Crusty European-Style Hard Rolls
These rolls have a delicious crackly/crunchy crust, partly the result of allowing them to proof in the refrigerator, partly from an egg white wash applied just prior to baking. Their texture is light and airy, rather than substantial, which makes them a wonderful mini-sandwich roll. Make them slightly larger, and they're perfect for hamburgers or grilled sausage. Or serve them at breakfast, with butter and preserves, as they do in Europe.
Notice that this recipe includes just over 1/4 teaspoon yeast. Why so little? Because of the extra-long fermentation, key to developing the rolls' flavor. As the dough rests, the yeast will continue to multiply; thus there's no need to "front-load" with lots of yeast initially.
Ingredients
Starter
- 1/2 cup cool water
- 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
Dough
- all of the starter
- 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
Egg wash
- 1 large egg white mixed with 1-2 tablespoon cool water
Instructions
- To make 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 may still be a bit rough. It may also stick to the bowl just the tiniest bit.
- 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 work surface. Divide it into 12 pieces, shape the pieces into balls, and firm them up by rolling them under your lightly cupped fingers.
- Place the rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover them, and let them rise for 1 to 2 hours, until they're puffy, though not doubled in size. They'll flatten out a bit as they rise; that's OK.
- Cover the rolls, and refrigerate them for 2 to 3 hours. Towards the end of the rolls' chill, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Whisk together the egg white and water until frothy. Remove the rolls from the refrigerator, and brush them with the wash; you won't use it all up. Again, don't be discouraged if the rolls seem a bit flat; they'll pick up when they hit the oven's heat.
- Slash a 1/4" deep cut across the top of each roll. Immediately put the rolls into the oven.
- Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're a deep golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack. Or, for best crunch, open the oven door, and allow the rolls to cool in the turned-off, open-door oven.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 74g
- Servings Per Batch 12
Amount Per Serving:
- Calories 160
- Calories from Fat 5
- Total Fat 0g
- Saturated Fat 0g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 290mg
- Total Carbohydrate 34g
- Dietary Fiber 1g
- Sugars 0g
- Protein 6g
* The nutrition information provided for this recipe is determined by the ESHA Genesis R&D software program. Substituting any ingredients may change the posted nutrition information.
Tips from our bakers
- For larger rolls, divide the dough into 8 pieces, rather than 12. Bake for a minute or two longer.
- For extra-crusty crust, add steam to your oven as follows: While the oven is preheating, place an empty cast iron frying pan on the oven rack below the stone. If possible, adjust stone and pan so that the pan isn't directly under the stone, making it easier for steam to reach the baking rolls. Once you’ve placed the rolls in the oven, pour about 1 cup of boiling water into the cast iron frying pan. Steam will billow from the pan upwards to envelop the baking rolls; be sure to wear good oven mitts to shield your hands and arms. Quickly close the oven door to trap the steam.
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Reviews
Can this be adapted to use the crown bread pan? If so, how?Caite, you could definitely make this in your crown pan, but you will have some leftover dough that won't fit. Just place eight rolls in the crown for their second rise, and place any additional rolls on a pan as directed. You can bake them both at once. Happy baking! Kat@KAF
I made these rolls twice; the first time they worked out just like the photo, though the egg white drips burned the bottoms ever-so-slightly and the second time they were slightly pale and fell a little flat. Literally. I'm making them again to see if I can perfect my technique as I did a few things differently between the two attempts. I love the crust on the rolls and the flavor is fantastic. I used my sourdough starter as the starter (I calculated the hydration proportions) so I was able to make my rolls in the morning and eat them later in the evening. I'll try them again with the overnight starter to see how they end up.
I am so pleased with this recipe.... they are simply delicious. I suspect complaints stem from adding too much flour. I cut back on the flour by 1/2 cup. Also I started the recipe two days before thanksgiving. On the final step I kept in the refrigerator until it was time to bake. I also used the steam method while baking. I will definitely make again.
Best rolls ever! I've made these several times- I use my established starter and the rolls are light with a nice crisp crust and soft middle.
