For the water, Just use hot tap water. It’s important to make sure your oven reaches 450° F – 230℃. (my oven takes 35 minutes). For the overnight method, simply switch to COOL water and let the dough rest overnight on the counter top for 8 to 24 hours. Be sure to aerate your flour before measuring.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 1/2 cups (320 grams) bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) instant or dry active yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) hot tap water (up to 130℉ 54℃)
METHOD
- In large bowl combine dry ingredients. Stir in water. Mixture will be thick and sticky.
- Cover with plastic wrap & let stand on counter top for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours (mixture will be puffy and bubbly on top) place dough on a well-floured surface. Using a scraper fold over about 12 times, adding enough flour so it doesn’t stick (about 2 Tbsp).
- Using a scraper cut dough into 8 pieces. With floured hands, shape each into a ball by folding and tucking, like making a drawstring bag.
- Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet (not wax paper) & cover with a dish towel. Let stand at room temperature for 35 minutes. They will puff up but will not double in size.
- As soon as rolls are covered, start preheating oven to 450° F. Oven must be 450° so use an oven thermometer if possible.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. To re-crisp the next day, preheat the oven to 325° F and place the rolls directly on the oven rack for 10-12 minutes.
To Freeze: Once baked & cooled, they freeze beautifully. To re-crisp, place frozen rolls directly on the oven rack in a preheated 325° F oven for 10-12 minutes. They’ll be even more crispy than first-baked!
Variation: To make sesame seed rolls, gently brush rolls just before baking with egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
