Making bread is both a science and an art. Once you are used to the process you can experience deliciously rewarding results. I’ve been baking bread, especially whole wheat bread, for over 30 years.
Several years back I wanted to explore making artisan breads. One of my sons did too. We picked up a book, and I was so intimidated, that’s as far as I got. My son went a little further, purchasing a few “necessary” equipment items. After making a few things, the book was donated.
My daughters ventured into artisan breads through videos and books, with delicious results. But I still felt intimidated. Then last year I found “Artisan Bread with Steve” on YouTube. Steve has a no-nonsense manner of making bread. He is calm, relaxed and confident. That’s exactly what I needed! He didn’t use fancy equipment. And he even taught a no-knead technique. He says precision isn’t necessary…isn’t that encouraging?
My very first attempt at these dinner rolls was a success! Later, I started changing some things. I found I preferred an egg-white wash to the egg-yolk wash Steve used. Then I wondered if I could use a baking sheet instead of a baking stone. The results were still good. Even the times can be adjusted a bit.
I so wish I knew about this technique and had this recipe when my children were young. The set-and-forget, almost effortless method is amazing, and the results are fantastic! If you want a really good dinner roll, you’ve got to give these a try. You may even want to check out Steve’s videos. His Mediterranean Olive Bread is outstanding. Maybe you’ll even buy one of his books like I did.
Easy Artisan Rolls
Ingredients
- 14 oz cool tap water
- 1/4 tsp yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 egg white
- kosher salt
Instructions
- Pour cool tap water into a large metal or glass bowl. Add in yeast and salt stirring slightly.
- Add in bread flour and stir with the handle of a wooden spoon or spatula until the ingredients come together in a mound. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 8-24 hours, depending on your schedule.
- After the dough has rested use the handle of the spoon to bring it together again. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. If the dough is too sticky to handle sprinkle the top with a bit of flour and dust your hands.
- Divide the dough into 8 large rolls or 12 smaller sized rolls and shape into a smooth ball. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and let rest for one hour.
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk egg white together with 1 tsp of water and brush over rolls. Sprinkle a little kosher salt over each roll and snip with scissors.
- Bake for 20min or until golden brown. Serve warm.
