Overnight Sourdough Butter Rolls (Sister Schubert's Copycat)

This year I am in charge of bringing the dinner rolls to Thanksgiving, and I was not about to show up with anything less than soft, buttery, melt in your mouth rolls. So I did what any reasonable person would do. I recipe tested for a month straight. My family has eaten more rolls than they can count, but we finally got there.

These are my from scratch, sourdough version of the Sister Schubert's Parker House style rolls you find in the frozen food section at the grocery store. Those have always been my favorite, so they were the inspiration. The difference is these are made with real ingredients, naturally leavened with sourdough starter, and baked fresh in your own oven.

They are pillowy, slightly sweet, folded over a layer of salted butter, and rubbed with even more butter the second they come out of the oven. They are the roll everyone reaches for first.

Why this method works (bake today or bake tomorrow)

The best part of this recipe is that you get to pick the timing that works for you.

It all starts with an active starter. I feed mine at a 1:10:10 ratio the night before, and about 12 hours later it is bubbly and ready to go first thing in the morning. From there you mix, knead, let the dough rise, shape, and do a second rise. Then you have two options.

Bake the same day. Once the rolls are visibly puffy after the second rise, they go straight into the oven. If you start in the morning, they are ready just in time for dinner.

Bake from the fridge. After the second rise, cover the pan with plastic wrap and slide it into the fridge for anywhere from 12 to 36 hours. When you are ready, pull them out, take off the plastic wrap, and bake. No waiting for them to warm up.

I have done both and they each work great. The fridge method is my favorite when I am aiming for a specific time. For Thanksgiving, I am making the dough the day before and using the fridge method. That way the rolls go into the oven when the rest of the food is ready, instead of me rolling dough that morning while everyone waits on me to eat.

Ingredients and equipment

Here is everything you need so you can shop your pantry before you start. I have listed both cups and grams for anyone who likes to weigh.

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Dough ingredients:

• 1 cup (225g) active sourdough starter (fed at 1:10:10 the night before)
• 1 cup (237g) lukewarm water
• 1/3 cup (67g) unrefined cane sugar (regular granulated sugar is a 1:1 swap)
• 2 tsp (12g) fine salt
• 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 2 large eggs (100g)
• About 4 3/4 cups (600g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading

For shaping and finishing:

• 6 tbsp (85g) salted butter, softened to room temperature, for spreading
• 1 stick cold salted butter, for rubbing on top after baking
• Butter for greasing the pans

Equipment:

• Large mixing bowl
• Danish whisk
• Bench scraper or sharp knife
• Damp dish towel
• 9x13 baking dish (or an oval dish about the same size)
• 8 or 9 inch round cake pan or pie plate for the extra rolls
• Plastic wrap (for the fridge method)

On the dough

This is an enriched sourdough, which means butter, eggs, and sugar. It also means the dough is going to be sticky when it first comes together. That is exactly what you want for a soft roll.

For this one, skip the stand mixer and dough hook and knead by hand. Kneading by hand lets you feel the dough and add flour little by little as you go, which is the key to getting the texture right without making the rolls dense.

Expect to work in roughly 1/4 to 1/2 cup (30 to 60g) of extra flour while kneading. The exact amount depends on your flour, your starter, and your kitchen, so go by feel, not by a number. You want a dough that is soft and smooth and only slightly tacky. For me, that happened right around 10 minutes of hand kneading.

Making the rolls

Step 1: Feed your starter the night before

Feed your starter at a 1:10:10 ratio the night before. About 12 hours later it should be active, bubbly, and ready to use first thing in the morning.

Step 2: Mix the dough

Melt the unsalted butter and let it cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the active starter, lukewarm water, sugar, salt, melted butter, and eggs. Mix well with your Danish whisk. Add the 600g of flour and mix until all the flour is incorporated and you have a shaggy, sticky dough.

Step 3: Knead by hand

Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured surface. Knead, and as it gets sticky, add a little more flour. Knead until it gets sticky again, add a little more, and repeat. Keep going until the dough is soft, smooth, and only slightly tacky. For me, this was about 10 minutes of hand kneading.

Step 4: First rise

Place the dough back in the bowl and cover with a damp dish towel. Let it rise until it has grown by about 50%. This usually takes 6 to 8 hours. In my kitchen at around 72 degrees F, it took 6 hours. A warmer kitchen will be faster, a cooler one slower.

Step 5: Divide into 32 pieces

Your dough should not be super sticky anymore, so a lightly floured surface is all you need. Pat the dough into a circle, popping any big bubbles, and flatten it a little. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut it into 32 pie shaped pieces. Cut it in half, then in half again, and keep halving until you have 32.

Step 6: Shape into balls

Roll each piece into a ball, creating tension on the surface like you would when shaping a sourdough boule. Cover and let them rest for 10 minutes. This rest relaxes the dough so it is easier to flatten.

Step 7: Butter, fold, and arrange

Butter your pans. Using your hands, flatten a ball into an oval. Spread the top with some of the softened salted butter and fold it in half. Place it in the pan with the seam facing out. Repeat with the rest, arranging them in a spiral pattern.

I fit about 24 rolls in an oval dish about the size of a 9x13, and the remaining 8 went into a smaller pan. An 8 or 9 inch round cake pan or pie plate works great for those extra 8.

Step 8: Second rise

Cover the pans and let the rolls rise for 2 to 3 hours, until they are visibly puffy.

Step 9: Bake now or chill overnight

To bake the same day: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden brown.

To bake later: Cover the pans tightly with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge for 12 to 36 hours. When you are ready, preheat to 375 degrees F, take the rolls straight from the fridge, remove the plastic wrap, and bake for about 22 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top.

Step 10: Butter the tops

As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, take a cold stick of salted butter and rub it right over the hot tops. It melts straight into the rolls and gives them that soft, glossy, buttery finish. Let them cool for a few minutes, then serve warm.

A few more things

On the egg wash: Skip it. I tried an egg wash on one of my test batches and did not like the crust it gave. These rolls are meant to be soft all the way through, and rubbing cold butter on the hot tops gives you a better finish than egg wash ever did.

On the pans: If you would rather skip the second pan, a half sheet pan fits all 32 rolls in 4 rows of 8. They bake into one big pull apart slab, which is very close to the look of the frozen tray version.

On leftovers: Store cooled rolls in an airtight container or zip top bag at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Skip the fridge, since it makes bread go stale faster. To reheat, wrap them loosely in foil and warm them at 300 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes.

On freezing: The most reliable way to freeze these is after baking. Let the rolls cool completely, then put them in a freezer bag with as much air pressed out as possible. They keep well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then reheat in a 300 degree F oven until warm. If you want to make these ahead, the fridge method above is the better choice than freezing raw dough, since sourdough rolls do not always rise as well after being frozen unbaked.

Why this matters

The rolls are never the star of the Thanksgiving table, but they are always the first thing to disappear. They soak up the gravy, they hold the leftover turkey sandwich together the next day, and they are what the kids fill up on before anyone has touched the green beans.

There is something special about bringing a basket of rolls you made from scratch, especially when they taste like the ones everyone grew up loving from the freezer aisle. Make the dough the day before, let the fridge do the work, and bake them right as dinner hits the table.

Made this recipe? I would love to know how they turned out. Drop a review below and tell me if you went with the same day bake or the overnight fridge method.