SOFT SANDWICH ROLLS

IT’S worth making a big batch of these soft white rolls because they freeze so well. Milk is the secret ingredient here, making a silky smooth dough and a delicious soft crumb.

Makes 18 finger rolls or burger buns, or 36 small bridge rolls

Kit you’ll need

2 baking sheets, baking paper

For the bread

650g (1lb 7oz) strong white bread flour, extra for dusting 10g (¼oz) fine sea salt 2 tsp caster sugar 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast 50g (1¾oz) unsalted butter, diced 400ml (14fl oz) lukewarm milk 1 medium egg, at room temperature

To finish

Extra milk, for brushing Sesame seeds, for sprinkling (optional)

1 Line the baking sheets with baking paper. Put the bread flour into large bowl or the bowl of a food-mixer with the salt and caster sugar and mix well with your hand or dough hook attachment. Stir in the yeast then rub in butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Then make a well in the centre.

2 Beat the milk and egg together, then pour into well Mix everything together with your hand or using the dough hook on the slowest speed. If the dough feels stiff or dry or there are some stray dry crumbs at the bottom of the bowl, work in more lukewarm milk a tbsp at a time; if the dough feels very sticky and clings to the sides of the bowl, work in a little flour.

3 Dust your fingers and the worktop with flour and turn out the dough. Knead it well for 10 minutes or 5 minutes using the dough hook on the slowest speed until it feels firmer, silky-smooth and elastic. Put it back in the bowl and cover the bowl with

clingfilm or a snap-on lid. Leave to rise on the worktop for 1–1½ hours until doubled in size.

4 Punch down (knock back) the risen dough with your knuckles to deflate it, then turn it out onto a lightly floured worktop. Gently knead it for a minute until it feels very smooth and even. Now you need to weigh the dough. For large finger rolls and hamburger buns, divide the dough into 18 equal pieces, roughly 65g (2½oz) each; for small bridge rolls, divide the dough into 36 equal pieces.

5 For large finger rolls, shape the dough into neat balls and then roll them on the worktop with your hands to a neat sausage shape about 15cm (6in) long.

6 For hamburger buns, shape each portion of dough into a ball, then cup your hand over the ball so that your fingertips and wrist touch the work surface and gently rotate your hand so the dough is rolled and smoothed into a neat, even ball. Gently flatten the ball to make a bun about 10cm (4in) across.

7 For small bridge rolls, shape each piece of dough into a neat oval by first rolling it into a ball, then into a cylinder the size of your little finger. Squeeze it gently between the sides of your hands to make a point at each end.

8 Arrange the rolls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them a little apart to allow them to expand during baking, then slip each sheet into a large plastic bag, letting in some air so that the plastic doesn’t stick to the dough and close tightly, or cover loosely with clingfilm. Leave to prove and rise as before for about 45 minutes until almost doubled in size. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 230C (210C fan), 450F, Gas 8.

9 Uncover the dough and brush the buns lightly with milk, and if you like you can sprinkle over some sesame seeds. Bake for 5 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 200°C (180°C fan), 400°F, Gas 6 and bake for another 5–10 minutes (depending on size and shape) until golden and firm.

10 Put the rolls and buns on a wire rack and cover immediately with a clean dry tea towel to keep the crusts soft. Eat within 24 hours.