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Sourdough Rolls

Ingredients

Makes 8

400g Strong Organic White Flour No.4 (105)

150g Organic 100% Wholemeal Flour (205)

Good slug of sourdough starter

300ml water

12.5g salt

Glug of oil (Sunflower or olive seems to work best)

Method

Prepare your sourdough sponge the night before by mixing 250g of the white flour with 300ml of water. Leave covered overnight and ideally for 18 hours or until its really bubbly. When ready, mix in the rest of the flour, salt and oil.

Knead for 10 mins until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover and leave to rise for 3-4 hours, but deflate and reshape at least once during this time to improve the texture - for maximum softness/elasticity deflate 4 times i.e every hour.

Deflate one last time, and cut into 8 equal portions with a dough scraper. Shape each portion into a ball, by pulling out and pressing in, in a circular motion like you would for a larger round loaf. This tightens the gluten back up and helps the rolls rise evenly.

Turn the oven on to 220 degrees

Place the rolls in a baking tray so they touch each other but have enough room to grow. Cover with a plastic bag and prove for at least an hour until the rolls have doubled in size - this bit is critical for soft rolls. An underproved sourdough roll, although still tasty, tends to be quite dense.

When ready, remove the plastic bag and dust with flour, or you could wet the dough with a little water or oat milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Use another baking tray as a lid over the rolls (this keeps the heat and moisture in and acts like a mini bread oven to help the rolls rise and stay soft), and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, transfer to a cooling rack and cover with a tea towel - this is the last step to ensure soft rolls. If you prefer a crusty roll leave to cool uncovered.