I seem to have all my good bread ideas at ridiculous hours of the morning.
A couple of days ago, I was lying in bed at 5am, woken by my delightful peri-menopausal body clock, trying to decide what to do with the mountain of dough that had been proving overnight on the bench. Knotted rolls came to mind, so I put on my fluffy pink slippers and crept down the hallway to the kitchen.
Lovely Jane wrote recently about the joy of early morning bread baking, and she’s so right – there’s something incredibly peaceful and comforting about playing with dough in the quiet hour or two before anyone else is awake. It’s just not the best time for food photography.
As a result, I made these rolls twice – the second time during the day – so that I could take some decent photos of the finished rolls and the shaping process.
I began with my standard shaping dough recipe (most recently used in our cookie cutter rolls), but the technique should work with most bread doughs, providing they’re not too wet. A double batch is shown in the photos below:
- 300g ripe, active sourdough starter (fed at a ratio of one cup water to one cup flour – 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 fine sea salt
- 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 235g pieces (you’ll end up with 8 rolls).
4. Dust the bench with more fine semolina. Roll each piece of dough into a long log, ensuring that all sides are well coated in semolina.
5. Fold the dough into a charity ribbon shape…
6. Bring one end up and over, and into the middle of the loop…
7. Tuck the other end underneath into the bottom of the loop…
8. Place the rolls on a parchment lined baking tray, cover with a tea towel and allow them to prove a second time. Preheat the oven to 240C with fan.
9. Once the rolls have had their second rise, spritz the top of each roll with a little water, then put the tray into the oven, reducing the temperature to 220C with fan at the same time.
10. 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 golden brown and hollow when tapped on the base (photo below shows the underside of the roll).
Pete was very taken with the look of these – he found them sculptural and dynamic. He particularly liked the “movement” cracks in the crust (I didn’t point out that they were actually a result of dodgy dough handling on my part)…
My double batch of dough made six knotted rolls…
…eight rosette rolls (using my bread stamp)…
…and three baguettes…
A crumb shot from the knotted roll…
I was very chuffed with how these turned out – sourdough isn’t the best medium for this type of shaping, but these rolls held their definition well.
If more intricate dough braiding takes your fancy, you might be interested in some of our earlier (non-sourdough) posts:
Be warned though, it can be very addictive!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Perfect looking sourdough Celia! They all look beautiful and delicious. My favourite’s the rosette rolls. Yum! :)
Thank you! The rosette rolls are deceptively easy – they’re just stamped with the design! :)
Can I please, please come to your place for breakfast, Celia???
Hehehe…I told Pete that you all wanted to come for breakfast and he said, “Bread? Doesn’t everyone eat cereal for breakfast?” :D
Can I please join Joanne?
Please? I can do breakfast at 6am if convenient. I will do the dishes. And I can sing and dance, but you probably won’t be thrilled. And I won’t be invited again, I’m afraid
Oh well, if you’re going to offer to sing and dance, then of course. I will clear the table top for your performance, darling. :D
I must try these rolls soon, every time I see your rolls I feel inspired to have a go!
Jeannette, it’s always fun to mess around with bread dough! :)
How I would love a one-on-one lesson.
Have a beautiful day.
:-) Mandy xo
Darling, that’s what the tutorial posts are meant to be! But if you ever make it over here, I’d love to play in the kitchen with you! :)
I know but a personal one on one would be the cherry on the top for me. xo
These are lovely! I love sourdough, but I have no idea how to get my hands on a starter. Can you make one yourself, or do you have to get some of someone else’s?
Lots of people make their own starter very successfully, but all my attempts were rubbish. I just ended up with purple mould! I bought mine from Theresa at Northwest Sourdough, and it’s been brilliant!
http://www.northwestsourdough.com/
If you want to make your own, my friend Brydie wrote a great tutorial: http://cityhippyfarmgirl.com/2011/06/15/how-to-make-a-sourdough-starter/
thank you! this is helpful.
Ouuuouuu
Delocious!
Thank you! :)
Celia, you are such a clever baker! I am really in awe! And, like you, I’m up at ridiculously early hours, for much the same reason… but I, too, love to bake/cook/write in the quiet of the morning xo See you soon, love.
