We used to snack on these savory roll from Woolworths back in Australia and while browsing though bacon in the supermarket, we suddenly realized how much we miss that. I know, I know I always talk about how I like to make everything from the scratch. But I also like to grab something off the isle ‘for the road’ after grocery shopping.
They had a few different flavor combos…bacon and cheese and jalapeno and cheddar, Hawaiian… if I can remember correctly. The dough is average white bread dough, but I loved the flavors.
So here I am, recreating something along the same line, but using better wheat flour(high extraction), sourdough and totally from the scratch. As we wanted to have them for breakfast, I baked these the night before and refreshed in a moderate oven in the morning. How to refresh any bread product? bake in a 180 °C oven for 10-15minutes.
I use high extraction wheat flour or wholegrain flour from local mills for all my baking now. I was transitioning slowly over the past year. But I also test my recipes with store bought white bread flour to make it widely applicable by many. If you think my dough looks off white, now you know why.
Flour
For this recipe, I used bread flour. I needed the bite to resemble that of a pizza base. But of course you can use all-purpose flour. With all purpose however, you will get a much softer crumb and some may actually prefer it that way. Also I’m using a high extraction flour (T85) meaning it is closer to whole grain than regular white flour.
Depending on the flour you use, you might have to adjust the hydration.
All- purpose/ white bread flour – less water
Wholegrain (T85) bread flour – more water
If you want to mix, rye, spelt, whole meal etc. replace about 5-10% of the flour in the recipe with your flour of choice and may be cut back or add extra water/milk as necessary.
Fat
Ever since I used bacon fat in my burger buns (thanks to Inna @theflourfloozy) I was hooked. So I thought, this would be another recipe that this might work perfectly, and I was right!
Feel free to substitute with butter, margarine or any plant based butter
Egg
The egg adds protein and fat to the recipe, that help create body and soft crumb. But feel free to skip the egg, if you want to make this egg free. Use extra water to compensate the moisture loss. Or add 2-3 tablespoons of yogurt or tofu in place of the egg.
Milk
You can replace the milk with water, but the crumb will be less soft and more closer to that of a burger bun. Feel free to substitute with nut milk or coconut milk.
Sugar
Sugar helps create the moist crumb and also gives a nice color to the exterior. Feel free to substitute with honey or maple syrup but hold some water back in this case.
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Have all the ingredients ready. Make sure the bacon fat(or butter) is at room temperature
Add milk and water (hold some water back) in a bowl and dissolve the starter and sugar. This will make incorporating easier.
Add the flour and salt in the mixing bowl, give a quick mix. Break the egg onto the flour.
Start mixing on low speed, while gradually adding the liquid (milk,water,sugar,starter)
Add extra water if the dough seems stiff. The dough should be soft to the touch yet firm
Then add the bacon fat (or butter) a bit at a time and mix on medium speed until cleared. make sure to stop the mixer and scrap down.
Once everything is added, knead or mix for another 1-2 minutes until a semi developed dough is achieved. Check the picture, the dough is stretchy.
It is not necessary to get a window pan. But even if you did, it is fine. There will be gluten development during the bulk too
Now bring the dough on to a surface, perform a few stretch & folds and mold into a nice smooth round ball. Place in a greased bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to bulk.
The dough will be almost doubled in size. Took about 4 hours at 26 – 27°C. Time may vary depending on your temperature, and starter activity
This is the bulked dough.
Same-day bake
If you want to bake on the same day, you can skip the retardation and make the rolls
To retard the dough, punch down and shape back into a smooth tight ball. Cover tightly and place in the fridge for several hours (up to 24 hours).
The dough has still grown in the refrigerator. Pull the dough out and let it thaw on the counter. The cold dough would be too tough and difficult to roll out.
Until the dough softens, prepare your toppings.
Other flavors you can try:
-jalapeno, cheddar
-caramelized onion & tomato paste
-bacon and cheese
I’m using a pizza sauce with herbs. You can also use tomato paste instead
When the dough is soft enough to handle, dust the work surface with flour and place the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll out to a rectangle. Roughly 12″ by 20″
Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce. Do not go overboard with the sauce/paste as it will make it difficult to roll later.
