Rich and buttery brioche dough takes on a new flavor dimension when made with tangy sourdough starter. It uses a few more ingredients than some of my sourdough recipes but follows many of the same techniques. If you need sourdough starter, request it in the Sharing fermented starters Facebook group.
You can bake this mother dough into countless shapes, as I’ll be explaining all month. When you divide the dough, shape the portions into round rolls or slightly flatten each to bake buns large enough to split for burgers or sandwiches.
Sourdough Brioche Rolls
Makes 10 rolls
160 grams (about 11 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3 eggs (about 150 grams)
About 150 grams (about 2/3 cup) milk
230 grams (about 3/4 cup) sourdough starter (100% hydration)
20 grams (about 4 teaspoons) granulated sugar
280 grams (about 2-1/3 cups) all-purpose flour
180 grams (about 1-1/2 cups) whole-wheat flour
8 grams (about 1-1/2 teaspoons) sea salt
Egg wash: 1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water
About 2 tablespoons herb-infused salt, sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional)
Into a small bowl, thinly slice or grate the butter. Leave it in a warm place for at least 30 minutes, until softened but not melted or greasy.
Set a large bowl on a kitchen scale. Crack in and briefly whisk the eggs; add enough milk to equal 300 grams (about 1-1/4 cups). Lightly mix in the starter and sugar. Add the flours, mixing to form a sticky dough. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel; let rest for 10 minutes. Feed your starter.
Add the salt. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and press it into a rough circle. Using your fingers, spread softened butter pieces into the dough until the circle is coated. Fold in the edges, and then knead a few times to form a soft ball. Repeat as many times as needed to incorporate all of the butter. Return the dough ball to the towel-covered bowl for about one hour.
Double letter fold the dough: On the floured surface, gently stretch the dough in four directions without tearing, forming a rectangle. Fold one-third up the rectangle and then the other third over the top, like folding a letter. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat; return the dough to the towel-covered bowl for about 30 minutes. Repeat the fold-and-rest cycle until you have folded the dough three times. Place it in the bowl in the fridge, covered with the redampened towel, for two hours to overnight.
To make rolls, divide the dough into 10 pieces and, with lightly floured hands, shape each into a taut ball. Space the balls about 3 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, cover with damp tea towels and leave at room temperature for one to two hours.
During the last 30 minutes of proofing, preheat the oven to 450°F. Brush each roll with the egg wash; sprinkle with flavored salt or seeds, if desired. Cover the baking sheets with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil, rotate the trays and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until lightly brown. Cool on wire racks.
Julie Laing is a Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger at TwiceAsTasty.com.