Curse these aging bodies! :) See you soon indeed.. xx
I love Pete’s response- and that he is looking so intently at the roll. Around here, the response is more, “Where’s the butter, then?”
Although I am a dedicated sourdough maker, Frank is a total yeast bread fan- so I make sourdough every other batch or when I’m taking the bread away. These are very sculptural and dynamic- well done, Celia!
Heidi, Pete thought they were artistic – I love that about him, he looks at all things carefully! :)
I’m with Joanne and Sally at your place for breakfast.
I’ll set another place.. :)
Works of art indeed sweetie! Xox
Thanks love! They were fun to make too – both times!
Those rosette rolls make me want to weep… all looks beautiful!
Ardys, sorry! It must be hard being gluten-intolerant!
I’d love to be outside your window at 5am watching all of this but I fear being arrested as a peeping tom. It’s the pink slippers.
I own two pairs. Pete complains that they clip clop down the hallway. I on the other hand, think I’m creeping very quietly.. :)
I’m a bit contrary. I like to stay in bed when the rest of the house is up getting ready for school/uni/work but love to get up early and have the place to myself while they sleep on weekends.
Oh, and menopause is the gift that just keeps on giving, Celia. :-|
Gee, thanks for that Amanda, so much to look forward to. :D
I find these posts so immensely helpful. I get to see the texture of the dough along with your absorbed commentary, it’s just fabulous. I too love Pete’s comment, I had to go back and look at the rolls again and yes they’re not just simply beautiful they are sculptural too – but that would be hard to say without spitting crumbs!
Jan darling, thank you for saying that. Sometimes I wonder if I’m boring people with these long posts. Pete was so cute – “look, you can see the direction the dough’s been worked in, and the movement and flow..” – he sounded like an art critic. :D
There seems to be nothing you can’t do in regards to bread making Celia. I’m so jealous. I am up at ridiculous hours of the morning for the exact same reason as you but don’t know if l could manage all that. Isn’t it fun to be female at times:)
Jody, the weird sleep is driving me a bit nuts, I’m relieved to hear I’m not the only one, thank you all for that! How did your breadmaking class go?
I didn’t end up going. Was sick all weekend which was so disappointing. I’m going to try and make my own starter. I’ve kept the link you gave someone else and will use that. I may end up with something even worse than purple mould lol:-)
Oops, i meant to type bread not bred lol:)
I fixed it for you. :) Well and truly done with the breeding bit.. ;-)
Hi Celia, slightly off topic to your yummy looking bread……..would you mind if I link your post on Costco to Rhonda at Down-to-Earth blog, there’s going to be a Costco opening up her way…..Maleny/Caboolture and she’s wondering what they’re like. I told her you’re the go-to gal for the low down on where to shop:)
Of course. Thanks for asking! :)
Delicious Celia, but you are so right about photography in the early hours! x
Jane, there are some moments when the light is just perfect early in the morning, but not often! :)
Despite “the body clock” may I say that it has been a fruitful morning??? your bread seems just came out from a boulangerie!
Very kind of you, thank you! :)
I love the satisfaction in getting the knots just right!
Tandy, I had to stop braiding bread – it got quite addictive last time! :)
I’ve been wondering how Priscilla is because it’s been a while since you’ve shown a bread post (I think!) How wonderful for everyone in your family to wake up to these beautiful rolls. I’m sure the aroma got them out of bed and to the breakfast table, early. I would love one straight from the oven with lots of butter and jam xx
Oh Charlie, if only – they all eat cereal for breakfast! If you give me notice and drive over, I’ll bake a batch for you.
Join me to the list of people coming to your place ;-)
They look amazing!
*Sets another place at the table*… :D
They look amazing, I wish I lived next door to you :)
Actually, half the bake did go to the neighbours.. :)
very perfect :)
Thank you!
I think you should open a bakery…your bread and rolls are very impressive.
But Karen, then it would be work! This way I can bake, create and share without having to worry about bottom lines and profit margins. :D
So true.
That all looks wonderful. I would also like to join the growing band for breakfast – but since I am in the UK I will have to content myself with making up your recipes :)
Hahaha…if you come, could you please bring hot cross buns? I haven’t made any yet..
