Sponge Method Dinner Rolls Recipes

GOLDEN DINNER ROLLS

Steps:

• Bake and mash potato:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Using fork, pierce potato in several places. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake until easily pierced with fork, about 50 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel and mash. Reserve 1/2 cup (4.5 ounces) mashed potato and discard remainder or save for another use.
• Make dough starter (sponge):
• In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whisk together 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (3 ounces/84 grams) flour, 1/3 cup plus 4 teaspoons (3.5 ounces/98 grams) water, honey, and 1/4 teaspoon yeast until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Sponge should be consistency of thick batter). Scrape down sides of bowl.
• In medium bowl, whisk together remaining 1 cup (5 ounces/140 grams) flour, remaining 1/2 teaspoon yeast, and milk powder. Sprinkle mixture over flour mixture (sponge) in bowl of mixer to form blanket on top of sponge. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at least 1 hour, preferably up to 4 hours. (Starter can be made ahead and refrigerated, tightly covered with plastic wrap, overnight. There is no reason to bring starter to room temperature before proceeding.)
• Mix dough:
• Attach dough hook to stand mixer. Add mashed sweet potato and 1 tablespoon softened butter to starter and mix on low (#2 on Kitchen Aid) until rough dough forms, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rest 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle salt over dough and knead on low (#2 on Kitchen Aid) until smooth, shiny, and slightly sticky to touch, 7 to 10 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. (If dough is too sticky, transfer to lightly floured work surface and knead in small amount of flour. If too stiff, add small amount of cold water and knead briefly.)
• First rise:
• Using vegetable oil or nonstick vegetable-oil spray, lightly oil 3-quart or larger bowl (or dough-rising container). Transfer dough to bowl and lightly oil or spray top of dough. Using tape, mark outside of bowl to approximately double current height of dough. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm place (75°F to 80°F, see Chef's Notes, below) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Second rise:
• Using oiled dough scraper or spatula, transfer dough to lightly oiled work surface.
• Gently stretch bottom of dough and fold up to center, then repeat with left side, right side, and top. Round dough package then transfer to bowl, smooth side up, and lightly oil or spray top of dough. Using tape, mark outside of bowl to approximately double current height of dough. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm place until doubled in size and depression holds when pressed gently with finger, about 1 hour.
• Shaping dough and final rise:
• Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and, using lightly oiled bench scraper, divide into 4 equal pieces, each weighing about 4 ounces (112 grams). Divide each piece into 3 pieces, each weighing about 1.3 ounces (36 grams). Keep remaining dough covered while working with each batch.
• Using lightly floured hands, roll 1 dough piece between palms to form smooth, 1 3/4-inch-wide ball. Pinch indentation on bottom of ball tightly to seal. Repeat to form remaining balls.
• Transfer melted butter to small bowl. Dip each dough ball into melted butter, coating all sides, and transfer, sealed-side-down, to prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Lightly coat sheet of plastic wrap with vegetable oil or nonstick vegetable-oil spray and gently cover pan with oiled wrap. Let rolls rise in warm place until doubled in size and depression very slowly fills in when pressed with fingertip, about 45 minutes.
• Bake rolls:
• While dough is rising, position rack near bottom of oven and top with baking stone or heavy baking sheet. Set aluminum foil-lined cast-iron pan or heavy rimmed baking pan on floor of oven and preheat oven to 400ºF for 1 hour.
• Quickly transfer baking sheet with rolls to hot baking stone (see Chef's Notes) and add 1/2 cup ice cubes to pan beneath.
• Bake rolls, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through, until golden brown and skewer inserted in middles comes out clean (instant read thermometer inserted into center will register about 190ºF), about 12 minutes. Transfer rolls from baking sheet to rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Chef’s Notes:
• •Dough rises best around 75°F to 80°F. If your house is on the cold side, you can set a container of very hot tap water near the rising dough and cover the dough and the hot water with a large plastic container or bowl-you will need to reheat the water every 30 to 40 minutes. Alternatively you can place the dough (and the small container of very hot water) in a microwave oven (not turned on) or a standard oven without a pilot light, but with the oven light turned on to provide gentle heat. •If you want to make this bread over a 2-day period, you can refrigerate it overnight after the first rise. Once it has doubled in size (first rise), gently press the dough down in the bowl, then cover with plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with vegetable oil or nonstick vegetable-oil spray and refrigerate. After one hour and again after two, gently press the dough down. Then refrigerate overnight. The next day, bring the dough to room temperature at least 1 hour before shaping and baking the loaf. Keep in mind that the time in the refrigerator replaces the second rise so there is no need for a second rise. •For proper texture, it's important for the bread to get a blast of heat as soon as it goes into the oven. For this reason, the oven needs to be preheated for a full hour, and it's important not to let too much heat escape when you put the bread in. When transferring the dough to the oven to bake, be sure to shut the door quickly.
• THE DOUGH PERCENTAGE:
• Flour: 100% (includes starch contained in the potato) Water: 64.9% (includes water contained in the butter and yam) Yeast: 0.93% Salt: 1.7% Butterfat: 4.4%

RUSTIC ITALIAN BREAD (SPONGE METHOD)

Steps:

• 1. About 4 hours before you want to bake the bread, make the sponge (starter). Place all the ingredients for the sponge in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Cover with lid or plastic wrap. Let sit about 2 hours. It should be quite bubbly.
• 2. After the sponge has processed, start adding the rest of the ingredients. Sprinkle the 1 1/4 tsp yeast on top of the sponge. Then sprinkle (most) of the 2 cups Bread Flour. (hold back several Tbsp of the flour to incorporate as needed). Add the liquid mix of Olive Oil and Warm Water. Mix as well as you can with a large spoon. Working in the bowl, use hands to bring the dough together. This will take a few minutes. Continue kneading in the bowl, or transfer to a board to knead a few more minutes, incorporating some (or all) of the reserved flour. The dough should be smooth and elastic.
• 3. Place the dough in a clean bowl and coat the dough ball with little Olive Oil. Cover with lid or plastic until doubled. If you have used the right temp of warm water this should happen rather quickly....in approximately an hour, give or take.
• 4. When the dough has doubled, punch down and knead for a minute or so. Use hands to form a nicely shaped ball.
• 5. Place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of a 5 qt. Dutch Oven. Sprinkle some flour on top of parchment. Place dough ball, centered, on floured parchment. Make three slits on top of dough, not too deep. I do this with scissors. Sprinkle some flour on top of dough. Cover with lid or plastic until doubled. That should take just a little less than an hour.
• 6. This bread is baked by starting in a cold oven. The oven should not pre-heat.
• 7. When bread is ready to bake, place lid on Dutch Oven and place in a cold oven in the lower 1/3 of oven. For non-black pot, turn oven on to 450 degrees. For cast iron, turn oven on to 425 degrees. Set the timer to bake 65 minutes.
• 8. At 55 minutes, remove lid from Dutch Oven. Continue baking, uncovered for the remaining 10 minutes.
• 9. Remove bread from oven. Plop loaf out onto a rack. Thump the bottom of loaf. It should sound hollow. If so, place top up on rack to cool thoroughly before slicing, about 1 1/2 hours. If the loaf does not sound hollow, you may finish it up by placing it back in the oven for several more minutes, baking directly on the oven rack (no pan).