Green Olive & Gruyere Rolls

OOOOOOH MYYY GOOOODNESSS. 

Brace yourselves for impact. These rolls are about to change the GAAAAAAME.

In my favorite (so far) round of baking bootcamp, Joy the Baker has graced us with this so-awesome-you-want-to-shout-it-from-the-rooftops recipe for Green Olive and Gruyere Rolls - and so customizable you'll go crazy thinking of all the things you could stuff into these things!

It's important to note that there is a starter dough involved in this process - meaning you have to do some prep, but trust me, the prep is minimal and the hardest part of this whole process is waiting. 

Otherwise, the recipe is SUPER easy and doesn't even require a mixer or rolling pin!

I made the starter dough the night before and was able to speed up the proofing process with the use of an oven - just heat the oven to 200F and turn it off before putting your dough in.

The recipe also calls for baking the buns in a baking pan, but I opted for a seasoned skillet to get some crispiness on the bottom! I'd definitely recommend using a skillet if you have one!

You Will Need:

For the Starter:

1 1/4 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

1/2 cup warm water

To make the starter, mix the ingredients in a large measuring cup or small bowl until well combined (you can use your fingers!). The starter will be very dry. Cover and let rest overnight at room temperature; it'll become bubbly.

For the Dough:

all of the starter

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons or up to 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups bread flour

1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

For the Filling:

2 1/2 cups grated cheese (I used mild gruyere, sharp white cheddar cheese and vlaskaas)

1 cup coarsely chopped green olives

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup cooked pancetta (I added this because I love pancetta - I just browned some diced pancetta with rosemary and pepper)

1 egg, beaten

To make the dough, combine the risen starter with the water, salt, flour, and yeast. Stir until thick and combined in a bowl and then dump onto a well floured work surface to knead by hand until soft and smooth - about 8-10 minutes.

Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in size. (This is where I put it in the oven to speed up the process - this girl hates to wait.)

Gently deflate the dough, then pat and stretch it out into a 3/4" thick rectangle, about 9"x12". Use your fingertips and hands to stretch out the dough - no rolling pins required! Sprinkle with the grated cheese, olives, additional toppings if you like, and cracked pepper. 

Starting with the long side of the dough, roll it into a log, pinching the seam to seal. Place the log, seam-side down on a lightly floured surface. 

Gently cut the log into eight slices (her recipe recommends cutting into 4 - this will make giant rolls - I think 8 is even a little large for a single serving.) and place them onto two separate seasoned skillets (four should fit onto a single skillet), cut side up. Use your fingers to press the rolls down a bit and spread them open to expose the cheese.

Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 hour until it's puffy but not doubled in size (again, I proofed them in the oven). Towards the end of the rising time, place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 425F.

Lightly brush the loaves with beaten egg. 

Place in the oven to bake.

Bake for 20 -35 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the loaves are a very deep golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack. 

Serve warm with mustard. The rolls will last up to 4 days at room temperature - make sure to wrap them!

I think the highlight of my life this week was ripping a warm roll open and seeing all of my favorite words in action - ooey, gooey, and fluffy. Oh, and meat.

And then this morning I did a victory lap with a side of mixed greens and a fried egg for breakfast. :)

Because only good things can come from this recipe, we started thinking up some possible combinations for the next batch... soft scrambled eggs and chorizo, pear and gorgonzola, tapenade with manchego and artichoke hearts. You get the idea.

Go forth and bake!