Soft, light and tasty, these are great rolls, ideal for sweet or savoury fillings or just slap on some butter and enjoy.

Makes: 8 – 10 baps

Time: Initial “hands on” 15 minutes, first prove about 1 hour, second “hands on” 20 minutes, second prove 45 minutes, baking 10 – 15 minutes. (NB Proving times will vary depending on room temperature)

Level: Quite easy

Need: 2 parchment lined baking sheets & 2 clean kitchen bin liners. A stand mixer will make kneading easier, but it’s not essential to have one.

Ingredients

375g/13oz strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
7g fast-action dried yeast
7g salt
30g/1oz caster sugar
15g/½oz lard, cut into pieces
15g/½oz butter
125ml/4½fl oz buttermilk*
125ml/4½fl oz warm water

* You can replace buttermilk with normal milk or replicate buttermilk by mixing 115ml milk with 10ml of lemon juice five minutes before you need it.

Method

1. Tip the flour into a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) and add the yeast to one side and the salt and sugar to the other. Stir and mix.

2. Melt the butter then add in pieces of the lard and mix until soft or runny. Stir into the dry mixture with most of the other liquids. (You may not need it all.) Turn the mixture around with your hands, gradually incorporating the flour until you have a soft, but not sloppy dough.

3. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for 9–10 minutes by hand or keep in your stand mixer bowl and use the dough hook for 5 – 6 minutes.

4. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with cling film or a shower cap and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

5. Once risen, divide the dough into equal pieces (I recommend 8 – 10) and shape each piece into a loose ball. In pairs, place them on the work surface and cup a hand over each one. Move your hands in a circular motion, rotating each ball firmly to shape it.

6. Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheets, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 10 minutes. (Leave enough space between each roll for expansion later.)

7. Using a rolling pin or the palm of your hand, slightly flatten each ball of dough. Place each baking sheet in a proving bag* and leave in a warm place to prove for about 45 minutes – until risen to almost double in size.

* A white kitchen bin liner will be perfect.

8. Heat the oven to 220°C / fan 200°C / 425°F / Gas 7. Lightly dust the top of each roll with flour. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes – until well risen and golden brown. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.

I wish you every success with your bread making. I hope you have a go at this one and enjoy making and eating these lovely rolls. If you want to see more of my bread recipes click This link.

Here are some quite different breads that you might want to try:

Dark Rye, Wholemeal and Wheat flour seeded Cob