Sourdough Onion Rolls

Here is our version of one of our favorite savory rolls.  We often use these with vegetarian burgers, especially Lentil – Mushroom and Carrot – Walnut.  Note that the recipe below is written using a bench-top mixer.  But you can just as readily do this by hand.  Just read the basic instructions for making vegetarian burger buns in the 2014 entries on vegetarian burgers.

2 tablespoons fruity, extra virgin olive oil
2 cups onion, peeled, quartered, and sliced into ½“ strips
2 teaspoons salt, in all
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup activated sourdough starter
1 cup water
1 tablespoon cake yeast or instant dry yeast dissolved into 2 tablespoons water
4½ cups bread flour
¼ cup wheat germ
2 tablespoons poppy seed

Warm olive oil over medium heat.  When hot add in onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper.  Sauté for 10 minutes until the onions are translucent.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Using a bench-top mixer with a dough hook, mix the sourdough starter, water, yeast, bread flour, and what germ until they are all incorporated into a dough.  Add more water or flour as necessary to make a pliable dough.  Add remaining teaspoon salt, and mix on medium speed for 7 minutes until the dough is satiny.  Reduce speed to low and add in the poppy seed and onion sauté with cooking oil.  Mix until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.  The final dough should be soft and somewhat sticky.  Turn into an oiled bowl, cover, and let rest in a warm place until doubled.  Punch down dough, recover the bowl, and let double again. 

Preheat oven to 500° F. with one of the baking racks in the middle.

Turn out risen dough onto a floured surface.  Cut into 12 equal pieces:  they should weigh about 4 oz each.  Shape each into a round ball, and place on a large baking sheet dusted with coarse semolina or cornmeal.  When all balls have been formed, cover and let rest for 15 minutes.  Remove cover and flatten each ball into a 4-5” circle using your flour-dusted palms.  Cover the pan again, and let the rolls rise to almost doubled. 

When ready to be baked, open oven and spritz liberally with water.  Place pan on the middle rack, and close door.  Spritz with water twice more over the next 5 minutes.  After the last time, turn down the oven temperature to 400° F.  Bake for 10 minutes, rotate pan, and continue baking another 10 minutes.  When the rolls are nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom remove from oven and let cool on baking racks. 

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