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French Dimple Rolls
French dimple rolls are light and have a delicate crust. Not only do they look cute, they are delicious!
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Makes: 10 rolls
Ingredients
  • 400 g (14 oz) white bread flour
  • 175 g (6 oz) lukewarm water
  • 120 g (4 oz) lukewarm milk
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 1½ tsp dried yeast
  • 1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar
Instructions
  1. Add the yeast to the milk, stir and leave for 10 minutes.
  2. Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the milk/yeast. Flick flour from around the side of the bowl to just cover the liquid. Leave for 15-20 minutes.
  3. Add the water and mix to a smooth, sticky dough.
  4. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead well for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the surface and your hands with flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
  5. Place the dough on a lightly-greased bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to allow the dough to double in size.
  6. Turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface. Knock back to remove gas.
  7. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball then roll gently out into an oval.
  8. Place the dough ovals on well-greased baking sheets (maximum 6 rolls per sheet). Dust with flour then cover and leave for 30-40 minutes.
  9. Lightly oil the side of your hand and use it to push a deep "slash" into each roll. Cover and leave for a further 15 minutes.
  10. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 210°C (410°F) fan oven, 230°C (450°F) normal oven and place a tray of water near the bottom of the oven to create a steam atmosphere.
  11. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Place on a wire rack to cool.
Notes
This dough can be quite tricky to handle. The secret is to keep your hands and the work surface lightly dusted with flour. A tea-strainer makes a good "flour duster"!

To keep the crusts from going too soft store the rolls in a bowl or basket covered with a light cloth, such as a teatowel.

To "re-crust" the rolls simply pop them in a warm oven for a couple of minutes.