Black Rice Dinner Rolls

Make the old dough starter first: Put all the starter ingredients into an airtight container and stir with chopsticks until evenly mixed with no dry flour remaining.

Let it ferment in a warm place until it doubles in size, then refrigerate overnight. The surface of the fully fermented old dough will be covered with bubbles.

Put all ingredients except the butter into the stand mixer bowl (or bread machine), adding them in this order: liquids at the bottom, then the old dough, then the flour, and finally the yeast on top. Start the kneading program. Once the dough is smooth, add softened butter and knead until it reaches the “extended” stage. (For small rolls, you don’t have to knead all the way to full gluten development like for toast, but if you prefer to, that’s totally fine!)

Let the kneaded dough ferment in a warm place until it reaches 2–2.5 times its original size. (I proofed mine in the oven at 28°C.)

Take out the fermented dough and press it with your hands to release the gas. Divide it evenly into 16 portions, round each piece, and place them into the baking pan.

Proof in an environment at 35°C with 85% humidity until the dough doubles in size.

Brush a thin layer of beaten egg over the surface and sprinkle with an appropriate amount of sesame seeds. (I usually pick a slightly larger egg, and whatever beaten egg is left after kneading goes on the surface of the bread.)

Put the pan into a preheated oven. I use a UKOEO convection oven and bake at 150°C for 20 minutes. For a regular oven, bake at 180°C for 20 minutes. If you don’t want the top to brown too much, cover the surface with a piece of foil after about 10 minutes of baking.

The bread baked in the UKOEO convection oven colors very evenly.

The rolls are very soft and fluffy, with a gentle black rice aroma—so delicious! Thanks to the old dough, the bread stays very soft even after two days.~