Sourdough pizza or rolls (and 200th blog post!!)

 

Gus! Beloved Gus!

In the last 9 months since I created Gus, he's fed our family so well! Bread, pizza, crumpets, pancakes/waffles, naan...everything has been tasty and fragrant! Long live Gus!

It is therefore fitting for me to share this wonderful sourdough recipe as my 200th blog post, as in many ways this sourdough starter has represented the journey and learning curve of discovering and executing new baking recipes over the last few years. It has been a tasty and wonderful time of personal growth that you, my readers, have shared with me over the Interwebs. 

This recipe was first used for its intended purpose: pizza. The pizza crust from this recipe is great--fluffy and stretchy and really fragrant from the "Pizza Dough Flavor" from King Arthur Flour (basically a blend of cheese powder). 

Then we decided to use this recipe to make rolls to eat BBQ with, and that was a smashing success, so since then we've made this recipe as rolls a few more times. There's a nice crunchy crust, especially if you brush a little oil or butter on top before baking, the crumb is stretchy and soft, and the flavor is just great. I don't know if I can think of a better dinner roll than this.

So if you've got some starter around, you can make the recipe as directed for pizza, or if you're more in the mood for rolls, you can follow my directions below. (And if you don't have any starter, Gus would love to come visit! If I can get it to you, I will gladly share with anyone who is interested!)

Sourdough Rolls (Adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Ingredients:

1 cup 100% hydration sourdough starter, unfed (straight from fridge)

1/2 cup hot water

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

Optional: 1 tablespoon dried Italian style herb blend

Very Optional but really cool: 4 teaspoons Pizza Dough Flavor (from KAF), 1 teaspoon diastatic malt powder, 2-3 tablespoons KAF dough improver

Instructions:

In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine the starter, hot water, and yeast. If the starter has some liquid separated on the top, stir it in before measuring out the 1 cup. Use the dough hook to briefly blend the wet ingredients; let sit for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast.

In another bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. Add all the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine with the dough hook. Depending on how wet your starter is, you might need to adjust hydration with a couple tablespoons of flour or water. The dough should come together into one mass and be able to come clean from the sides of the bowl while mixing. If there is flour left at the bottom of the bowl, it needs a little water, and if the dough sticks to the side of the bowl, it needs a little bit of flour. Knead the dough for 6-7 minutes at medium-low (however fast your mixer lets you mix it without sounding like it will fall apart).

Place the kneaded dough in a lightly oiled container and cover. Allow to rise until it has doubled in bulk; this may take 2-4 hours, depending on ambient temperature and how strong your starter is. Once the dough is doubled, you can store in refrigerator if you cannot attend to the proofing and baking immediately.

Divide dough evenly into a size of your liking. (I have found that this recipe makes exactly nine 80-gram rolls, so I weigh it out and get a yield of nine rolls. You may prefer larger or smaller rolls.) Pick up each lump of dough and tuck the dough towards the bottom of the dough from all directions, turning it as you go, making a smooth ball of dough. Place the ball on a clean work surface and give the ball a couple of rotations between your hands, putting pressure on the sides to tuck the edges more securely under the ball. Flatten or shape the ball of dough into your desired length or diameter. Place shaped dough on a lined pan, spaced at least 2 inches apart from one another. 

Cover shaped rolls with a damp kitchen or paper towel and allow to proof until they are visibly swollen and puffed from before, about 1 hour. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush tops of rolls with butter or olive oil, if desired, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops and bottoms are nicely browned and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

Allow to cool until warm; serve as slider rolls with your favorite meatballs, BBQ, or as normal dinner rolls! Freeze leftovers in a freezer bag and reheat directly in microwave in 15-30 second intervals until desired temperature.