Savory Rolls Recipe
- (You will have leftovers)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1/4 teaspoon dry active yeast
- 1 cup sponge (above)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon brewer's yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup melted butter (margarine works)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup Cast-Iron Mushrooms
- 2 pounds shallots, sliced
- 1/2 cup cream sherry
- 2 cups chopped dill
- 1/2 pound shredded aged cheese (we use Comté)
- sea salt and pepper
- Combine all sponge starter ingredients in a mixing bowl. The resulting goo should look wet and reckless. Wrap the bowl up and let it sit in the corner (preferably a warm one) for four hours or as long as overnight.
- Combine all the dry ingredients for the dough in a large bowl or the mixing bowl for a counter top mixer. Mix them, mechanically or manually, so that all they are distributed evenly. Add water, one cup of the sponge, and butter and mix to combine.
- Add the egg. You want to do this after the butter so the egg doesn't cook. Mix by hand for ten to fifteen minutes (three to five with a Kitchen Aid using the paddle on medium speed) until the dough forms a smooth paste. It should still be sticky and stretchy, but not very wet. If you're using a machine; switch to the dough hook and mix for another five minutes on medium; if you're manual, turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead the hell out of it for seven minutes.
- In yet another bowl, add the olive oil and give a swirl. Form the dough into a ball, and roll it in the oil so that it's greasy everywhere. Cover the bowl with plastic and let it sit for an hour in a warm corner.
- For filling, make Cast-Iron Mushrooms but add 2 pounds of sliced shallots. When the shallots begin to brown, add 1/2 cup cream sherry and reduce by half. Set aside.
- Form the rolls: on a floured surface, gently roll out the dough into a 12 by 18 inch square. Spread the sherry-butter-shallot-mushroom goo all over the giant dough square on your counter. Make sure to spread evenly all the way to the edges. Apply the dill and the cheese in a similar fashion; evenly distribute all the way to the corners of your dough sheet.
- Sprinkle salt and grind pepper all over the thing and preheat your oven to 350.
- As if it were a joint—that's right—carefully roll the rectangle into itself. Start at the bottom and curl inwards until you have a bulging log. Use a sharp knife and slice rolls off of the left side of the log. You can make them as thick as you'd like; we like ours about two inches thick.
- Gingerly place the rolls side by each on a greased (with butter) baking pan and cover them loosely with plastic.
- When thirty minutes—minimum!—has elapsed, slide the rolls into the oven and bake for fifteen to twenty minutes. When they start to smell amazing, check them. You're looking for a nice golden brown hue on the top of each one.