Seeded Tear and Share Rolls

It's been a while since I've baked 'proper' bread. So, here's my recipe for some tear and share rolls made with 1/3 wholemeal flour and 2/3 white flour. The combination of the two flours makes for a great bread as the dough rises well and is nice to handle, but also delivers a portion of wholegrains (per two rolls) so offers great health benefits too! If you prefer white rolls or rolls with more wholemeal flour, feel free to experiment with changing the proportion of flours. However, do bear in mind that wholemeal flour is harder to work with and generally requires more water and can make for a denser loaf. 

These rolls are great to serve with soup or salad, and are a great base to add all sorts of different flavours. You could try adding herbs, sundried tomato or roasted vegetable pieces, or adding and topping it with vegan cheese alternative (or dairy cheese). Have some fun mixing your favourite flavours into this simple bread recipe.

Recipe - Makes 14 small rolls

• 225g strong white bread flour
• 125g wholemeal bread flour
• 7g fast action dried yeast
• 7g salt
• 30ml oil
• 220ml water
• Seeds (such as poppyseeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds), to sprinkle

To make the dough, tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the yeast to one side and the salt to the other. Pour the oil into the centre of the bowl then slowly add the water, mixing in with your hand until the mixture comes together to form a soft and slightly sticky dough. Turn out onto a work surface and knead for 10-12 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl and place the kneaded dough inside. Cover and leave to rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the dough has at least doubled inside and a dent remains when pressed. 

When risen, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly to knock the air out. Divide into 14 equal pieces. Taking each piece one at a time, press the dough out flat then fold all the edges into the centre. Turn the piece of dough over, cup your hand over it and circle your hand rapidly so the dough forms a tight ball. Repeat with each piece of dough until you have 14 balls. Place into an 8 inch diameter round baking tin spaced slightly apart. Cover and leave to rise for 30-40 minutes or until the dough springs back slowly when a finger is pressed into it gently. 

Before the dough is fully proved, heat the oven to 190C (fan). Once risen, brush the tops of the rolls lightly with water and sprinkle on the seeds. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and it sounds hollow when the base is tapped. Remove from the oven and leave on a wire rack to cool.