiian Rolls

This Sourdough Hawaiian rolls recipe is the perfect way to use your sourdough discard from a starter. I hate throwing out food (or rather, composting it!)- so I’m always looking for ways to reuse kitchen scraps to cut back on waste. Instead of tossing your discard when you feed your sourdough starter, try this awesome recipe instead.

I have a whole page on my site for recipes that use sourdough discard. That way you can add a hint of sourdough flavor to your baked goods, and cut back on food waste. This Hawaiian bread recipe uses unfed starter, so just use the discard straight from the bowl.

Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe (Vegetarian, Sourdough Discard) (3)

What Makes Rolls Hawaiian?

Hawaiian rolls are made with pineapple juice, to give the dough a light and sweet flavor. You can use fresh pineapple juice, frozen, or even canned. I actually used the juice leftover from this canned pineapple, which I love! That way I can enjoy the pineapple chunks in my recipes (My Aloha BBQ Tofu recipe is a perfect savory/sweet dinner recipe) and use the juice in this bread, or a margarita!

What’s In This Overnight Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe?

See the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!

Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe (Vegetarian, Sourdough Discard) (4)

What Baking Equipment Do I Need?

Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe (Vegetarian, Sourdough Discard) (5)

One of the BEST Pantry Bread Recipes

These Hawaiian sweet rolls with sourdough starter recipe is a fantastic pantry-staple meal! It uses almost all ingredients you would have in your dry pantry or cupboards. You probably have a lot of these ingredients on hand. Keeping a well-stocked pantry makes it easy to come up with delicious meals using a few staples you can rotate.

I made a list of my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples that always keep on hand. And you can check out all my favorite pantry staple recipes on TheHerbeevore.com here. By stocking up on whole ingredients you can cook delicious recipes without a trip to the store!

How Do I Make Hawaiian Rolls with Sourdough Starter?

This may look like a complicated recipe because it has a lot of steps, but believe me this is a simple and easy bread to bake! It’s actually easier than my normal sourdough recipe because you don’t have to knead it.

  1. In a large mixing bowl, add the sourdough starter, flour (start with 4 1/2 cups), sugar, active yeast, and salt. Mix well to combine, and make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
  2. Add melted butter, milk, and egg to a bowl, scramble well with a fork until combined. Add the egg mixture to the center of the flour well. Pour the warm water over the egg mixture. With a large spoon, mix well to combine all ingredients into a dough. Dough should be sticky and thick. If your dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap and place bowl in the refrigerator overnight (8 to 12 hours).
  4. The next morning, grease 2 8×8 loaf pans. Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface.
  5. Divide dough into 2 equal sections. And then divide each of those sections roughly into 9 equal parts. Each of those 9 parts will become one roll. I used my hands to roll the dough into balls, then placed them in the 8×8 in baking dish. Each baking dish should have 9 rolls. Cover, and allow dough to rise in the baking dishes in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in size (mine has taken up to 4 hours on colder days).
  6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush the tops of the rolls with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons water) and place in oven to bake for 22 to 28 minutes. Top should be brown, but if it starts to look burnt, then cover with foil and continue to bake.
  7. Allow buns to cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing.
Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe (Vegetarian, Sourdough Discard) (6)

Dietary Modifications

  • To make these sweet rollsvegan: substitute the eggs, butter, and milk for plant based varieties. I’ve actually made this Hawaiian bread with almond milk before and it tastes great!
  • To make dairy free: use plant-based milk and butter.

More Fun Sourdough Discard Recipes We Love!

Sourdough Bagels Recipe (Vegan)

Vegan Sourdough Muffins with Blueberries

Sourdough Garlic Naan Recipe (Vegan, Dairy Free, Egg Free)

Sourdough Starter Pizza Crust Recipe (Vegan, Dairy Free)

Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe (Vegetarian, Sourdough Discard) (7)

As always, if you make this easy no knead Hawaiian Rolls with sourdough starter be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipes!

Let’s keep in touch – make sure to subscribe to my monthly newsletter to get free recipe inspiration.

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Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe (Vegetarian, Sourdough Discard) (8)

Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls

Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe (Vegetarian, Sourdough Discard) (9)Kelly Jensen

Soft and fluffy no knead sourdough Hawaiian rolls take very little prep time. This pantry staple sweet bread is great for sliders, breakfast buns, and dipping!

5 from 15 votes

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Rise Time 14 hours hrs

Total Time 14 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course Baked Goods, Bread, Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 18 rolls

Calories 178 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sourdough starter unfed
  • 4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for sprinkling
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Sea Salt
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons 1 packet active yeast
  • 1/4 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup warm water
  • Egg wash 1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the sourdough starter, flour (start with 4 1/2 cups), sugar, active yeast, and salt. Mix well to combine, and make a well in the center of the flour mixture.

  • Add melted butter, milk, pineapple juice, and egg to a bowl, scramble well with a fork until combined. Add the egg mixture to the center of the flour well. Pour the warm water over the egg mixture. With a large spoon, mix well to combine all ingredients into a dough. Dough should be sticky and thick. If your dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour.

  • Cover with plastic wrap and place bowl in the refrigerator overnight (8 to 12 hours).

  • The next morning, grease 2 8×8 loaf pans. Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface.

