Adding a flavoured salt to your sourdough is a simple way to create interesting and tasty results. These rolls were so popular that a couple of friends have asked for the recipe!
I used the rosemary salt that our lovely friend Moo sent me…
On Alison’s suggestion, I dusted the rolls in fine semolina instead of my usual rye flour, which resulted in a fabulously crispy, crackly crust (how’s that for alliteration?)…
- 300g ripe sourdough starter (for more information on how I feed my starter Priscilla, please see our tutorial here)
- 580g cold water
- 500g bakers/bread flour
- 500g remilled semolina flour (Semola Rimacinata di Grano Duro – if you can’t find it, substitute 00 flour or more bakers flour, and reduce the water to 550g)
- 18g crushed rosemary salt (I use a mortar and pestle)
- fine semolina for dusting the bench and dough
1. In a large mixing bowl, use a clean hand to mix the starter, water, bakers flour, remilled semolina flour and salt together to form a shaggy dough. Scrape your fingers off and cover the bowl with clingfilm. Allow the dough to rest for half an hour.
2. After the rest time, give the dough a quick knead in the bowl – literally just a minute or so. Cover it again and allow to rest until it has doubled in size – depending on your starter and the temperature in your kitchen, that could take anywhere from 4 to 10 hours.
3. Dust the bench with fine semolina, and turn out the proved dough. Give it a few folds, then cut the dough into 125g pieces (you’ll end up with about 15 rolls). Shape each piece of dough into a tight ball and place it seamside down on a lined baking tray.
4. Dust the top of the rolls with more fine semolina, then press down firmly on each one with a stamp. I used a spiral bread stamp (purchased from Chefs’ Warehouse), but any would work. Push right through the dough to the tray. Cover the rolls with a tea towel and allow them to prove a second time.
5. Preheat the oven to 240C with fan. Once the rolls have had their second rise, spritz the top of each roll with a little water, then pop the tray into the oven, reducing the oven temperature to 220C with fan at the same time.
6. Bake the rolls for 20 minutes, then rotate the tray(s) and turn the oven down to 175C with fan. Allow a further 15 – 20 minutes baking time until the rolls are brown and crunchy.
The rosemary salt imparts a subtle but noticeable flavour and these rolls seem better suited to slathering with butter than dipping in olive oil. I’ll definitely be making them again!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Lovely rolls. But, the most important thing I gleaned here is the stamp. I never knew they existed. Never could understand the uniformity bakers got, considering that dough often has a mind of its own! Now for a croissant stamp and ill be all set…..
Oh wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could get a croissant stamp! Not sure one exists though.. ;-)
The bread stamps are new for me. They would be easier to use than twisting the dough into shape! They produce such a nice uniform tray of buns. I remember seeing them once somewhere but I thought they were odd-looking cookie cutters! Lovely buns. I love fresh baked buns warm from the oven slathered in butter.
Manuela, the stamps are expensive, but a worthwhile investment, because it makes us look so clever! :D
Celia, you know I covet your bread stamps, don’t you?
Glenda, would you like me to buy you one next time I’m at Chefs? They’re not cheap, I should warn you.. :)
I’ve always wondered how you make rolls like that! Those stamps are so cool! And I have lots of rosemary in my garden… I know what I’ll be baking next! Love this :)
Em, aren’t they great stamps? We found them a couple of years ago, when Brydie suggested a rosetta stamp quest.. :)
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/08/24/playing-with-bread/
Those look great- how many did you get with a batch of dough?
Are they about the size of a hamburg bun?
Heidi, they’re a bit smaller than a hamburger roll, and I made 15 from this batch! That’s enough for us to eat half and share the rest with the neighbours! :)
Nice alliteration! :-) Now I want one of those stamps.
I hope you find one! :)
These rolls look great. I have a sourdough starter from my son which I keep feeding but haven’t yet had a go at making the bread. Your bread always looks so good, I think I had better make some time and give it a go.
Lynda, thank you! Hope your new starter works well for you, how wonderful to have received it from your son! :)
I do love the flavour of rosemary in bread and so does my family. Now googling some bread stamps so my rosemary rolls can look as good as yours do.
Sally, hope you track some down. They were surprisingly tricky to find here!
Yes – Google results not encouraging.
