Crusty Sourdough Rolls Recipe

How to make it

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• Creating the Sponge

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• Microwave the buttermilk on high for 1 minute to warm. In a large bowl, stir together the sponge ingredients, mixing well. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Place on your counter away from any drafts. (Since I keep my apartment rather cool, I drape a couple of thick bath towels over my covered bowl so it doesn't get too cool.) Let sit and "brew" for 12 hours.

• Bread Recipe

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• In a separate bowl, stir together 1 cup of bread flour from the dry ingredients list and the rest of the dry ingredients. Stir this into the brewed sponge. After this, mixing with a spoon's not going to work, so scrub your hands well.
• Continue adding the remaining bread flour, a handful at a time, kneading it into the dough. When the dough's not too sticky, dump it out of the bowl onto a super clean counter you've sprinkled with some of the flour, and continue kneading in the flour a handful at a time.
• The exact amount of flour you'll need to work in depends on a few factors, including the humidity in your kitchen. You have to judge by the look and feel of the dough. When you're dough has taken enough flour, the surface of the dough ball will be smooth, not "pitted". (My photos show the difference.) Your total kneading time will be approximately 20 minutes, certainly no less than 15 minutes. If you don't knead long enough, the dough will not rise properly.
• Lightly spray a large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough ball in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, 2 to 3 hours depending on the temperature in your kitchen. (See photos)
• When dough has doubled, punch down; pinch off pieces and roll into golf ball sized balls. Place on baking sheet that's been lightly sprayed with vegetable oil, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise until about double in size, 2 to 3 hours.
• Place a shallow baking pan on the lowest shelf in your oven and fill it about half full with boiling water. This will create steam that you need to make the bread crusty. Preheat the oven to 450-degrees. Bake the rolls on the middle shelf of the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before packaging for storage.
• Makes 2-1/2 dozen rolls.

• NOTE: Planning Ahead

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• If you begin the process of creating your sponge around 3 p.m., you should be able to have hot crusty sourdough rolls with your dinner on the following day. So plan ahead.