Soft, chewy little Italian rolls made with a biga, an overnight starter that gives them real bakery flavor and a light, open crumb. They are sized for sliders and sturdy enough to hold a generous scoop of hoagie dip. Makes 20 rolls, about 65 g each.
Ingredients:
Biga:
- 300 g (2 1/2 cups) bread flour
- 180 g (3/4 cup) cool water
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 g) instant yeast
Final dough:
- All of the biga
- 450 g (3 3/4 cups) bread flour
- 330 g (1 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon) warm water
- 15 g (2 1/2 teaspoons) fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon (3 g) instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey or sugar
For the tops:
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions:
- Make the biga: mix the bread flour, cool water, and instant yeast until shaggy with no dry flour left. Cover.
- Let the biga ferment 12 to 16 hours at cool room temperature (overnight), or up to 2 days in the fridge. If it was in the fridge, let it sit 1 hour at room temperature before using. It is ready when it is domed, bubbly, and smells yeasty and sweet.
- Make the dough: tear the biga into pieces into the warm water in a stand mixer bowl. Add the flour, yeast, and honey and mix until no dry flour remains. Rest 20 minutes.
- Add the salt and olive oil and knead with the dough hook 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and slightly tacky.
- Cover and let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until about doubled.
- Divide into 20 pieces (about 65 g each). Shape each into a tight ball or a small oblong roll and set them on parchment-lined sheet pans about 1 inch apart.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- The next morning, take the rolls out of the fridge for 60 to 90 minutes to finish proofing. They are ready when puffy and a gentle poke springs back slowly.
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Brush the rolls with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.
- Bake 16 to 20 minutes, until deep golden (about 200°F inside). Cool on a rack before splitting.
Two-day timeline:
- Friday night, about 9 PM: mix the biga.
- Saturday evening: mix the slider roll dough and the soft pretzel dough in the same session. Bulk rise, shape, and put both in the fridge overnight.
- Sunday morning, about 7:30 AM: rolls out of the fridge to proof. Shape and boil the pretzels per their recipe. Bake the rolls and pretzels back to back at 425°F (or on two racks, rotating) so everything is out by about 9:15 and the rolls are cool for a 10 AM kickoff.
Note: Weighing the flour and water gives the most reliable dough. The shaped rolls can stay in the fridge up to about 18 hours. Split them only once fully cool so the crumb does not turn gummy, and toast lightly before filling if you like a little crunch.