These delicious sourdough nut rolls are sure to please this holiday season. Make a batch and give as gifts to friends and family!
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Jump to RecipeSourdough meets nut rolls
Nut rolls (walnut rolls) and nut horns are a staple treat here in central Pennsylvania and are served at Christmas and Easter holidays.
My grandmother made nut rolls every Christmas season. She would make several rolls and give them for gifts or freeze them to enjoy all winter long. I really don’t think they lasted that long though!
I’m always looking for ways to incorporate sourdough into a recipe and what better way to do this than with nut roll dough. So, I got my dry sourdough starter out and whipped up a levain for use the next day.
If you don’t use a dry starter, don’t worry. Your fed and bubbly starter will work just fine! Using the rest of my grandmother’s recipe, I made up a huge batch of soft, buttery dough.
Ingredients needed for sourdough nut rolls
The list of ingredients is pretty simple, but there is one that is imperative to a fantastic nut roll dough…. sour cream! Using sour cream produces a buttery soft dough that is extremely pliable but not sticky. Other wholesome ingredients include eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, salt and flour.
How to make sourdough nut rolls
For the dough
In a standing mixer, add sourdough, eggs, sour cream, melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix with the paddle attachment until light and well incorporated.
Switch to the dough hook and start adding flour, one cup at a time until dough starts to come together and pull away from the bowl, about 8 cups.
At this point, I like to dump the dough out onto a floured surface and add the remaining flour. You may only need 9 cups depending upon your kitchen environment.
Knead the dough, working in the flour until the dough is smooth, soft and pliable but no longer sticky. Once you reach this point, stop adding flour.
Divide the dough into 8 uniform balls and wrap each with plastic wrap. You can use the dough right away and start making your nut rolls or you can long ferment the dough overnight in the refrigerator.
This recipe has only one rise, so placing your dough in the refrigerator will allow fermentation to occur without a bulk rise occurring. When you are ready to make your rolls, pull the dough out of the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.
Make the filling
In a food processor, grind three pounds of walnut meats into a fine consistency. You don’t want any large pieces. Add milk, evaporated milk, melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and walnuts to a bowl and stir well. Make sure to incorporate all ingredients together.
Make the nut rolls
Working with one ball at a time, roll out on a lightly floured surface to as thin as you can get it, forming a rectangle. Spread 1/8 of the nut filling onto the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around.
From the long side, gently roll the dough up to form a log. Pinch the ends of the dough together and place them, 2 per sheet, onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Cover, and let the rolls rise for approximately 3 hours depending on your kitchen environment. The logs will get puffy but not a huge rise.
Bake one sheet pan at a time for 25-35 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
Possible issues that aren’t really issues
Sometimes my sourdough nut rolls will crack while baking. This usually occurs because I:
- Added too much flour and didn’t stop when the dough was just no longer sticky
- Added too much filling
Either way, the rolls are still delicious!
Variation
Use the same dough and fill with poppyseed paste! You can find it in the baking section of most grocery stores and here.
Storage
These sourdough nut rolls will keep up to 5 days on the counter. Wrap rolls in a layer of plastic wrap and another layer of foil and freeze for up to 6 months.
More Holiday Recipes
If you are looking for more classic holiday recipes, give these a try!
- Homemade cashew brittle – A classic!
- Traditional suet pudding – Mammam’s recipe handed down for generations.
- Peanut butter fudge – Mammam’s best recipe!
- Chocolate walnut fudge – Another classic!
Give this sourdough version of a classic nut roll recipe a try! I’m sure you’ll be adding it to your list of favorite uses for sourdough. Thanks for stopping by!
Sourdough nut rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1 cup Fed active sourdough starter
- 6 eggs
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 2 cups butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 9-10 cups all-purpose flour
For the Filling:
- 3 pounds walnuts, finely ground
- 3 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3/4 cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the Dough:
- Combine starter, eggs, sour cream, melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in an electric mixer using paddle attachment
- Switch to dough hook and add flour, one cup at a time until dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl
- Remove dough to a floured surface and knead, adding flour as needed to form a soft, pliable dough. You may only need 9 cups depending on your home environment.
- Section dough into 8 balls and wrap in plastic wrap. For long fermentation, place dough in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight. For immediate use, cover dough with a towel until ready to use.
To make the Filling:
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
- Stir until well incorporated
Assemble the Nut Roll
- Line four baking sheets with parchment paper
- Roll out one of the dough balls to form a thin rectangle.
- Spread 1/8 of the nut mixture onto the dough leaving a 1/4 inch dough rim around the edges
- Starting on the long side, roll dough to form a log shape
- Place 2 logs onto each baking sheet
- Cover the pans with towels and allow to rise in a draft-free location for 3 hours or until puffy
- Bake, one pan at a time, in a 350 degree oven for 25-35 minutes until the roll is lightly brown
- Allow rolls to cool completely
Charlene
Best of both worlds in one! This looks absolutely delish! 🥰
Brad MacAonghais
I love having a Christmas tradition food and will have to work on a post for my own blog about Christmas foods to include this with
Barbie
Love this for the Christmas holiday!
Katherine
We like to warm them up and put butter on them for breakfast. Thanks for the great idea, Memaw!
dani
I’ll keep making them so you can enjoy them❤️