Septieme Hard Rolls Recipes

HARD ROLLS (USING A STAND MIXER)

Steps:

• In a large bowl (or your KitchenAid), dissolve yeast with 3/4 cup of the water and sugar. Mix in remaining water, flour, and salt. Mix until dough starts to form. If too sticky, add a bit more flour. Knead for 2-3 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Put dough into an oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with a clean towel, and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, until doubled in size (about 2 hours).
• Preheat oven to 400°F If you have a baking stone, dust lightly with cornmeal and put into preheated oven. If not, use a cookie sheet. Place a shallow baking pan filled with boiling hot water on bottom of your oven for extra crusty rolls.
• ROLLS: Remove dough to a floured surface. Punch down dough and shape into 4 rolls. Place rolls on a peel (large wooden spatula), also lightly dusted with cornmeal, or on a cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise again for 20 minutes. Slit each roll once and brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle lightly with poppy seeds. If on a peel, slide loaves onto stone or tile; otherwise put cookie sheet in oven. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden and baked through.
• NOTE: To check for doneness, thump the bottom; if they sound hollow, they're done.

SEPTIEME HARD ROLLS

Steps:

• Stir together yeast, sugar, and warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.
• In a large bowl, whisk together both flours and salt. With the mixer on low, add half of the flour mixture; mix until well combined. Slowly add enough of the remaining flour mixture to form a sticky dough. Continue kneading with the dough hook, adding remaining flour as necessary, until dough is smooth and completely pulls away from the sides of the bowl (you may have up to 1/2 cup flour left over), about 15 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and continue to knead with your hands to make a smooth ball, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer dough to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let stand in a warm place until it begins to rise, about 1 hour. Transfer bowl to refrigerator; refrigerate overnight.
• Lightly flour 2 baking sheets; set aside. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, and divide evenly between prepared baking sheets, leaving space between each ball of dough. Let stand at room temperature until doubled in size, about 5 hours. If a skin begins to form on the dough, cover with a clean towel.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly dust dough with flour and transfer to top rack of oven. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes, rotating and switching baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and let rolls cool on baking sheet. Reheat in a 400-degree oven just before serving to crisp and warm through.

CRUSTY ROLLS

Steps:

• In a bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add shortening, sugar, salt and 1 cup flour; beat until smooth. Add egg whites; mix well. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes (dough will be stiff). Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours., Punch dough down; divide into 24 pieces and shape into balls. Sprinkle greased baking sheets with cornmeal. Place rolls 2 in. apart on baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Place a large shallow pan filled with boiling water on lowest rack in oven. Bake rolls on middle rack at 425° for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown.

CRUSTY HARD ROLLS

Steps:

• The Starter:
• Mix the starter ingredients together until smooth, cover, and let rest at room temperature overnight.
• Combine all of the dough ingredients and mix and knead them together -- by hand, mixer or bread machine, until you've made a soft, somewhat smooth dough; it should be cohesive, but the surface should still be a bit rough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 3 hours, gently deflating it and turning it over after 1 hour, and again after 2 hours.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased or floured work surface. Divide it into 12 pieces, shape the pieces into balls, and firm them up by rolling them under your lightly cupped fingers on an unfloured work surface. Place the rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover them, and let them rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until they've doubled in size. Refrigerate them for several hours, or overnight.
• Remove the rolls from the refrigerator, and brush them with a wash made of 1/2 cup water mixed with 1 tablespoon egg white (you won't use up all the wash). Slash a 1/4-inch deep cut across the top of each roll, and bake them in a preheated 425°F (220°C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're a deep golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a wire rack. For an extra-crisp crust, allow them to cool in the turned-off, door-propped-open oven.
• Yield: 12 rolls.