Soft White Bread Rolls

Makes 8 (with grateful thanks to the River Cottage team)

• 500g/3¼ cups strong white bread flour
• 5g/1½ tsp fast-action yeast
• 10g/1¼ tsp salt
• 35g/¼ stick of butter
• 300ml/1½ cups of water

Put the bread flour in a bowl and rub in the butter.

Add the fast-action yeast and the salt – placed separately on opposite sides of the bowl.

Pour in 300ml of tap water and mix everything together so that it forms a scraggy ball.

Place in the bowl of your mixer, dough hook fitted, and ‘knead’ for 5 minutes.

When the dough has become smooth and ‘elastic’ place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a tea towel. Leave to prove for 1-1½ hours at room temperature until it has doubled in size.

Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and ‘knock’ back. Cut into 8 pieces and shape into balls. Place on a greased or floured baking sheet. Dust with flour and cover with a clean tea towel.

Leave to rise for 30 minutes. When they are double the size, place in a hot oven (210ºC/Gas 7/425ºF/Roasting oven – baking sheet on the rack placed on the floor) for 15-20 minutes.

Leave to cool. Eat.