Olive Oil Bread Rolls
December 11, 2007 | Filed Under Baking
Dan of Saltshaker made some good-looking, tasty-sounding dinner rolls, a while ago, which enticed me to make them, too.
For those who are familiar with my blog, I like easy recipes and this one was relatively easy. ;-) The recipe calls for white flour and whole wheat flour but I just used white flour. My rolls came out well, with a tiny exception — the shell was a little hard. Edible but hard. I’m not sure why? Can anyone explain? The inside was nice and soft. Or was it supposed to be that way? All in all, I liked my rolls. Thanks, Dan! You can find his recipe below.
Olive Oil Bread Rolls
Makes approximately 3 dozen
In the bowl of a mixer fitted out with a bread hook (or you can do this by hand if you like):
2 teaspoons of sugar
1½ cups warm water (that’s for here, you’ll need to experiment, I’d start with 1 cup and work up if needed)
1 packet of yeast
Let sit until the yeast proofs - all bubbly looking - about 5 minutes. Add:
½ cup good olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (you can go up to 2 cups, and cut the white flour to 3, and still get a nicely texture roll, more than that and they tend to get dense and heavy)
Mix at low speed with the dough hook until it all comes together. You might have to stop once or twice and push stuff down from the sides, and, if need be, add more water - however, add it in very small amounts - bread dough changes texture very suddenly - I tend to add about a teaspoon at a time until it all comes together as one mass. Once it’s all in one mass, increase the speed - not too much, just a bit, and let it knead for about 5 minutes - until the dough is very smooth and elastic.
Mound the dough into one ball and either in the same bowl or another, cover with a small towel and place somewhere warm to rise. Let it double in size, then punch it down. Form it into small balls - a little smaller than a golf ball is about the size I use - but you can make smaller, bigger, or even form this dough into loaves if you prefer. I line them up on a silpat, a non-stick silicone sheet atop a cookie sheet, and let them rise, covered with the towel, again, until doubled in size. Bake in a 350°F oven for 35 minutes, until nicely browned, and if you flip one over and flick it with a finger, it’ll sound hollow. If you make loaves, it’ll take more like 45-50 minutes to bake, you’ll have to check it a few times until you get the “speed” of your oven down right. Let cool to room temperature and serve… or, I suppose, you could serve them pretty much hot, right out of the oven.
In terms of the butters, really all I do is let butter come to room temperature so it’s soft, and then add things to it, whipping it all together with a spoon or fork, and then leaving it at room temperature for enough time for the flavors to come together - don’t over-add stuff to it, the flavors will develop as the butter sits - better to go subtle than too intense.
For more info, go here.
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21 Responses to “Olive Oil Bread Rolls”
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Looking at them I’m going to guess - but first, yes, the outside should be slightly hard - not crunchy hard, but yes, a bit, it shouldn’t be soft like a hamburger bun texture. I do notice that there are a lot of big air holes inside, which would lead me to guess that there was too much leavening - given that I assume you added the yeast, the question would be if your flour is self-rising, which already has baking powder in it. And baking powder would also contribute the outer crust being a bit extra hard… I also tend to line them up on the tray close enough to each other that when they rise, they end up touching - that keeps the sides from getting crispy and only the top is…
Just a couple of thoughts.
Paz, you are becoming such a good baker! These are just the type of rolls that appeal to me, too.
Hey Dan: Thanks for your comments. I think I did leave it past the five minutes for proofing and I may have added a little too much yeast (maybe). Definitely, I let it proof past 5 minutes. I forgot and was doing something else.
Next time I’ll line them up close together. I do plan on making them again.
Big hug from NYC!
Paz
Hi Lydia! THANKS!
Paz
Dear Chef Paz,
we wrote to you yesterday. we love your blog….
And I was hoping you might occasionally let us cross-post
some of your pieces on our site….
pls write me back — I also really love your pictures (I love the pix of central park and the one of the funny little barbecue and there’s one you’ve taken of a farmers’ market of some kind and in general your appreciation of new york…)
hoping that I hear from you.
All best wishes,
Amy Ephron
Editor/Publisher
oneforthetable.com
ooh this looks like it would be nice with a baked pasta
Brava, Paz! Your buns look really cute. And it sounds like you got some suggestions for the next time. I find that bread comes out slightly different every time I make it, even the same recipe. So many variables involved, it’s hard to keep track of all of them.
Since I do not bake at all, I admire all those greatly who do.
These rolls look delicious, Paz. Having a slightly hard, crunchy crust won’t hurt.
They look fabulous Paz! I wonder if a light brush of butter would give you a crust you might like better. Closer together will keep the tops crisp and the side soft.
Lovely rolls.
My favorite are the crunchy rolls!!!! We won’t eat them any other way - so these are definatley on my list!
Thanks!!!
those look great — and i think baking olive oil into the bread just saves me the trouble of dipping. yum!
Hi Amy: Thanks for writing.
Hi Kat: Yes!
Hi Simona: Thanks for your tip. Much appreciated.
Hi Olivia: I think you’re right — A little crunch never hurt anyone.
Hi Tanna: Thanks for the tip. I’ll try it!
Hi Dorit: LOL! Thanks! I’m glad you like it this way.
Hi Sugarlaws: Welcome! You’re right you don’t need to dip in olive oil, after all.
Have a good one, all!
Paz
Your rolls look cute! A nice recipe, yummy!
Cheers,
Rosa
Hi Rosa: Thanks! Isn’t it an easy recipe?
Paz
I love rolls like this, they’re especially good for scooping up extra bits of pasta sauce or soup - yum! Thanks for point this recipe out to us Paz, and even if the outside was a little hard (I personally like that if I’m going to dunk the rolls in something) they look delish!
Hey there, Ari: I made them again and tried them with soup. Delicious! Thanks for stopping by.
Paz
Geez, look delicious. I’d want mine warm. Why can’t I have an adventurous chef for neighbor…
LOL! Hi Per: I wish I could mail some. They taste really good warm.
Paz
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If you want a softer crust on your bread or rolls brush the top with a light coat of butter as soon as you take them out to cool. For Italian breads and rolls I sometimes brush the tops lightly with olive oil instead of butter.
Angie
Hi Angie: Thanks for the tip. I can’t wait to try it out.
Paz