Rosemary Dinner Rolls


Rosemary Dinner Rolls use fresh rosemary in an easy to handle dough for an incredibly fragrant and beautiful dinner roll.

Ingredients

• Sponge:
• 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup lukewarm water
• 1-1/4 cup Bread Flour (we recommend Stone-Buhr)
• Dough:
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup lukewarm water
• 2-1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Whole Wheat Flour (we recommend Stone-Buhr)
• 1-1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
• 2-2/3 cup Bread Flour plus extra for kneading and shaping (we recommend Stone-Buhr)
• Topping:
• 2 tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt

Instructions

1. Make the sponge:
2. Dissolve the yeast in the water in a medium-sized bowl before adding the flour and mixing well.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight at room temperature.
4. Make the dough:
5. The next day, dissolve the dough yeast in the water in a larger bowl.
6. Add the sponge from the previous day and stir well with a wooden spoon.
7. Add the olive oil, whole wheat flour, salt, rosemary and about two-thirds of the bread flour, stirring and gradually adding more of the remaining bread flour until it becomes too difficult to mix with a spoon.
8. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto a floured surface.
9. Knead the dough until it is smooth and soft without being sticky, adding more flour as needed. It should take 8 to 10 minutes.
10. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1-1/2 hours.
11. Return the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it into sixteen 2-ounce pieces. Line the pieces up next to one another and cover with a clean dishtowel.
12. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
13. Roll each portion of dough into a ball or a 10-inch rope.
14. Make loose knots out of the ropes. Place the rolls, whether balls or knots, 2 inches apart on baking sheets that have been lined with parchment paper or oiled lightly and sprinkled with semolina or cornmeal.
15. Brush the rolls with olive oil and sprinkle rosemary and salt on top, gently pressing so that it sticks.
16. Cover rolls with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature until they’ve doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
17. Preheat oven to 425°F 20 minutes before the rolls are ready to bake.
18. Using a spray bottle/mister, spray the oven with water to create steam. (Alternatively, place a shallow baking tin filled with water on the bottom of the oven.)
19. Bake the rolls 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are deep golden brown.