This recipe is worth trying.My Family simple loves it however I wanted to check if I can follow the Long fermentation process for normal wheat bread loaf.Normal means no sourdough.please suggestHi Amrita, we'd love to help but we're not quite sure what you're asking. If you're wondering if you can extend the fermentation time for other yeasted recipes, the answer is usually yes if you reduce the yeast accordingly. If you'd like some more specific advice, we encourage you to reach out to our friendly Baker's Hotline through email or chat. (Type "Baker's Hotline," into the search box on the top right-hand portion of this page to connect with us.) Kindly, Kye@KAF
First time I made these rolls I weighed out 2.5 ounces of dough Rolled into round balls and put on parchment paper to rise. After all the rise time none of them looked the same. The second time I made the rolls I weighed out 3 ounces of dough and put the ball of dough in a 3.5" muffin ring that had been greased. After the proper rise time they were perfect looking. All 10 had filled the muffin ring, but I had a problem, the dough was sticking to the ring, I used cooking spray to grease the rings. I tried a small razor blade around the ring, but that wasn't working to my satisfaction. Finally I said to heck with it and picked up the ring real slow and the dough started releasing real slow. Did get all the rings off without ruining the roll. Didn't want to leave the ring on, then the egg wash would puddle around the edges. This recipe is one of my favorites, good for sandwiches or dipping in olive oil. There is a lot of rise time, but I'm retired and like making bread
The outside of the rolls were perfect, but they were very dense. For all rises except the starter the dough seemed to struggle. I'm sure it's bakers error. But not quite sure where. Also will elevation make a difference and what are the thoughts on adding a bit of honey to help the yeast out?One of the most common reasons why bread and rolls turn out heavy and dense is because too much flour is used. To ensure you're using the right amount, we recommend checking out the "Measuring Standards," link next to the ingredients header above. You'll see that either measuring your flour by weight using a scale, or fluffing and sprinkling the flour into your measuring cup are the best ways to ensure your recipe turns out perfectly.
As for your question about adding some honey to the dough, you're welcome to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar (honey, maple syrup, or another liquid sweetener will also do). You might notice a slightly sweet flavor in the final rolls. We hope you like the results! Kye@KAF
I made this recipe with strict adherence to the methold. The rolls turned out far too heavy and dense. I, like other reviewers, wonder if the room temperature is too cool for the proving because there was very little rise after each proving. Also, I used one of the tips that suggest adding water to a cast iron fry pan to make the outside crusty and that did work. The bottom line for my rolls is that they taste okay and look pretty but they are rock heavy and dense. I love staging the rises and using the starter but in the end, it didn't work for me. The rolls took a lot of effort and time with a failed result.We're sorry to hear about the disappointing rise on these rolls, Kathryn, though we're glad they were still tasty and crusty. We'd love the chance to talk through the recipe with you, so we encourage you to reach out to our free and friendly Baker's Hotline staff to help troubleshoot at 855-371-BAKE (2253). Kindly, Annabelle@KAF
I don't know where I went wrong, but I made this twice and couldn't get it to work. The first time, I think the room temperature was too cool because they didn't rise enough and were like hockey pucks. The second time, I proofed them in the oven with the light on for a little extra warmth. They seemed to be going along beautifully, but when I baked them, they didn't puff up much. The taste was good and they had a nice crispy exterior, just a little flat. For the amount of time it took with all the rises, I don't think I'll try again. The no knead bread recipe works well enough for crusty rolls without all the work!We're sorry to hear this recipe left you feeling disappointed. It sounds like you've experienced the joy that is our No-Knead Crusty White Bread recipe, which is reliable and easy even for rolls. However, if you'd like to attempt this recipe again and experience the fantastic results we know are possible, consider giving the Baker's Hotline a call at 855-371-BAKE (2253) so we can troubleshoot with you further and figure out what may have gone awry with your bake. Kindly, Kye@KAF
Question: What's the longest the starter can sit at room temperature? Basically, I'm wondering what happens if it sits for a day or more. Will it have better flavor the longer it sits, or will it go bad?KH, we recommend keeping the starter at room temperature for about 12 to 16 hours ideally, but you could possibly stretch it to as long as 24 hours if need be. If the starter sits longer than this, it may start to add a slightly funky/fermented flavor to your bread and also the flour will begin to become degraded this means it won't add quite the same amount of strength to the dough as it would otherwise get. Try to follow the 12 to 16-hour guidelines if possible. Kye@KAF
