No-knead bread rolls

You don't need to be strong, but your flour should be

I don’t know why, but I’d always assumed that bread making would be beyond me. Maybe it is because growing up we had a bread machine and I’d just internalised that it was something that home cooks would struggle to pull off.

Well, I was wrong. Baking bread is far easier than I’d thought, and this recipe takes laidback baking to a whole new level. Instead of kneading, you simply stretch this dough in the bowl. The trade-off is that the overall cooking time is at least 12 hours, but most of this is an overnight proof in the fridge, with very little time spent on your feet in the kitchen. The result of this easy process is an expanded airy dough that makes half a dozen rolls. You could also use it to make two large baguettes.

Taking the extra effort to ensure you create steam in the oven at the start of the bake will ensure perfectly crispy rolls.

These go great with my carrot and cumin soup!

---

The recipe

Makes 6 rolls, cooking time: 12+ hours, but very little of this is active cooking time!

Ingredients

• 10g yeast

• 400ml warm water

• 500g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting

• 10g salt

‌Equipment

• Mixing bowls x2

• Measuring jug

• Plate / damp tea towel

• Chopping board (optional, I use it to contain the mess of shaping the rolls!)

• Shallow metal baking dish

• Baking paper

• Large baking tray

• Knife

Method

1. Add the yeast to the warm water and allow to bloom

2. Add the flour to the mixing bowl followed by the water and yeast, then the salt. Mix together with your hands until thoroughly combined into a dough. Shape into a ball.

3. Transfer to a clean bowl, and cover with a plate or damp tea towel, and leave the dough to prove for 15 minutes.

4. Stretch the sides of the dough out and fold in on itself. Stretch the dough at least 4 times (but no need to do more than 8). Pull each ‘side’ of the dough up and fold into the centre.

5. Prove for a further 30 minutes and then repeat the stretching and folding.

6. Then prove again for 30 minutes before a final stretch and fold.

7. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

8. Remove the dough from the fridge, and tip out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut into six pieces.

9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 degrees, with a shallow metal baking dish in to warm This will be later be used to create steam in the oven to crisp your rolls.

10. Shape the rolls by rolling out slightly then folding each side into the middle in turn, pressing down on the edges to create a seam and some tension.

11. Put onto a baking paper-lined baking tray then prove for 20-30 minutes, covered with a damp tea towel.

12. Gently score across the rolls with a sharp knife and dust lightly with flour, then bake for 15-20 minutes with steam in the oven for the first 8 minutes. Create the steam by adding boiling water (carefully!) to the metal dish, and then release the steam by opening the oven briefly and quickly removing the metal disk.

13. Remove the rolls from the oven and cool.