Sourdough Bread Rolls
When it comes to sourdough, just roll with it!
A very good friend and fellow baking mastermind asked me to work on a sourdough bread roll recipe that didn’t contain sugar or is enriched like most recipes online. And I took to the challenge! After lots of tests and just as many fails - too tough, too flat, burnt, undercooked - you name it! Eventually I cracked it and it turned out to be the most simple recipe that worked the best! Please give this a try and let me know your thoughts! I highly recommend them with lots of salted butter.
Sourdough Bread Rolls
INGREDIENTS
For the Levain
2 tbs Sourdough starter (see my recipe on how to make this)
75 g Wholemeal rye flour
75 g Lukewarm water
For the Dough
100 g Sourdough starter from above (take this from your pot and leave the remains in the fridge for next time)
450 g Strong white bread flour
300 g Lukewarm water
10 g Salt
Method
Please reference my sourdough bread recipe for the full technique on how to prep, mix and knead your dough.
We are going to do something slightly different with this recipe.
After the first 30 min autolyse (where you mix your dough and rest before stretching and folding), we are going to use a slightly different method for building gluten which is an easier version of the french fold (slap and fold). If you would like to use the french method, I have linked a wonderful tutorial below that you can follow.
If not, then follow these steps.
Starting with wet hands, scoop your dominant hand under the dough and slap against the side of the bowl (a heavy ceramic or glass bowl helps stop it moving around). As you do this, turn the bowl clockwise if you’re right handed and anti-clockwise if you’re left handed. You’re basically dragging the dough around the bowl and tucking it under itself to create tension. This will create more friction pulling on the dough and you should start to see after a few turns the dough getting smoother. Repeat this process for another 3-5 mins until the dough is smooth, soft and less sticky.
This acts as your first stretch and fold. Now, lightly spray or wet the dough with water, cover and set aside to rest for 2 hours, then proceed with the further 2 stretch and folds as per my original recipe (for a total of 3).
Once you have finished your third stretch and fold, cover your dough with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and store in the fridge over night.
The next day -
Remove your dough from the fridge and gently turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a bench / dough scraper, portion your dough into 12 equal pieces (weighing approx 63 g each). If you want larger rolls, portion the dough into 6 pieces.
Working gently, lift and tuck the edges into the centre to make a ball, flip the dough smooth side up and cup your hand over the dough. Then, gently drag them over the surface in circular motions to create tension and pull the dough into a tight ball. Be careful not to tear the surface by making it overly tight. I have linked a video below that details this as well as a few other shaping methods if you’re feeling adventurous.
Now, here you have a choice. You can either place them in a deep sided baking dish closer together for pull apart rolls or on a flat sheet set apart for individual rolls. This is the time when you can make decorative cuts to the surface to make them look pretty. Alternatively, you can wait until after proving and deeply score them for that traditional sourdough look. No matter which way you chose, once you’ve shaped your rolls, place them on your intended baking sheet, dust with flour, and cover to prove for another 1-2 hours or until nearly double, in a warm place away from drafts. You will know when they are ready as a floured finger pressed into the side should leave a slight dent. If it springs all the way back, just let them prove for a little longer.
While they are proving, preheat your oven to the hottest temp it can go with a deep tray in the bottom (to add water for steam later). If you have a baking / pizza stone, now is the time to put this on the middle shelf.
Once the rolls are ready to bake, score them with a sharp knife/ Lame, or leave them as is to burst naturally for that rustic look. If you made decorative cuts earlier, there is no need to further cut into the dough. Boil some water and pour this into the awaiting deep pan in the oven, then place your tray of rolls in and bake for 20-30 mins until golden brown and cripsy. Once baked turn the oven off, remove the tray of water, and leave the rolls to cool with the door slightly open for 10 mins to set the crust. After this, remove your freshly baked rolls to a wire rack to cool completely. The rolls will sound hollow if tapped on the base when fully baked. If in doubt, bake them at a moderate temp (150-180degC) for another 5-10 mins and cover with foil if you don’t want them to brown further.
Store in an air tight container and they should last 1-2 days. If they have gone stale, you can refresh them in a warm oven with a bit of steam. Another way of using them would be to cut them and bake them with garlic butter and cheese to make cheesy garlic bread rolls!
Tips and Troubleshooting
This recipe may take a few attempts to perfect if you're new to working with bread doughs. The key take away is to ensure the dough is worked properly to form gluten and be careful not to tear the dough or flatten when shaping.
You can prove and shape these rolls to bake the same day, but they will be a bit tighter and have less of a sour flavour. After the third fold, rest for an hour then shape and prove for a further 1-2 hours before baking.
If you want to flavour these rolls, you can brush them with garlic butter and sprinkle with herbs before baking or even when shaping stuff them with cheese. You can also incorporate 2 tbs of dried herbs when mixing the dough should you wish. Even seeds are a good shout, for the seeds I would mix them in during the first folding and mixing to ensure they’re mixed thoroughly. You can even wet the shaped rolls and then roll them in seeds to coat the outside.
If you want them to be wholemeal or use alternative flours such as Rye/Spelt, you can substitute some of the white in place of a different flour. I would always have the strong white as the larger percentage of the mix as the protein content is important for gluten development. I would look at the protein content on the package and if its below 10% then substitute 50-100g of the white in place of your desired flour. Alternatively, you can get very strong wholemeal flour that can be 50/50 with white. Just bear in mind that wholemeal flours tend to make the dough more sticky and so you may need to take care when working with it.
You can also enrich these rolls with milk and butter if you want a softer more fluffy roll. I will post a recipe on how to do this shortly.