I would have to make more – we ate all of ours! (More scheduled)
Hee hee – I think I have the same “clock” as you ;) These look amazing, love the shape and the crumb. We are back in Spain for a month or so and baking is on hold. I fed and froze my starter in England so am keeping my fingers crossed that when I get back and defrost it all will be well and once I’ve got it going again I will be trying these!
You are all so fab – the next time I wake up at 5am, I’ll spare a thought for all my friends who are in the same boat! :)
I am on the cusp of early morning baking again. Over the summer we cook everything in a covered bbq outside to keep the heat from inside the house but over our autumn and winter period (lasts for about 7 months) we have “Brunhilda”. Brunhilda is a 4 oven behemoth of a wood burning stove and she is permanently “on” 24/7 over that period. She is my constant companion and as I get up at 3am, I get to be the one to feed her breakfast every day. There is nothing like the smell of a wood fire enjoying it’s breakfast of eucalyptus sticks :). This year I am going to reignite my need to bake sourdough bread. I have been avidly following Joanna’s (Zebbakes) and your blog now and am going to bake good sourdough bread by the end of our cold season or bust! :). These look like a good place to start but it isn’t quite cold enough yet to wake Brunhilda up…
Sourdough could take a very long time to rise in the cold Tassie winter, but it will be worth it, as you’ll end up with incredibly flavoursome slow-risen bread! :)
Steve made me a bread proofer that sits about a metre above the cooktop (which is HUGE) and even when the stove is damped down at night it is snug and warm up there. I put my cultures up there through winter and they buzz along happily :). I am being sent some dehydrated starter from a lovely lady in Spain and if it gets through customs (I sent her dehydrated milk kefir grains that made it through so fingers crossed…) I am going to give it a go. Prior to this I had “Herman” who did his best but was lacking in the yeasty stakes and produced the finest vinegar bricks in Tasmania…even the possums wouldn’t touch them (and that is saying something because they eat green grapes straight from the vine! ;) ). I am currently trawling my way through your back catalogue of breads and trying to learn how to make sourdough by “feel”. Joanna is going to give me a hand if I go astray and I can always head off to Wild Yeast and have a look. I notice there are 3 new posts! That is going to take me a week of hunting to check them all out :).
Thank you for providing excellent details for how to make these rolls and even explaining ways to add to the recipe. I love to bake bread and haven’t really been too successful with sourdough. I’m going to try your methods and see what I do! These knotted rolls look amazing. I can almost smell them from here. :-)
Those rolls look fabulous darling! I must try your mix of flours one of these days and see how it rolls (heehee) here. They sound huge I don’t think I have ever made a roll that big, is this to feed the wolves ? I have no sense of scale looking at the pictures. I wanted to tell you that I found some of my first won ton attempts in the freezer and boiled them up and popped them in some miso soup for a poorly husband yesterday and he slurped them all up and I felt very pleased that I could give him something that I knew exactly what was in the middle as I had put it there myself. He is better now and has gone off to the boat to do his volunteering – so won ton soup must be as restorative as chicken soup, maybe it’s the love that is stirred in (she said, sentimentally) xxx
Well I must say I’m terribly disappointed Celia. Great recipe following your 5am inspiration, diligent photos of shaping the bread rolls etc but not one picture of your pink fluffy slippers!
;)
Some things have to remain private, Rose. :)
You are a bread artist! These are the best looking rolls and I am pretending to taste them nice and warm, dripping with butter. I somehow wake up at 5:30 every morning but can’t say that I have the motivation that you do to get out of bed and do something productive. I do have great morning ideas but they’re gone by the time that I drag myself out of the bed.
Diane, it’s hard to get out of bed at 5.30am when it’s COLD! Don’t be too hard on yourself.. :)
I’ve been baking sourdough rolls and baguettes for a couple months now, Celia, and usually at least once a week. i use your rosemary recipe, though I cut the recipe by thirds. I just don’t need as much bread as a family. I’ll be sure to give this a try, just to mix things up a bit. Yours look great and if mine come close I’ll be happy.
John, I’m so happy that Bart is keeping you well fed! Next time you make baguettes, you might want to try making dragon rolls – they’re dead easy and a showstopper!
Here’s the link to our post:
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/09/08/dragon-tail-baguette/
and Susan from Wild Yeast’s fabulous video tutorial