I made some rosemary salt the other day – coincidence? I’ve got the Falke chilli salt as well. Have a super day, and what a great idea :)
Tandy, I have the chilli salt too! Have fun – I love just the thought of all the new breads you might now bake! :)
WOW! They are so beautiful dear Celia, fascinated me. I am sure they are so delicious too. Thanks and Love, nia
Nia, thank you! The shape of the rolls is very structural and arty, don’t you think? I always find it hard to resist photographing them! :)
Well I’ll be, ROSEmary salt eh? Salt + ROSEmary in a mortar and pestle = yum. Thank you Celia. :)
I think you’ll like them, ROSE.. :)
Mmm rosemary salt. I’ve been visiting Salts Meats Cheese and expanding our selection of salts… a great way to add subtle flavors, including to sourdough rolls yum :)
ED, we seem to have a huge collection these days, and I’m always trying to find things to put them into! Wild garlic, citrus, chilli, rosemary, black salt and olive – not sure what to do with them all! :)
I’m in love with those bread stamps! I must have one. Today. or maybe tomorrow. Gorgeous bread, Celia.
I hope you find one, M! And thank you.. :)
Don’t these look gorgeous Celia! I love the earthy grassy taste of Rosemary so these must taste superb- yummo! Xox
Becca, the rosemary is remarkably subtle, but definitely there. They’re surprisingly good with Pepe Saya butter!
Ooh what a lovely idea Celia. I might have to make up a batch of rosemary salt just for these. Also putting bread stamps on my wish list.
Claire, the rosemary salt adds just a hint of flavour – it will be even stronger and better with fresh rosemary, I suspect! :)
These would last less than 5 minutes in our house, especially with crunchy tops! I’m also intrigued by the bread stamps – who would have thought?!
Jas, certainly not me, before I found the stamps, I always thought rosette rolls were made with small balls of dough pressed up against each other! :)
Great post, Celia! You always take bread baking a few steps up from us common mortals… ;-)
love the idea of a flavored salt, and intend to put it to practice once my kitchen is back. I wonder if a smoked salt could be too strong to play with?
Sally, you could always try! I have smoked salt too – maybe I’ll have a go, as I haven’t found much else to do with it!
The bread rolls are very pretty. I love the shape. I love rosemary and salt in a fresh roll xx
Charlie, thank you! They were fun to make too – like stamping playdough! :)
This is an absolutely beautiful way to enhance the flavor of rolls especially a bread as hearty as sourdough.
Velva
Thank you! The rosemary adds a lovely flavour – I’m going to try with my other flavoured salts as well!
I cannot resist bread that is flavored by rosemary. The scent while baking is positively intoxicating. I bet both these rolls and the aroma in your kitchen were equally enticing, Celia. Like so many other commenters, I’d never seen these roll stamps. What a cool idea and effect! It’s accoutrements like these that will ensure you remain the Queen of Bread. :)
John, for years I admired the rosette rolls the Italian bakery made, and then found out that they were all stamped out by machine! It certainly does produce a consistent result! :)
Those stamps are ingenious! Beautiful rolls, Celia.
Misky, I think Bakery Bits in the UK has some in stock if you’re interested! :)
I just went to their site and admired all of their stamps. Thanks, Celia.
Oh, that’s what you use flavoured salts for. I keep seeing them but couldn’t work out to use them – I tend to be very light handed with salt – but of course I always put salt in my bread. Interesting to see your starter, flour, water ratio is different to mine.
Anne, I think my SD recipe is quite different from most bakers, probably because I made it up when I started and it’s kind of evolved from there. I think most people start with a drier starter, but mine is very wet.
Georgous rosemary salt sourdough rolls,..;Now, that s a mouthful of words to say! I love them too! You are a bread genius, you, Celia! :) Waw!!!! xxx :)
Sophie, thank you! :)
Didn’t know that roll stamps existed, what a clever invention.
I have never seen stamps for bread…they look so cute and the rosemary salt sounds delicious.
Those rolls look awesome & I think my husband would easily make a meal of just that. But as everyone else has commented, I think the stamps are really cool. I’ve never seen anything like that & if I’d come across them in a store I’m not sure I would have known what they were. You have a sharp eye for great finds.
Those rolls look excellent! Have you ever tried making your own flavoured salt? I might look up how to do it :) xx