Körner-Bürli (Swiss seeded rolls)
Swiss-style seeded rolls built on an overnight cold ferment, a small portion of the dough mixed the night before and left to develop slowly in the fridge, which builds far more flavour than a same-day dough can manage in a couple of hours. Toasting the seed mix in a dry pan before folding it in is what brings out a nutty depth that raw seeds folded straight into the dough never quite reach.
Prep30 min
Cook25 min
Rest660 min
Servings4
Christoph's Körner-Bürli, an overnight starter for depth of flavour, the seeds toasted before folding in for a nutty finish.
Ingredients
Units
Temperature
Servings
Overnight starter
- 150 g flour rounded
- 100 ml water rounded
- 1 g instant yeast rounded
Final dough
- 350 g flour rounded
- 220 ml water, room temperature rounded
- 5 g instant yeast rounded
- 10 g fine salt rounded
- 100 g mixed seeds, sunflower, flax, sesame and pumpkin rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- The night before, mix the starter ingredients into a rough paste. Cover and let ferment in the fridge for at least 10 hours, or overnight.
- Toast the mixed seeds in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes, until fragrant and a shade darker. Let cool.
- Combine the overnight starter with the flour, water, yeast and salt for the final dough. Mix and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
- Fold in the toasted, cooled seeds, distributing evenly. Cover and let rise for 60 minutes, until doubled.
- Divide into 8 pieces and shape each into a round or oval roll. Arrange on a floured baking sheet, spaced apart. Let rise, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan). Score the top of each roll with a shallow cut. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until deeply golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped.
Notes
- Give the starter its full overnight rest. A slow, cold fermentation develops far more depth and complexity of flavour than a same-day dough can manage in a couple of hours at room temperature.
- Toast the seeds before folding them in. Raw seeds taste comparatively flat once baked into bread; toasting first brings out a nutty depth that carries through the finished roll.
- Let the toasted seeds cool before adding them to the dough. Warm seeds can raise the dough’s temperature and speed up fermentation unevenly.
- Best eaten fresh the day they’re baked, though they freeze well and can be refreshed in a hot oven.
Ingredient substitutions
- The seed mix can be adjusted to taste; any combination of sunflower, flax, sesame, pumpkin or poppy seeds works.
- A little rye flour in place of some of the flour gives a heartier, more traditional character.
- Serve with butter and cheese, the classic Swiss way to eat them.
From Christoph Mayer