Savory Walnut Rolls
STARTER
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast or 1¾ teaspoons instant yeast
- ½ cup warm (105°F to 110°F) water
- ½ cup bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
- About 2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons walnut oil or vegetable oil
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt or table salt
Instructions:
To the average American, these rolls are out of the ordinary, but in France they are a familiar sight, especially on cheese platters.
- To make the starter, sprinkle the yeast over the water in a large bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty standing mixer. Let stand 5 minutes, then stir until the yeast dissolves. Add the flour and stir for 100 strokes (this activates the gluten in the flour). Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until very bubbly, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to make the dough, process ½ cup of the walnuts and the flour in a food processor fitted with the metal blade until the walnuts are ground into a powder. Set aside.
- Add 1 cup water, the walnut oil, and salt to the starter and stir well. Using a wooden spoon or the paddle blade on low speed, add enough of the walnut flour to make a soft, pliable dough that barely clears the sides of the bowl.
- If kneading by hand, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Gradually knead in the remaining ½ cup walnuts. If kneading by machine, change to the dough hook and knead on medium-low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Gradually add the remaining ½ cup walnuts. If desired, knead on the work surface to check the consistency.
- Gather up the dough into a ball. Lightly oil a medium bowl. Add the ball of dough and turn to coat the dough with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand until the dough doubles in volume, about 1½ hours. (The dough can also be covered and refrigerated for up to 18 hours. Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let stand for about 2 hours to come to room temperature before proceeding.)
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Turn out the dough onto an unfloured work surface, and knead lightly to expel the air. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into tight balls. Arrange the balls a few inches apart, smooth side up, on an ungreased baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Discard the plastic wrap. Bake the rolls until crusty, about 20 minutes. To double-check for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of a roll—it should read about 200°F. Cool slightly or to room temperature.