Prep Time : 30 + 15 Minutes | Cook Time : 20 Minutes | Total Time : 4 hours | Difficulty : Moderate
Hello my lovelies! I was experimenting with bits and pieces from the asian supermarket a few weeks ago and came up with these rolls and they are too good not to share. The Karengo in the name is an edible NZ seaweed available in health food shops here that I happened to have on hand. Any dried edible seaweed would be lovely including shredded nori sheets. They have a subtly savoury and nutty flavour and go perfectly with any dinner that needs bread. I had a bit of a ‘mare bringing these to you this week! I’ve been practicing creating recipe videos of different lengths (working my way up to longer ‘tv show’ style episodes eek) and when I was working on these it was a comedy of errors. I was trying to shoot the blog photos at the same time and running back and forth between spots in my kitchen and dining room. My camera battery went flat. My tripod jammed and when I got it moving again a bit fell out that I haven’t been able to find – I am assuming it’s not an important piece… while I was shooting the video the salt stuck in its dish and when I tried to knock it out I spilt salt all over the floor. At this point a cup of tea was required to stave off tears of frustration. Its good for literally everything. And then I took a deep breath and decided to try again the next day.
And here we are with the promise of delicious bread only a few hours away. Filling your house with its comforting scent and your belly with its carby goodness. Hold on to your salt and let’s get started.
Warm the bowl you will be using under the hot tap. It will help keep the yeast all snug and excitable. Measure in the water and add a pinch of sugar. It’s not strictly necessary but it can help sluggish yeast to get going. Sprinkle over the yeast. I will start the yeast in the water even if I’m using instant. I’ve had some bad experiences with undissolved instant yeast in the past (rest in peace poor solid panettone) and it will give it a good start.
Leave it to sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast has floated up to the top and formed a foamy layer.
Add the flour first, followed by the salt, oil, sesame seeds and finely chopped seaweed. Did I mention how good for you seaweed is? Packed with minerals and vitamin C. Extra smug points for everyone.
Mix until a ragged dough forms. Tip the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface. Bring it together and start to knead.
It should take about 10 minutes of hand kneading. When the dough is firmer I prefer to hand knead rather than use a mixer. It’s very soothing. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a clean bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap or put the bowl in a plastic bag and leave to rise until doubled in size. The bag traps moisture and heat inside – both things that yeast love.
When the dough has risen, gently tip it back onto the bench. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. You can weigh them. I do but it’s my job to make the rolls perfectly even. Take each piece and form a taut ball.
On a clean surface, form a little cage over the dough with your hand. Your little finger and thumb should cup the dough slightly. Move your hand in a small circle, gently dragging the dough with it. You will notice that a ball forms under your hand. When you turn it over you can see how the dough has pulled together underneath. Magic. Repeat for the rest of the dough pieces. Doesn’t matter if you need to practice a bit. Bread is forgiving.
Use the tray you will bake on as a guide to cut a piece of baking paper. Set the rolls out on the paper evenly and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Put the tray into the oven to heat up as you heat the oven later.
Leave the rolls to rise until doubled in size. While the rolls are rising, heat the oven to 22C (425F). Leave the tray in there.
You can slash the risen rolls if you like. Careful of fingers. When the rolls are ready to bake, quickly open the oven and slide the baking paper with the rolls on it onto the hot baking tray and shut the door. Bake for 20 minutes until the rolls are browned and crisp on the outside. Transfer the rolls to a wire rack to cool.
Just add butter. Words to live by.
Toasted Sesame + Karengo Rolls
Prep Time : 30 + 15 mins | Cook Time : 20 mins | Total Time : 4 hours | Difficulty : Moderate | Makes : 10 rolls
Savoury asian-inspired bread rolls – the perfect accompaniment to any meal.
Ingredients:
- 250 ml warm water
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons active dried yeast (or 1 teaspoon instant)
- pinch sugar
- 300 grams bread flour
- 100 grams wholemeal flour
- 1 teaspoons salt (table type grind – I use pink Himalayan)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped dried karengo (or other dried seaweed)
– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients –
Equipment:
- Kitchen scale, preferably digital
- Heavy baking sheet lined with baking paper
- Optional: shallow cast iron casserole for baking
Directions:
Warm the bowl you will be using under the hot tap. It will help keep the yeast all snug and excitable. Measure in the water and add a pinch of sugar. It’s not strictly necessary but it can help sluggish yeast to get going. Sprinkle over the yeast. I will start the yeast in the water even if I’m using instant. I’ve had some bad experiences with undissolved instant yeast in the past (rest in peace poor solid panettone) and it will give it a good start.
Leave it to sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast has floated up to the top and formed a foamy layer.
Add the flour first, followed by the salt, oil, sesame seeds and finely chopped seaweed. Did I mention how good for you seaweed is? Packed with minerals and vitamin C. Extra smug points for everyone.
Mix until a ragged dough forms. Tip the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface. Bring it together and start to knead.
It should take about 10 minutes of hand kneading. When the dough is firmer I prefer to hand knead rather than use a mixer. It’s very soothing. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a clean bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap or put the bowl in a plastic bag and leave to rise until doubled in size. The bag traps moisture and heat inside – both things that yeast love.
When the dough has risen, gently tip it back onto the bench. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. You can weigh them. I do but it’s my job to make the rolls perfectly even. Take each piece and form a taut ball.
On a clean surface, form a little cage over the dough with your hand. Your little finger and thumb should cup the dough slightly. Move your hand in a small circle, gently dragging the dough with it. You will notice that a ball forms under your hand. When you turn it over you can see how the dough has pulled together underneath. Magic. Repeat for the rest of the dough pieces. Doesn’t matter if you need to practice a bit. Bread is forgiving.
Use the tray you will bake on as a guide to cut a piece of baking paper. Set the rolls out on the paper evenly and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Put the tray into the oven to heat up as you heat the oven later.
Leave the rolls to rise until doubled in size. While the rolls are rising, heat the oven to 22C (425F). Leave the tray in there.
You can slash the risen rolls if you like. Careful of fingers. When the rolls are ready to bake, quickly open the oven and slide the baking paper with the rolls on it onto the hot baking tray and shut the door. Bake for 20 minutes until the rolls are browned and crisp on the outside. Transfer the rolls to a wire rack to cool.
Just add butter. Words to live by.
Cook’s Notes:
- Both pre-toasted sesame seeds and dried seaweed can be found at asian grocery stores. If you have nori (dried seaweed sheets for sushi) that will work as well
- Preheating the baking sheet will help the rolls rise more in the oven and ensure crisp bottoms
- If you have a shallow cast iron casserole which you can bake in, heat this in the oven as you would for a loaf and then bake the rolls with the lid on for 15 minutes followed by 5-10 minutes with the lid off
– These rolls will keep for 2 days at room temperature. For longer storage freeze the rolls sealed in a zip lock bag –
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Looks supe