Pull-apart rolls are for friends and / family gathered around the table to break bread together (literally!). I made these squishy, tangy Sourdough Pull-Apart Rolls bursting with a creamy beetroot and ricotta filling, with communal eating in mind. There’s something comforting and relaxing about the idea of casually hanging around a table, sharing drinks and easy food that one can simply pick up and eat with your fingers. The appeal is so organic.
Making the dough
I chose these Sourdough Pull-Apart Rolls instead of doing a regular pull-apart dough, because I had a jar full of sourdough discard and I wanted my bread to have more than one dimension of flavour. Adding sourdough discard not only gave the crumb a pleasant touch of fermented tang, it also added extra air and a chewy softness. These buttery rolls, as you can see in the photos, turned out pillowy with a squishable, open crumb. If you don’t have sourdough, you can still make these rolls – just divide the weight of the discard (in this case 60 g) in half, i.e., 30 g + 30g. Add 30g of flour and 30 g of milk to the recipe and 1 tsp of instant active yeast to the recipe. And follow the rest of the recipe as written.
The dough is pliable, smooth and soft and much easier to do than you think. With the filling, you may find it a little floppy to handle, but don’t worry, be gentle and it will hold together just fine. I made a half batch; you can easily double the recipe to feed a crowd. Make sure all the ingredients are at room temp and not cold. This will help to activate the yeast and allow your dough to rise to desired size. This is what it looks like once it has doubled.
The beetroot and ricotta filling
I filled my Sourdough Pull-Apart Rolls with a cheesy, creamy filling of beetroot and ricotta. I roasted the beetroot in the oven with a few cloves of garlic and then whizzed it all with ricotta, feta and a sprinkling of fennel seeds and cinnamon. The result is a rich, creamy mixture with a subtle hint of spice. This filling is quite delicious, I promise you. It’s so finger-licking good that my recipe makes a little extra that I keep for slathering on hot toast or for dipping a cracker into or for eating with my fried eggs.
Assembling the rolls
This recipe is not challenging. All it asks for is a little patience and gentle handling. The results are worth it. Do not roll the dough too thin so that it’s easy to fold, once you’ve spread the filling. Use a very sharp knife or kitchen twine to cut the rolled log into 1” thick rolls. You should get 7-8 rolls. And don’t worry if the rolls aren’t perfectly round. They will lose some shape when they’re arranged in the pan. They’re supposed to be a little rustic anyway. Mine weren’t perfect rounds either, as you can see, but I will tell you that they were soft and so delicious.
Sourdough Pull-Apart Rolls (With Beetroot & Ricotta )
Ingredients
For the dough
- 143 g all-purpose flour
- 60 g sourdough discard
- 45 ml milk, lukewarm
- 1 large egg
- 28 g unsalted butter (omit the salt if you're using salted butter)
- ½ tsp salt
For the beetroot ricotta filling
- 100 g beetroot, peeled and quartered
- 3 fat cloves of garlic, skin on
- ¼ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 150 g ricotta or soft chhana
- 50 g feta cheese
- 30 g walnuts, roughly chopped
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Juice of a lemon.
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add the warm milk, sourdough discard and the egg and mix on low speed using the dough blade of your stand or hand mixer.
- Then add half the flour and mix followed by the salt and butter and the remaining flour. Continue to mix till you have a soft ball of dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and rest in a warm place for 1 hour till the dough has doubled.
- While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 180℃. Place the beetroot and unpeeled garlic on a piece of foil, drizzle with a little olive oil, wrap the foil to close the parcel and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Cool the beetroot, peel the garlic, place in a food processor with the fennel, cinnamon and lemon juice and whizz. Add the cheeses and process till you have a smooth and creamy filling. Mix in the chopped walnuts.
- Place the risen ball of dough on a lightly floured surface and punch down the dough. Roll it out into a 8"x 6" rectangle. Spoon the filling and spread it evenly all over, keeping 1-inch away from the edges of the rectangle.
- With the longer end down on your side, roll the dough to form a log. Tuck in the sides and pinch the seam to seal the bottom. Use a sharp knife or kitchen twine to cut the log into 1-inch thick rolls. You should get 7 or 8 rolls.
- Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake tin.
- Place the rolls to fit into the prepared pan. Cover and leave in a warm place to rise for 45 mins.
- Preheat the oven to 176℃ and bake the rolls for 25-30 mins till they're golden and cooked.
- Rest the rolls in the pan for 15 mins and the unmold and cool on a wire rack.
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