If you need to add more sauce, you can spread some later on the proofed rolls before they go in the oven
Add the rest of the toppings.
Carefully roll the dough, length wise, making sure the filling doesn’t get pushed forward.
Once done, pinch the seem so it won’t open up.
Using a sharp knife cut into 12 pieces. You can use any method you preferer to cut these. Just make sure to get a clean cut
Arrange the rolls in a lightly greased, deep baking dish. Leave enough room as they will expand while proofing and baking.
Cover lightly and leave in a warm spot to proof.
I’m using a 9″ by 13″ pan
Preheat the oven to 425 °F (210°C)
Once the rolls are proofed, spray a little water (using a spray bottle) and place in the preheated oven.
Bake for about 12-15 minutes and bring temperature down to 400 °F (200°C) and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until the top is golden brown
As soon as they come out of the oven, brush with some melted butter and leave to cool
When cool enough to handle, you can place them directly on the wire rack to cool further. Or you can serve them warm.
Store completely cooled scrolls in an air tight container for up to a day ( 22-25 °C room temp) or you can place in the fridge to keep for longer
Ingredients
For the dough
- 450 g bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 100 g active fed starter ( levain)
- 3 tbsp. sugar
- 2 tbsp. rendered bacon fat (or butter)
- 1 egg
- 125 ml milk
- 130 ml water + 10-20 ml extra as needed
- some melted butter to brush on top
Filling
- about 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- about 1 cup loosely packed grated cheddar
- about 1 cup loosely packed mozzarella pieces ( shredded, cubed or pearls)
- some chopped up herbs of your choice
- about 1/4 cup fried bacon
Instructions
- Mix milk and water and dissolve the starter and sugar in it
- Place flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the egg. Start mixing on low speed using the dough hook attachment
- Add milk+water mixture gradually until everything is hydrated. Add a splash of water if mixture is too dry/tough
- Scrape the bowl, and knead until you get a well hydrated dough.
- Add bacon fat 1 table spoon at a time and mix on medium speed to incorporate. Scrap the bowl as you go
- Once all the fat is added, continue to knead/mix for about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl
- When the dough is stretchy, strong and start to release from sides, bring it out onto a floured surface
- Continue to knead by hand (use stretch and fold) until a smooth, soft dough is formed
- Once the dough is smooth, place in a lightly greased bowl ( glass or plastic), cover lightly and place in a warm place to bulk ( until almost doubled in size)
- Should take about 3-4 hours or longer if temperature is low
- Once bulked, punch down the dough, mold into a ball again place in a air tight container and refrigerate for retardation ( slow fermentation)
- If baking on the same day continue with the rest of the process
- Take the retarded dough out and let it sit for about 15 – 30 minutes or until soft enough to handle ( should still be slightly cold)
- Once the dough softens, roll out on a floured surface to a roughly 12″ by 20″ rectangle
- Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce and spread the rest of the filling
- Roll the dough starting from a long side (length wise)
- Pinch the seem and using a sharp knife cut into 12 equal pieces
- Arrange the rolls on a greased baking dish, leaving space to expand
- Cover loosely and place in a warm place to proof. The rolls will be doubled in size (roughly 3-4 hours)
- Pre-heat the oven to 425 °F (210 °C) place a rack in the center
- Once proofed, spray with some water and place the rolls in the preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes and reduce temperature to 400°F (200 °C) continue to bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until golden brown
- As soon s they come out of the oven, brush lightly with some belted butter
5 comments
The next time I make my sourdough sandwich buns, I will use bacon fat instead of butter. I make bacon almost every morning for my family and this is a great way to use the fat and not throw it away!
I have made these twice now and they are a hit with my boys. Great snack and they keep well though they do not last longer than two days!!
yay! I am so glad to hear that! thanks for the feedback 🙂
I’m really enjoying making these — they’re a great bake to mix up by using different toppings & they freeze so well.
— I’m wondering if it’d work to substitute with 00 flour to get a dough even closer to a regular sourdough pizza base?
It’s great you are enjoying this recipe :).
While you can use 00pizza flour to this, I am not sure if the dough would be similar to a pizza base. This recipe has enriching ingredients that makes the bread soft. If you eliminate eggs, sugar and milk, the dough will be closer to a neapolitan. Hope this helps :).