I was keen to try making heart-shaped rolls, after seeing them on a Valentine’s Day episode of River Cottage recently.
Google turned up fabulous instructions here, and the technique adapted well to my sourdough rolls. I lowered the hydration in my dough a little to help it hold the shape.
Begin by shaping the proved dough into balls – mine were about 160g each…
Roll one end of the ball into a point – I did this by rolling the dough between the palms of my hands…
Snip through the fat end of the roll with a pair of kitchen scissors…
Now turn the dough “ears”, so that the cut surfaces are face down…
Place on a parchment lined tray, and cover first with a sheet of greased clingfilm, and then with a tea towel. Allow to prove.
Slash the hearts if desired, then bake as you normally would for bread rolls. Mine took 15 minutes at a preheated 220C with fan, followed by a further 20 minutes at 175C with fan (which is standard for my sourdough recipe and oven). Serve to people you love!
Very clever! Loved the idea, will try it on my next batch of sourdough bread, as it’s not easy for me to bake a regular boule in our tiny oven
Great job!
That’s just gorgeous. How lovely to be served one of these fresh out of the oven with lots of butter in the morning :)
Those are really cute rolls, clever you! Do you wet your hands when you make the rolls? Or does the dough just not stick at all?
How sweet! I’m amazed at how well they’ve kept their shape.
A beautiful detailed photo post…maybe I could have a try at these…you make it sound and look easy….mmm…xx
These are LOVELY! Can’t wait to try them.
Do you ever put an egg wash or brush the crust with anything?
I’ve been having great success with throwing a cup of hot water into a cast iron skillet on the bottom rack. Made garlic naan last night.
They’re really sweet Celia! They look like they’d be perfect with a good bowl of soup – autumn must be coming if I’m thinking of soup!
Thank you all! It wasn’t my original idea though, credit goes to Frieda at the link I posted. But they certainly did work well in sourdough! :)
I want you all to know that I’m a good mum, and therefore didn’t make my teenage sons take these rolls to school for lunch.. :)
Jo, the dough didn’t stick to my hands any more than it normally would for baguettes. I lowered the hydration to about 65% and oiled the bench as I normally do before shaping. I slashed about half of them, and those (I think) probably looked a bit better at the end. They were really very easy to make!
Maz, no I didn’t egg wash them. I usually just spritz my dough with a little water before putting it in the oven..
C, it’s spring here, but I’m still thinking of soup! :)
Celia,
The hearts are so beautiful. I’ve been making some breads recently but they are not that good yet. We eat them all but they are still a little bit heavy and dry. I am trying hard to manage some recipes but I have not succeeded the way I wish. Maybe soon. I’ve never tried sourdough wish I could get more audacious…
C.
Claudia, I’ve been reading about your Bertinet baking! It’s really a great book. If the bread is heavy, for me it’s almost always a problem with the flour (if the yeast is still good). Will email you directly.. Celia
They are a sweet looking roll Celia. That was my first thought, did the boys take them to school :-)
Hehe…could you imagine, Brydie? :) I did make them eat them over the weekend, though. I made filled rolls for them, and said “I heart you..” :)
Celia these are gorgeous!!
Thanks LJ! :)
So cute!! They held their shape really well. Is River Cottage back on? Please tell me when and what channel! :)
Oh, how I wish! I bought myself the DVD collection earlier this year, and there was an episode in Beyond River Cottage with heart rolls for Valentine’s Day. Apparently, if you’re willing to pay for Foxtel (we’re not), there are several series screening at the moment…sigh…
Ha ha, when I saw the photos I immediately thought that Tara would love to take them to school. Then I read your comment about being a good mum and not making your kids take them to school. Aawwww!
oh these are so cute. i would never have thought you could make heart-shaped bread rolls so easily – these are genius :)
Celia- these are beautiful. I’m making them this week, now that I’m home in my own kitchen. I’ve never shaped hearts before, because I have the mold pans that make hearts and stars and diamonds, etc., but these are so very homey and lovely.
You did a great job!
SG, I’m sure Tara would love to take these to school. But Big Boy and Small Man? No chance.. :)
Helen, thanks for stopping by! These rolls really were great fun to make..
Heidi, thank you! As you know, I don’t always have lots of luck with shaping bread, but these worked well. I think they’d be nice in a sweet dough as well…
I wish we could just pay for the programs you love – like River Cottage, instead of having the whole channel or foxtell al the time.
I love the rolls, they are so lovely and a subtle reminder at the same time too.
Cutie Patooties! What a fabulous idea. I <3 (Heart) it! I am bookmarking this post and putting into my recipe folder for V Day. :)
Very cute and clever! I’m happy to take them (to work, not school) if Big Boy and Small Man are not that keen … :-)
Don’t need to tell you how popular a heart shaped loaf would be in our house!
Breaking bread, breaking hearts…both crumby things to do.
Thank you all…
Chef R, wouldn’t that be lovely? As it is, I just keep buying the RC dvds whenever they come out…
Anna, I think the original instructions were written for Valentine’s Day, I just couldn’t wait that long!
Wink, they’re happy enough to eat them, just not in front of their mates.. :)
Alex, indeed, I know a little person who would heart these! :)
J Cosmo, I’m sure Kiki Dee wasn’t singing about these…haha
Wish I had a Mum like you. These rolls are not only adorable but look incredibly tasty too!
Aww how adorable!! It’s like starting the day off with Mum’s love in the morning :)
Aww how cute Celia and snipping them is so clever!! How perfect would these be for a romantic picnic? :D
Now I’ll have to make these. Make me stop….Celia. Make me stop. they look gorgeous
What a lovely idea – I hope all your loved ones were duly impressed.
I’m so glad you all liked these as much as I did! :)
Emma, Honey, Choc – I told the boys they were a sign of love. They just looked at me and nodded indulgently. I’m sure it’s different if you have girls.. :)
Lorraine, I’m thinking of trying the method with a giant loaf…
Oz, don’t stop, your girls would love these! :)
These are so pretty, I’m not sleeping off my 103F fever like I should be, but instead wishing I could have a roll steaming hot from the oven (with chicken noodle soup of course). Great work!
Oh dear Sasha! Get well soon…I wish I really could drop over bread and soup to you!
Thanks Celia! I finally had to admit to myself that I need time to recover, so I took the week off blogging. I almost can’t stand it. Funny, I never felt this bad taking sick time when I had a day job. But then, I wasn’t doing what I loved most.
How sweet! I make bread a lot as hostess gifts and never thought to turn it into a cute sweetheart.
Thanks Preppy – I think these would make a lovely hostess gift! Maybe in a nice little basket..