Something Comforting to Chew On...Sesame Sandwich Rolls

Sometimes only simple breads will do. It's true! There is a time for everything under the sun and sometimes, just sometimes, all that will satisfy your craving is a simple bread. A roll that is soft yet strong enough to hold your sandwich without crumbling into pieces, or becoming mushy with sauces or other condiments. A roll with a crunchy crust and a soft, but slightly chewy interior. Oh, and it should be moist, but not too... I mean, that's a roll, right? What else will do for your roast beef or veggies? Only this sandwich roll, I promise. To achieve the slightly tangy flavor, this roll uses a 'starter' dough called 'pate fermentee', which I have highlighted in previous recipes. Literally it means old or fermented dough and refers to the Old World custom of using a piece of dough from today's batch as a starter for tomorrow's batch. A very similar flavor is achieved by mixing a kind of dough and letting it sit for several hours at room temperature before continuing the recipe. That's what I do here and the result... Well you tell me!

Here's What You'll Need:
for the starter dough
2 cups (280g) AP flour
1/2 tsp. yeast
1 1/4 cups (300ml) warm water

Mix it all together to make a sticky dough and then cover with plastic wrap. Leave it to ferment at room temperature for about 4 or 5 hours (or even overnight). Then...

for the dough:
2 1/3 cups (320g) AP flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. yeast
2/3 cups (160ml) warm water

Here's What You'll Need to Do:
After the starter has fermented, mix the flour, salt and yeast together, then add the pate fermentee and the extra water. Combine and knead to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. The dough will be very smooth and elastic. You may need to adjust the water by adding (1 tablespoon at a time) to achieve the right level of stickiness. The dough should be tacky but not at all sloppy, sticking to your fingers.

Place the dough in a covered, slightly oiled bowl to rise for 45 minutes. After it has risen, turn it over in the bowl, only slightly deflating it, then cover and let it rise a second time for another 45 minutes.

Finally, remove the dough, carefully so as not to totally deflate it, to a lightly oiled surface, and stretch it out to a rough rectangular shape. Cut the dough into 6 or 9 equal-sized pieces,

 then roll each piece into a 'roll shape. Dip each piece in milk (or water) then roll it around in a bowl filled with sesame seeds. Lastly, place each roll, seam side down on parchment paper. Cover and let the rolls rise for about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 F (190 C). Bake the rolls for 15 to 20 minutes until they are nicely browned and the crust is hardened. Cool on a rack. These rolls are crunchy at first, but because of the large amount of water, they soften as they cool. Yum!!