Sourdough Starter Rolls
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Maybe a year after getting this sourdough bread starter I finally made these rolls. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Sourdough Starter Rolls
One of the favorite COVID 19 2020 lock down past times in the US was making bread. In particular, sourdough bread from a starter. Although I was lucky enough to have a friend share a starter with me, it wasn’t until the end of June 2021 that I found a recipe I wanted to try.
The good news is the starter, kept in the refrigerator and fed once a week, will live on. The starter, also called levain, is a fermented dough filled with natural, wild yeast and a bacteria called lactobacilli. The starter is what makes sourdough bread rise. I had to pour off some of the starter when it got too big for the jar but I was proud to keep it going for so long.
In addition, I read that the older the bread starter the more sour the dough.
So here’s the easy recipe. The hardest part is the waiting.
Sourdough Starter Bread Rolls
You Will Need:
▢3 ½ cups bread flour
▢1 ¼ cups warm, filtered or distilled water
▢½ tsp salt
▢¾ cup sourdough starter
To Make:
Without cling wrap I used a plate to cover the dough overnight. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Place all the ingredients in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until a consistent dough forms.
Cover with cling wrap or a tight lid and let it stand overnight on the countertop, if warm, or in a cold oven with the light on.
In the morning, punch down the dough and shape the dough into 12 equal-sized balls. Use flour on your palms to roll, if the dough feels sticky. Place the rolls 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle some flour on top of the rolls, cover with a kitchen towel, and set aside to rise for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 425° F.
When the rolls have risen, score the top of each roll using a sharp knife. Make the cut fast, to prevent the roll from deflating. Scoring gives the gases that form in the bread escape while baking and helps the rolls rise.
Place the rolls in the hot oven and bake 25-28 minutes or until the rolls are a light golden-brown. Remove from the oven and continue cooling on a rack.
Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.8g | Protein: 4.3g | Fat: 0.4g | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Iron: 2mg
You will find other excellent recipes in the American Cooking Encyclopedia.
Easy to make and even easier to enjoy. I took half of my rolls to the person who gave me the sourdough starter in the first place. She said this must be some new record waiting over a year to use it!
