Crusty Dinner Rolls

Total Time: 6 hrs 10 mins Preparation Time: 5 hrs 45 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

Recipe

• 1 combine all of the dough ingredients and mix and knead them together-- by hand, mixer or bread machine-- till you've made a soft, somewhat smooth dough; it should be cohesive, but the surface should still be a bit rough.
• 2 allow the dough to rise, covered, for 3 hours, gently deflating it and turning it over after 1 hour, and again after 2 hours.
• 3 turn the dough out onto a lightly greased or floured work surface.
• 4 divide it into 12 pieces, shape the pieces into balls, and firm them up by rolling them under your lightly cupped fingers on an unfloured work surface.
• 5 place the rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover them, and let them rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until they've doubled in size.
• 6 refrigerate them for several hours, or overnight.
• 7 remove the rolls from the refrigerator, and brush them with a wash made of 1/2 cup water mixed with 1 tablespoon egg (you won't use up all the wash).
• 8 slash a 1/4-inch deep cut across the top of each roll, and bake them in a preheated 425°f oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're a deep golden brown.
• 9 remove them from the oven, and cool on a wire rack.
• 10 for an extra-crisp crust, allow them to cool in the turned-off, door-propped-open oven.