So it was late friday night that I had this seizure to bake bread.
I first tried Henry Hunter’s ultimate Dinner Rolls on New Year’s eve and I was hooked. Here’s is his original recipe: Ultimate Dinner Rolls
Though in the recipe, I’ve had to modify it slightly so it works well with my Naija available flour type and ingredients.
I increased the flour by 10% to reduce the stickiness and reduce the eggs by 50% so the dough doesnt end up loosing it’s shape due to excess liquid or have a rubbery texture.
I Increased the water by 300% and used a quarter cup of powdered milk instead of his whole milk requirement. This way, Im able to adapt the recipe to my Naija environment.
I used sea salt instead of Henry’s kosher salt. Though they have alot of similarities, sea salt is derived from evaporating ocean water, while kosher salt is mined from salt deposits. In Naija palance, “salt, na salt!”
I also didnt use warm water because humidity in Lagos was already 90% and water from my tap was borderline too warmalready.
So instead of going to bed straight away, I decided to bake the modified recipe again.
See what it looked like the first time (I made 8 buns out of it) :
What really motivated me to bake this recipe is the sprigs of rosemary on top each bun.
Y’see, I have this thick shrub of rosemary plant just wasting away in my little garden that I thought would finally find some usefulness!
Here’s my Naija Version of Henry Hunter’s Ultimate Dinner Roll
- Water 1 cup + 1/2 cup
- Powdered Milk 1/4 cup
- Melted butter 57g ( you can use vegetable oil, but butter is more flavourful)
- Sugar 1/4 cup
- Yeast 7g
- Flour 550g
- sea salt 9g (use any type of salt you have. But I’m particular about using products without additives)
- Egg 1 medium size (henry used 2) I even reserved a bit of mine to egg-wash the proofed dough before the entered the oven
- Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary herb
Method
- I simply added items 1-8 into a stand mixer, you can use your hands if you dont have a stand or hand mixer.
2. After mixing for just 12mins, I turned the dough onto my floured granite top and kneaded it together into a smooth ball and dunked into a plastic bowl and covered it with cling film to rest for an hour
3. After 1 hour, I punched down the dough and divided it into 9 equal parts (total dough yield was 931g so it came to about 103.44g (to be precise, you can just stop at 103g actually!) and placed them on my glass baking dish to let rise for 30mins
4. About 3 minutes to 30mins proofing time, I preheated my oven to about 190 C, brushed the rolls with some of the egg white I left behind, then ganished it with tiny sprigs of rosemary herb (very pleasant aroma it gives off!).
5. Finally, I sprinkled some of my sea salt on the rolls…I dont know what Maldon salt is (that’s what Henry used) and bake for 20- 25mins. I used a tiny oven and I think from about 20mins, the rolls are ready.
6. What comes out is such a beauty and your entire kitchen is filled with amazing aroma of rosemary mixed with hot freshly baked bread. What a piece of heaven!
I couldnt resist! I had to have one even at 2am in the morning! LOL
Try it and share with me what your experience is.
Please remember to share this post with your friends and loved ones and let’s hear from you!
Deliciously yours,
Chef Juls
