Sourdough Wheat Rolls

Let's not beat around the bush! Yes, I'm on a sourdough tear these days and loving it! I've made the Sourdough Bread, the Sourdough Pancakes and, the Sourdough Waffles. Loved, loved, loved all of them!

But today, I want to try something new. I've been eyeing the recipes for sourdough rolls. Why rolls when you can have the big bread loaf, you might ask? A roll feels like a smaller commitment when you want to eat, a smaller little bundle of doughy joy that is all self contained and sets its own limits! You can cut into it much sooner than when you've baked a big bread and need to let it cool, plus these have a different consistency from the big bread loaf that I usually bake.

So, here I go on a new adventure down the sourdough roll path. I did find the recipe on the internet but I have modified it to suit our tastes here at home on the lake.

As I said, you can dig right into one, almost straight from the oven! Here, I'm having it with a wild salmon and avocado salad,of course, dressed with lemon and Greek extra virgin olive oil.

My sourdough starter, Click for starter recipe, which has been shared with many people since I started it a few months ago. All of them have baked with it and made it their own! I'm so happy knowing that it lives on the counters of other homes.

Day 1- mix the starter as below

Ingredients for the Starter

225 g whole wheat flour(8 oz.)

225 g water(8 oz.)

30 g starter  (1.06 oz.)

Making the Starter
In a bowl stir together 225 grams of whole wheat flour with 225 grams of water at room temperature with 30 grams of the sourdough culture. Stir it for about 1 minute until all the ingredients are combined. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and let it preferment at room temperature. After a minimum of 12 hours it is ready to be used in the final dough.

Day 2

Ingredients for the Rolls

makes 12 rolls

Starter (480 g total weight)

425 g flour (10 oz. white flour and 5 oz. Whole Wheat)

115 g water (4 oz.)

75 g buttermilk (or combination of yogurt and water 2/1)(2.65 oz., I used kefir)

25 g honey (.88 oz.)

10 g sea salt (.35 oz.)

50 g very soft butter (1.76 oz.)

Making the Rolls
Put the starter in a large bowl, add the other ingredients and mix for about 1 minute (no kneading) until everything is combined and you have a very soft dough. You can do this by hand but if you do not want to get your hands dirty you can also combine the ingredients with the aid of your mixer, but keep the mixing to a minimum. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rest for one hour. 

Now do a stretch and fold (a full letter fold, left over right, right over left, bottom over top, top over bottom; and again leave to rest for one hour. Do a second stretch and fold and a rest for one hour and then a third one, again followed by a one hour rest (see time table at bottom of post).

Preheat your oven to 220ºC / 430ºF. The preparation time from this point until the bread actually goes into the oven is 1 hour.

Shaping time! Weigh the total amount of dough and divide into 12 equal pieces. Shape the pieces into rolls. Lay the rolls in an oiled dish or tray, leaving some space (2cm or 0.75″) between the individual rolls, so that they will just touch each other at the end of the final proofing. The tray I use is 30 cm x 40 cm / 12 inch x 16 inch. Spray them lightly with oil and cover with clingfilm. The final proofing should take at least one hour, very probably more, depending on the temperature in your room and the temperature of the dough. When you think they have risen enough, you can test the rolls by using your finger to carefully make a very small dent in the dough. If the dent remains, the bread is ready to bake, if the indentation disappears within a few seconds, the dough needs a little bit more time. Please make sure the rolls are well risen, with these rolls my experience is there’s more chance of under than over proofing. If it is taking too long, you can put the tray on top of a warm surface. 

Now your rolls are ready for the oven. Try to create some steam in your oven by putting a small metal baking tray on your oven floor when you preheat the oven. Pour a quarter of a cup of hot water in the small baking tray immediately after putting the bread in the oven. If you are going to create steam with a baking tray, you also want preheat your oven a bit higher (10ºC / 20ºF), because you are going to lose some heat in the process. When you use this technique you have to turn down the oven to the original recipe setting after you put the bread in the oven.

After about 25 minutes of baking your rolls should be ready. Transfer onto a rack and leave to cool. These rolls also keep very well in the freezer. But please make sure to eat at least one roll while still warm with some really good Greek extra virgin olive oil!

Here is a timetable to help with planning your roll preparation and baking.
It's easier than it looks!

Day 1 22.00 h
Make starter, let ferment for at least 12 hours at room temperature

Day 2 10.00 h
Make final dough

• approx. 10.00 h Starter + rest of ingredients – 1 minute stirring
• 1 hour rest
• 11.00 h Stretch and fold 1
• 1 hour rest
• 12.00 h Stretch and fold 2
• 1 hour rest
• 13.00 h Stretch and fold 3
• 1 hour rest
• 14.00 Shape into 12 rolls
• Final proofing (at least) 1 hour
• approx 15.00 baking 25 minutes
• approx 15.30 ready!

 Enjoy!

Maria