EASY CRUSTY BREAD ROLLS

Steps:

• Weigh out ingredients for starter in your mixing bowl and whisk together. They should be the consistency of pancake batter.
• Measure out the remaining bread flour and place on top of starter.
• Make two little wells in the dry bread flour, add the salt in one and the yeast in the other.
• Place mixing bowl on its stand, cover (loosely with plastic wrap or a lid), and let ferment for 1-2 hours. The yeast will become active during this time.
• Measure out buttermilk and let stand until ready to use.
• After the preliminary ferment, add buttermilk to bowl and mix with a dough hook until a smooth, elastic dough ball is formed, about 5 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a greased countertop (olive oil or Pam Spray works well).
• Knead into a ball (1 minute) and place into a dough riser lightly coated with oil. Spray top of dough with oil, cover and let rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size*.
• Preheat oven with two pizza stones (one per shelf) to 450°F Be sure that the stones and a cookie sheet (bottom shelf) are in the oven when you start pre-heating it.
• Turn bread dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and divide into four pieces. You can make four large loaves at this point or can continue on and divide each dough ball into 8 pieces.
• Form the rolls and place them on 2 sheets of parchment paper that are roughly the same size as your pizza stones (16 rolls/sheet).
• Cover** and let rise for 45 minutes.
• After rising, sprinkle the rolls with flour and slash the tops. ***.
• Place the rolls in the oven using a pizza peel.**** At the same time, put a cup of ice into the cookie sheet to humidify your oven.
• Bake at 425F for 30-35 minutes. If your oven has a convection bake setting, switch to convection for the last 10 minute of baking.
• Cool on wire racks and enjoy!
• *If you are not ready to form the rolls/loaves after the first rise, you can punch the dough down and let it rise again until doubled in size. **I use a plastic storage container that is designed to store things under my bed. It is the perfect size and keeps my dough safe from cats, dogs and other critters. ***A sharp serrated knife works well. ****An inverted cookie tray works in a pinch.