Bread rolls with harissa, fennel & chorizo

No need to butter these bread rolls – they come with a tasty surprise inside.

Bread rolls

2 tsp active dried yeast

220ml warm water

1 cup (140g) wholemeal flour

140ml cold water

1⁄3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling

21⁄2 cups (360g) high-grade flour

2 tsp sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling

Filling

1 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

200g chorizo, chopped

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp harissa paste

1 tbsp tomato paste

Combine yeast and warm water in a large bowl (ideally the bowl of an electric mixer) and leave for 10 minutes or until creamy. Stir in wholemeal flour, cover and set aside for 50 minutes or until bubbling.

If you have an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment, use this to mix in the cold water and oil. Add high-grade flour and salt, and mix until it comes together. Continue mixing for 3-4 minutes. The dough should be soft but not wet – remove from the bowl and knead by hand with a little flour if necessary. If mixing and kneading by hand, it can be useful to use a dough scraper and a little flour as the dough can be quite wet initially. Knead for 6-8 minutes until smooth.

Put dough into an oiled bowl, cover and leave to double in size – about an hour, or put in the fridge overnight for a slower rise.

Filling:

Heat oil in a pan, add onions and cook until soft. Add chorizo and fennel seeds and cook for a few minutes then add harissa and tomato paste.

Set aside to cool.

Divide risen dough into 16 pieces, flatten slightly, add a tablespoon of filling, bring the edges together and pinch to seal. Place sealed side down on a lined baking tray. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for about 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C. Once risen, brush rolls with milk and bake for 20-30 minutes until browned.

Makes 16