Dough-y goodness

I have been fed up of buying bread rolls each day to have with my soup, so last weekend I made some lovely little rolls, using Nigella Lawson’s essential white loaf recipe from Domestic Goddess. The recipe is detailed below. For weightwatchers fans, each roll works out at 2 discovery plan points.

• 500g strong white bread flour
• 1 sachet instant yeast
• 1tbsp salt
• Approx 300ml warm tap water (or water you have boiled potatoes in, which she swears by but I didn’t try it)
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter

Put flour, yeast and salt into a bowl and mix with 200ml of the water. You might need to add more water (i added approx another 50ml) – you are looking for a “shaggy mess” which comes together with kneading.

I used my dough hook on my kitchen aid for the kneading and it took around 15 mins (she says at least 10 mins).

Leave it to rest in an oiled bowl somewhere warm for at least 1 hour (I put mine by the radiator for 2 hours and I was worried it wouldn’t rise) or you can do a cold rise overnight. It should double in size.

Knock it back (knock the air out) and shape into a round loaf or 12 rolls of equal size – again, leave to double in size (took a good 1.5 hours for me, covered in clingfilm, a teatowel and by the radiator again).

Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees / gas mark 7 (I found that too hot for my little rolls so did 200 degrees for them). Before baking I brushed the rolls with milk and sprinkled them with mixed seads. Nigella recommends dusting with flour before baking.

For the loaf, bake for 35 minutes and it’s done when the underneath sounds hollow when you knock it. My rolls took around 20 minutes but be careful as they are suddenly done before you know it. Leave to cook on a rack.

I froze mine and take one out every morning to have with my lunchtime soup and they are fine. I suspect the loaf would go stale quite quickly so probably best to eat as much as possible on day 1!

For a brown loaf …

… Replace the white flour above with 200g each of rye flour, wholewheat flour and strong white flour. Prepare to add slightly more water to this recipe, and bake in a preheated oven of 200 degrees / gas mark 6 for about 45 mins.