Last week, we posted a recipe for landbrød, or country bread, that has quickly turned into one of our favorite bread recipes ever. For us, bread recipes are all about simple ingredients that create something wonderful. And don’t require us to put in days of effort! Our country bread recipe does exactly that. But I must admit, we could improve the recipe in one way…by turning it into bread rolls!
In Denmark, rundstykker are what we call breakfast bread rolls. There are several different kinds, some softer, some crustier, some covered in poppy or sesame seeds. All are equally delicious, but we like these crusty rolls! They’re basically just a mini-version of a loaf of country bread. We also bake them in a similar way, by using boiling water poured into a hot pan to create the steam that develops the crust on the bread. It’s super fun to bake bread this way! And once you get the hang of it, you’ll always make an impressive loaf (or some impressive little rolls!).
Recipe
This dough, like the country bread dough, is a bit wetter than the classic enriched (containing fats, like butter and egg) dough you would use for rolls. The wetter dough creates the lovely shape and crust, since it releases more steam in the oven, but it can also be more difficult to handle. Luckily, there’s no actual kneading required! Start by combining your ingredients and mixing them until you have a rough dough. Let this rise for 30 minutes, then complete a stretch and fold, then another 30 minutes, then a second stretch and fold. Then 15 minutes, then shape the rolls. Then pop them in the fridge for 10 to 20 minutes while you preheat the oven (with a metal pan/tray placed at the bottom of the oven). Dust with flour, score, and bake. Make sure to add boiling water to the metal pan to create the steam! Once the bread is done, let it cool for a little while, then enjoy!
Rundstykker (Danish Breakfast Rolls)
Ingredients
- 2 tsp instant yeast (2.25 tsp active dry yeast, 17.5g fresh yeast)
- 500 ml (2 cups) warm water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 100 grams (about 3/4 cup) whole wheat flour
- 500 grams (about 4 cups) bread flour, or all-purpose
Instructions
- Combine the yeast and the warm water in a large bowl. If using active dry yeast, let the mixture sit for a bit (5-10 mins) until it starts to bubble up then move on to step 2. If using instant yeast, you don't *need* warm water (although I find it helps the dough rise faster) and you can immediately mix together all of your dough ingredients without waiting for the yeast to bubble up.
- Add the sugar, salt, whole wheat flour, and bread flour to the water and yeast mixture. Stir until you have a scraggly dough and have saturated most of the dry spots.
- Cover the bowl and let this rise somewhere warm for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, complete your first stretch and fold. Instead of kneading this bread, you are just going to do what is called a “stretch and fold.” Basically, with slightly damp hands (just run them under water briefly) you will pull up the sides of the dough in the bowl and fold them inwards. Once you have completed this first stretch and fold, let the dough rise again for another 30 minutes.
- After the second 30 minutes, complete the second stretch and fold. Let the dough rise again for 15 more minutes.
- Now you are going to shape the rolls. Sprinkle some flour onto a countertop or work surface and tip out your dough onto the surface. First, divide it roughly into 12 equal pieces. Then, take each ball of dough and pull the sides into the middle gently, pinching them together. I like to pinch this seam together two to three times just to make sure I'm creating enough tension on the surface of the dough. Flip the whole roll over so the seam is facing down and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Feel free to pop any large air bubbles if you want to!
- Repeat this with the other 11 pieces of dough. Cover with a towel or cling film and place in the fridge for 10-20 minutes or just while your oven preheats.
- Preheat your oven to 450 F (230 C) and place a metal or cast iron pan/tray on the bottom rack of the oven to heat up and start boiling some water (1-2 cups) on the stove.
- Once your oven is preheated, remove the tray of rolls from the fridge. Dust the tops with some extra flour, using your hands to spread it evenly on the surface of the dough.
- Wet the blade of a very sharp knife or razor blade with a bit of water, and then score each roll with a cross on top.
- While wearing oven mitts and being very careful, pour about 1-2 cups of the boiling water into the pan in the bottom of the oven. Quickly place the baking sheet with the rolls into the oven on the rack above the metal tray and immediately close it. Bake for about 15 minutes. They may need a few minutes longer depending on your oven but just check the bottoms of the rolls. Once they are browned and sound hollow when you tap them, they are done!
- Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing and eating!
Thanksgiving guests said these were the best rolls they’ve ever had! We served them with honey butter as an appetizer — they turned out crispy on the outside and incredibly soft and moist on the inside.
That’s amazing to hear! We are so glad this recipe worked out for you!
Oh these look lovely. I think these might have to be my next bake. One question: Could you make these in a steam oven if steam is required?
Hi! We’ve never used a steam oven so we can’t say for certain, but generally the steam is needed at the beginning of the baking process and then finishes baking without it actively steaming to create a crispy crust; when you add boiling water to a pan at the bottom of a regular oven, the steam subsides after the first few minutes. We found an article here from a manufacturer of steam ovens which does indicate that you can definitely use a steam oven for bread, you may just have to play around with the amount of steam, or if your oven has a bread setting, even better!! (https://www.electrolux.co.uk/support/learn-more/steam/bake-better-bread-using-steam/)