  • Divide dough into 2 equal sections. And then divide each of those sections roughly into 9 equal parts. Each of those 9 parts will become one roll. I used my hands to roll the dough into balls, then placed them in the 8×8 in baking dish. Each baking dish should have 9 rolls. Cover, and allow dough to rise in the baking dishes in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in size (mine has taken up to 4 hours on colder days).

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush the tops of the rolls with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons water) and place in oven to bake for 18 to 24 minutes. Top should be brown, but if it starts to look burnt, then cover with foil and continue to bake.

  • Allow rolls to cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 5gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 277mgPotassium: 60mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 58IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 2mg

Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a rating and comment below, let us know what you loved about it!

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that support us!

About the Author: Kelly Jensen

Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe (Vegetarian, Sourdough Discard) (10)

Kelly Jensen has 7 years experience as a food blogger, freelance recipe developer, content creator, beekeeper, and loves cooking everything she can from scratch.

View all post by Kelly Jensen | Website

Sourdough Hawaiian Rolls Recipe (Vegetarian, Sourdough Discard) (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between sourdough bread and sourdough discard bread? ›

Sourdough discard is the unfed portion of your sourdough starter that you remove before you add fresh flour and water. Because of it's unfed state, it's not used to bake the delicious bread you know as sourdough, but more often than not, used in sourdough discard recipes.

How much of your sourdough starter should you discard? ›

How To Feed Your Sourdough Starter (at a Glance)
  1. Remove and discard half of your sourdough starter.
  2. Feed what's left in the jar with equal parts flour and water by weight (1:1:1 feeding ratio).
  3. Let rise at room temperature (covered or airtight) ideally 75+ F, until bubbly, active and double in size (2-12 hrs.).
Jan 3, 2021

What is the benefit of baking with sourdough discard? ›

Benefits of using sourdough discard

It adds a slight sour flavor without making them taste too off putting or acidic. Moisture: There is a lot of water locked into sourdough discard, this adds more moisture which prevents baked goods from drying out and keeps them tasting fresher for days longer.

What is the difference between feed and discard sourdough starter? ›

However, they are in different phases. Active starter has been fed flour and water within the last 12 hours or so and is growing until it hits its peak. Once it begins to fall it is considered discard.

What happens if you don't discard your sourdough starter? ›

If you don't get rid of the excess, eventually you'll have more starter than your feedings can sustain. After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself.

When should you throw out a sourdough discard? ›

I recommend keeping sourdough discard for about one week, but I do know others who keep it for much longer. After one week, there is a higher risk of mold or bad bacteria growing on the discard.

Can I leave sourdough discard out overnight? ›

Store your discard in a jar in the refrigerator where it will continue to ferment, albeit very slowly, whereas at room temperature, it will ferment quickly and you will soon have very ripe discard on your hands that won't be useful for much of anything. You can also store your discard in the freezer.

Can you use 2 week old sourdough discard? ›

How long can sourdough discard be stored? Best practice is to use the discard within 3-4 weeks, but if left longer it is okay. It just becomes more broken down and sour over time.

Do you have to discard starter every time you feed it? ›

You must discard some of your sourdough starter each time you feed it. You'll discover that discarding is necessary to build a healthy and thriving sourdough starter - but it's not actually as wasteful as you might think.

Can I bake with cold sourdough discard? ›

You can utilize a cold starter in any sourdough discard recipe. These recipes don't require a sourdough starter for leavening, so you can use your starter directly from the fridge. These recipes offer a fantastic solution for using excess sourdough.

Can you eat straight sourdough discard? ›

Yes you can use sourdough discard straight from the fridge, you don't need to let it come to room temperature if you don't want to. What is this?

What can I do with day 3 sourdough discard? ›

What to do with sourdough discard? Don't throw it away! Instead, use it to make delicious and nutritious treats like pancakes, waffles, muffins, and bread. Sourdough discard is a great source of natural yeast and flavor, and can add a unique tangy taste to your baked goods.

Are sourdough discard recipes healthy? ›

Yes, there are actually several health benefits to using sourdough discard in your cooking and baking. Sourdough discard is rich in probiotics, which can help promote a healthy gut microbiome and improve digestion.

Can you use active starter in place of discard? ›

Absolutely you can! Active starter can be used in the same way as sourdough discard in sweet or savory baking. You can add active sourdough starter to any recipe you would add discard to following the same calculation.

What can I use instead of sourdough discard? ›

Sourdough discard: If you don't sourdough discard saved up, feel free to use active sourdough starter. Active-dry yeast: You can use instant yeast for this recipe, you can skip blooming the yeast if you substitute.

What is the healthiest bread to eat? ›

Here are our top 7 choices for wholesome, nutrient-dense breads.
  1. Sprouted whole grain. Sprouted bread is made from whole grains that have started to sprout from exposure to heat and moisture. ...
  2. Sourdough. ...
  3. 100% whole wheat. ...
  4. Oat bread. ...
  5. Flax bread. ...
  6. 100% sprouted rye bread. ...
  7. Healthy gluten-free bread.

What can I use in place of sourdough discard? ›

Active starter can be used in the same way as sourdough discard in sweet or savory baking.

How long can you leave sourdough discard? ›

I've kept mine in the fridge for up to 3-4 weeks without feeding and used it in sourdough discard recipes and it was just fine. As long as it's not growing mold or bad bacteria, it's safe to use. It won't give you any rise, but it will add flavor! Remember: Sourdough starter and sourdough discard are pretty resilient!

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