Crusty Cornstalk Rolls Food

CRUSTY CORNSTALK ROLLS

Steps:

• Stir together yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, and honey in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.)
• Mix flour, salt, 1/2 cup cornmeal, and remaining cup warm water into yeast mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.
• Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface and knead, dusting surface and your hands with just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, until dough is elastic and smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. Form dough into a ball.
• Put dough in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Punch down dough (do not knead) and fold into thirds like a letter (dough will be soft), then gently roll into a 12-inch-long log with lightly floured hands.
• Sprinkle a large baking sheet evenly with remaining 2 tablespoon cornmeal and put dough diagonally in center. Alternating sides, make 3-inch-long diagonal cuts, about 1 1/2 inches apart, into sides of log using kitchen shears (ends of cuts should not touch; maintain a center "stalk"). Gently pull apart cuts to stretch dough, forming rolls that are separate (about 1 1/2 inches apart) but connected to center stalk. Cover with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
• Spray rolls with water, then bake, spraying into oven 3 times in first 5 minutes of baking (to help form a crust), until golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer rolls to a rack and cool at least 20 minutes.

CRUSTY HARD ROLLS

Steps:

• The Starter:
• Mix the starter ingredients together until smooth, cover, and let rest at room temperature overnight.
• Combine all of the dough ingredients and mix and knead them together -- by hand, mixer or bread machine, until you've made a soft, somewhat smooth dough; it should be cohesive, but the surface should still be a bit rough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 3 hours, gently deflating it and turning it over after 1 hour, and again after 2 hours.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased or floured work surface. Divide it into 12 pieces, shape the pieces into balls, and firm them up by rolling them under your lightly cupped fingers on an unfloured work surface. Place the rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover them, and let them rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until they've doubled in size. Refrigerate them for several hours, or overnight.
• Remove the rolls from the refrigerator, and brush them with a wash made of 1/2 cup water mixed with 1 tablespoon egg white (you won't use up all the wash). Slash a 1/4-inch deep cut across the top of each roll, and bake them in a preheated 425°F (220°C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're a deep golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a wire rack. For an extra-crisp crust, allow them to cool in the turned-off, door-propped-open oven.
• Yield: 12 rolls.

CRUSTY ROLLS

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine 1 cup warm water (about 110°F), sugar, salt and yeast.
• Let stand until yeast is soft, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in 2 egg whites, 1 cup flour and 2 tablespoons oil.
• Add 2 1/2 cups more flour and stir until incorporated.
• Scrape dough (it will be soft) onto a well-floured board and dust with more flour.
• Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as required to prevent sticking.
• Place dough in an oiled bowl and turn over to coat.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down, then knead briefly on a lightly floured board to expel air.
• Divide dough into 20 equal pieces and shape each into a ball that is smooth on top.
• As you shape balls, dip bottoms in cornmeal.
• Set about 1 1/2 inches apart on an oiled 12x15-inch baking sheet.
• Rub tops lightly with oil, drape with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, about 30 minutes.
• In a small bowl, beat 1 egg yolk (discard remaining yolk or reserve for another use) with 1 tablespoon water to blend.
• Brush rolls lightly with egg yolk mixture.
• Move 2 oven racks to the lowest positions in oven.
• When rolls are ready to bake, preheat oven to 400°F, put another large pan on lowest rack and add at least 1/4 inch of boiling water.
• Bake rolls on second rack (above rack containing pan of water).
• Bake until richly browned, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Transfer rolls to a rack to cool.
• Serve warm or cool.