Crispy Salt Butter Rolls
169kcal
Ingredients
The Dough
- 520 g Bread Flour
- 30 g Powdered Skim Milk
- 370 g Water
- 10 g Baking Salt
- 40 g Sugar
- 7 g Dry Instant Yeast
- 40 g Unsalted butter (softened)
The Filling & Topping
- 180 g Cold butter (cut into twelve 15g blocks)
- Coarse Salt Flakes (such as Maldon, for topping)
Equipment
Method
Dough Development
- Place all dough ingredients into a stand mixer bowl. Mix for 5 minutes on low speed until a shaggy dough forms.
- Increase the speed to medium and mix for 5 additional minutes. The dough must become highly elastic, smooth, and pull away completely from the sides of the bowl.
- Cover and let the dough proof for 1 hour at 76–78°F (24–26°C).
Shaping & Rolling
- Divide the bulk dough into 12 equal pieces (roughly 80g each). Shape each piece into a smooth round ball. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Roll each rested dough ball slightly to create a tapered drop or cone shape. Cover and let rest for another 15 minutes to relax the gluten.
- Take a dough cone. Lift the tapered bottom part up in the air with one hand while using a rolling pin with your other hand to flatten it lengthwise. Then, reverse it: hold the wide top part up and roll the bottom out until you have a long, thin triangle reaching roughly 20 inches (50cm) in length.
- Place a 15g cold butter block onto the widest edge of the dough triangle. Roll the dough up tightly over the butter toward the point, shaping it like a tight croissant. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Let the rolls proof for 40 to 60 minutes at 76–78°F (24–26°C) until puffy, soft, and visibly larger.
Steam Baking
- Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C). Place an empty cast iron pan on the bottom rack of the oven.
- Generously spray the proofed rolls twice with water from a spray bottle, then immediately sprinkle the tops with salt flakes.
- Slide the tray of rolls into the oven and carefully pour a cup of boiling water into the hot cast iron pan below to create a burst of steam. Immediately lower the oven temperature to 400°F (204°C). Bake with steam for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, safely vent the remaining steam from the oven. Lower the temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking for 18–20 minutes until deep golden brown with extra-crispy, buttery bottoms. Let cool on a wire rack before serving.
Nutrition
Calories169kcalCarbohydrates35gProtein5gFat1gSaturated Fat0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat0.3gMonounsaturated Fat0.1gSodium2mgPotassium43mgFiber1gSugar3gVitamin A1IUCalcium7mgIron0.4mg
Notes
- Converting to Sourdough: To make a natural sourdough version of these rolls, omit the 7g of commercial instant yeast. Instead, build a sweet or standard levain using 100g of flour and 100g of water from the main recipe pool (representing a 20% levain build). Keep in mind that your bulk proof and final shaping proof times will extend significantly (roughly 3–4 hours each depending on ambient temperature).
- Freezing for Later: You can absolutely freeze these rolls to bake fresh later! Follow all instructions up through step 7 (shaping the rolls around the cold butter). Place the shaped, unproofed rolls on a tray in the freezer until solid, then transfer them to an airtight bag for up to 1 month. To bake, place the frozen rolls onto parchment paper, cover loosely, let them thaw and proof at room temperature for 2–3 hours until puffy, then bake as directed.
- The "Hollow" Center Phenomenon: Do not be alarmed if your baked rolls have a large hollow pocket in the middle! This is the signature style of a Shio Pan roll. The cold block of butter melts rapidly during the high-heat steam stage, frying the inside of the dough casing and leaving behind a rich, butter-soaked cavern.