RUSTIC CHEESESTEAK ROLLS

INGREDIENTS (Makes 2 10” Rolls)

• 231g Bread Flour

• 138g Water (60% as a Baker’s Percentage)

• 2.3g (3/4 tsp) Instant Dry Yeast (1% as a Baker’s Percentage)

• 2.3g Salt (1% as a Baker’s Percentage)

• 23g Crisco (can substitute with Vegetable Oil, but Crisco is ideal) (10% as a Baker’s Percentage)

• 4.6g (2 1/4 tsp) Diastatic Malt Powder (2% as a Baker’s Percentage)

STEPS

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined, then cover and let rest for 15-20 minutes.

2. Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes until smooth, then place it back into the bowl to rise until it has grown in size by 1.5X to 2X, about 30-60 minutes.

3. Place the dough out onto your counter and de-gas it, then form it back into a ball and let it rise until it has grown in size again by 1.5-2X, about 20-40 minutes.

4. Place the dough out onto your counter and de-gas it. Divide it into two equal-sized pieces, then form each one into a ball and place them into spacious containers. Cover the containers, then place the dough into the fridge for anywhere between 12-48 hours (if you would like to bake the rolls the same day, however, you can keep them out at room temperature).

5. When you are ready to bake, bring the dough out to room temperature. It should have grown in size by at least 2X. Degas them again, and re-form them into taught balls.

6. Allow them to grow in size again by 1.5X to 2X, about 1-2 hours.

7. Form each dough ball into a roll shape using the following method:

   1. Flattening the dough out using a rolling pin into a triangle shape, about 1/2” thick.

   2. Starting with the narrow end of the triangle, roll the dough into a log, being sure to close off the seam at the end.

   3. Starting in the center of the log. Apply pressure with your hands, rolling back and forth as you move your hands outward. The length of the shaped roll should be about 9”.

8. Sprinkle a piece of parchment with cornmeal, then place the rolls onto it. Cover the rolls with a slightly damp dish towel to allow them to rise one final time.

9. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 500F.

10. The rolls are ready to bake when they have grown in size by about 50% and spring back slowly when poked with a finger.

11. Bake the rolls with steam for 10 minutes, then without steam for 6 minutes (or until browned to your liking), rotating halfway through the 6 minutes to ensure even browning.

    1. NOTE: My preferred steaming method is using the Challenger Bread Pan, but I will be discussing steaming in more detail in a future episode of the series.

12. Allow the rolls to cool for at least an hour before cutting into them.