Bavarian Dinner Rolls

By Bread Festival Bakers, John Jacobson

These rolls are my interpretation of the Penny Rolls from 'The Rye Baker' by Stanley Ginsberg. This dough is a very active fermentation due to 40% of its flour pre-fermentation and the addition of malt and syrup in the final dough. Try these rolls buttered up with dinner or as an awesome sandwich for lunch. You'll definitely want to keep some of these in the freezer to thaw and have on hand as needed.

Ingredients

Rye Sour

160 grams medium rye flour*
160 grams water
16 grams rye starter (100% hydration)

Wheat Poolish

133 grams bread flour**
133 grams water
1/2 gram instant yeast (about 1/8 teaspoon)

Final Dough

336 grams (all of the above) Rye Sour
266 grams (all of the above) Wheat Poolish
293 grams bread flour**
160 grams medium rye flour*
168 grams water
7 grams bread spice***, toasted and ground
13 grams salt
4 grams instant yeast
11 grams rye malt, ground and toasted
9 grams agave syrup

*Medium Rye Flour: I use either Sunrise Flour Mill fine grind whole rye, or Whole Grain Milling medium rye.

**Bread Flour: Here is where you’ll want some unbleached wheat flour with a protein level of 11.5 – 14% I’ve had great results with Sunrise Flour Mill Turkey Red, Gold Medal Better for Bread, All Trumps, and Swany White all-purpose flour (Swany mills their all-purpose flour from hard red spring wheat and I find the gluten very strong).

***Bread Spice consists of 10 grams whole caraway seed, 6 grams whole anise seed, 6 grams whole fennel seed and 2 grams whole coriander seed.

Instructions

1. Mix Rye Sour ingredients in a bowl, cover, and ferment overnight or anywhere from 8-12 hours at a temperature between 65-72F. Do the same with the Wheat Poolish.

2. Combine Rye Sour, Wheat Poolish, and all other ingredients in a bowl, mix, to develop gluten, about 6-8 minutes on low speed in a mixer.

3. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and ferment for 30—45 minutes until dough shows expansion, holding the dough at a temperature close to 75F.

4. Turn dough onto counter, gently deflate to original volume, and divide into 16 pieces about 75g each.

5. Shape into oblong “torpedo” shapes and dust well with medium rye flour.

6. Place rolls on parchment lined baking sheets, cover sheets and proof for 45—60 minutes.

7. Bake in 460F oven for 20-25 minutes, steaming the oven right after loading the rolls. Rotate baking sheets as needed. Cool and enjoy!