Thea's little kitchen

These dinner rolls have the quintessentially chewy, golden crust of boules, a rustic French loaf. Made with sourdough, they take some time but are easy to put together and are great for meal prep. Dip in soup, swipe through sauce, slather in seasoned olive oil, or shmear with butter and homemade jam — no matter how you top them, they’re a winner.

• 3 ½ – 4 cups bread flour
  All-purpose will work in a pinch, but bread flour or gluten for adding to AP flour are worth keeping on hand for recipes like this, cinnamon rolls, or pizza dough
• 1 ¼ – 1 ¾  cups warm water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup active sourdough starter 

MAKE DOUGH
Ten hours of rising time

1. In a stand mixer (or a large bowl, if you want to make by hand), mix the flour, water, salt and starter. Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated and the dough starts to look smooth. This is a lovely dough and shouldn’t be noticeably wet or dry at this stage — add flour or water bit by bit to adjust for the humidity of the day.
2. Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel or lid, and let it sit on the counter overnight until it has doubled to tripled in size. It will take about 10 hours, more if your kitchen is cold and less if it runs warm.

MAKE MINI BOULES
2 hours of rising time

1. Line a standard half baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Lightly knead the dough, and cut into 12 equally sized pieces.
3. Shape each piece, tucking any edges or corners underneath and inside, until you have a dozen adorable rolls.
4. Space rolls evenly on the baking sheet, leaving a few inches between them
5. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for 2 hours.

BAKE THE BOULES

1. Preheat the oven to 425℉.
2. Using a lame or sharp knife, score the top of each miniature boule. This little slice helps them rise in the oven, so you end up with a roll shape instead of a flatter, domed bun.
3. Bake 25-28 minutes, and let cool on a rack.