The story behind these huge bread rolls with sesame and poppy seeds is a little different this time. When we tried things out in the past, it mostly went as expected.
So we thought: Why not try to bake some bagels? So we did some research and started. As bagels are put into a water bath, we did that as well of course. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out as expected… and we had no idea why.
The water bath was the reason why the hole in the middle (typical for a bagel) has contracted and with the disappearance of the hole, it turned from a bagel into a huge bread roll. That’s how it goes sometimes and as nobody is perfect we wanted to share this coincidence with you as well.
However, these rolls taste delicious without a water batch and the positive thing about huge bread rolls: a bigger roll equals more space to put a lot of delicious things on and therefore leads to bigger pleasure. So in the end, it all went well even though it was unexpected.
Things to know before you start
Time Schedule
| Steps | Work time | Waiting time |
| Mix | ~15 minutes | 5 minutes |
| Bulk Fermentation | – | 30 minutes |
| Shape | ~25 minutes | – |
| Proof | ~5 minutes | 60 minutes |
| Coat (2x) | ~10 minutes | – |
| Bake (2x) | ~5 minutes | 20-25 minutes |
| Cool | – | 15 minutes |
Just about 3,5 hours and you can enjoy these huge bread rolls with sesame and poppy seeds.
Info: The work and waiting times for the coat and bake steps are per baking plate full of bread rolls. You will have dough for 2 full baking plates. So while one batch of bread rolls is baking, you can already prepare the next one before they are ready.
Total ingredients
| Weight | Ingredient |
| 670 g | All-purpose flour |
| 15 g | Salt |
| 12 g | Brown sugar |
| 18 g | Yeast – Fresh |
| 460 g | Water |
| ~15 g | Poppy seeds |
| ~15 g | Sesame seeds |
| 1x | Egg |
You will have dough of about 1.165 g in total suitable for 10 huge bread rolls.
Difficulty
Another simple and quick recipe for huge bread rolls with sesame and poppy seeds.
Baking tools
A stand mixer can come in handy, but you can also knead the dough by hand without any issues. It is preferred to have 2 baking plates available but you will also be fine with only one and parchment paper. Besides that you can have a look in our should have baking tools overview for some other baking helpers.
Steps
1. Mix
| Weight | Ingredient |
| 670 g | All-purpose flour |
| 15 g | Salt |
| 12 g | Brown sugar |
| 18 g | Yeast – Fresh |
| 450 g | Water – 45°C (113°F) |
- Mix all of the mentioned ingredients together in a stand mixer for 4 minutes on speed level one and 6 minutes on speed level two
- The dough should be homogenous and smooth
2. Bulk Fermentation
- Cover the dough and let it rest for a total of 30 minutes at 20-22°C (68-71,6°F)
3. Shape
- Cover 2 baking plates with parchment paper and set aside
- Follow this short guide on how to get the whole dough into dough rolls:
- Divide the dough into 10 big dough balls equalling each one to about 115 g
- On a very lightly floured surface flatten the dough ball a bit
- Pull the edges from the sides in the air and then in the middle of the dough to create a smooth outer skin on all sides of the dough ball
- Flip the dough upside down
- Cover the dough with your hand forming a claw around it
- Start rotating little circles with your hand on the dough for about 10 to 15 seconds
- Again flatten the dough a bit
- Place it seam-side down on a lightly floured surface
- Sift a bit of flour on top
- Repeat the process for each dough ball
- As a next step get the dough rolls into huge dough rolls:
- Start with the dough roll you shaped first
- Lightly flour your thumb and use it to gently poke a hole in the center by pressing it down until you reach the bottom
- Take the dough into both hands and carefully stretch the hole with your fingers until it is about 2,5 cm wide
- Place the shaped dough ring on the prepared baking plate
- Again, repeat the process for each dough ball
- There should be enough space for 5 dough rings per baking plate
4. Proof
- Cover the huge bread rolls with a towel
- Let them proof for 1 hour at 20-22°C (68-71,6°F)
- After 1 hour the dough should nearly double in size and the hole in the middle almost be gone
5. Coat
| Weight | Ingredient |
| 1x | Egg |
| 10 g | Water |
| ~15 g | Sesame seeds |
| ~15 g | Poppy seeds |
- Create an egg wash by beating one egg with 10 g of water in a bowl together
- Carefully brush the egg wash on top and sides of the shaped dough rolls on the first baking plate and put the rest of the egg wash aside
- Sprinkle as much sesame and / or poppy seeds all over the top and sides of the dough as you like
- Repeat the coating process for the shaped dough rolls on the second baking plate about 10 minutes before the first ones are finished baking
6. Bake
- Preheat oven to 205°C (401°F) for ~30 minutes with the upper and lower heat function
- Put the rolls in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown
- After baking take your huge bread rolls out immediately
7. Cool
- Let your huge bread rolls with sesame and poppy seeds cool for 15 minutes on some kind of grid
Conclusion
Crust
The crust is firm but soft. The sesame and poppy seeds we added on top add a little crunchiness and round up the taste of the rolls.
Crumb
The crumb is nicely soft and a little crumbly with very fine pores.
Taste
These huge bread rolls have a nicely mild taste which make them the perfect base for all sorts of spreads.
Goes good with
As these rolls are very big, they offer a lot of space for a lot of delicious things. Whether you enjoy them with cream cheese and something sweet or with scrambled eggs. Their taste can be combined with sweet and hearty things equally.
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