When I knew I was going to be leaving work, I pictured myself making fresh bread every day in my spotless house, and then following this up with some recipe development, laid-back food photography and writing - all whilst maturely sipping on espressos and congratulating myself on my gastronomic inventions. Sooooo here’s a picture of a cheese sandwich. Ok, it may not knock Heston’s socks off, but it is actually a really really good cheese sandwich. It’s all the tastier for being served up on these homemade ale bread rolls that I got from Paul Hollwood’s ‘How to bake’ book. I’ve been a little bit lax on the bread making front for a while. There’s certainly been no daily bread making (and definitely no spotless house - with the kids off for their summer holidays). There still aren’t enough hours in the day to even keep on top of the hoovering. I’m sure I’ll get there eventually….. I have managed to make these tasty ale bread rolls a few times though, and they never fail to impress - with their wholesome, malty flavour, their crusty exterior and fluffy interior.
I used some old fashioned English ale that we picked up from a local brewery, but any good-quality, traditional ale will do the job. The flour is a mix of your normal strong white bread flour, and also some strong wholemeal flour. The combination of the ale and the wholemeal heartiness means these rolls go perfectly with a Ploughmans lunch, or even with a thick stew or soup. I’ve gone for the simple ploughman’s sandwich here: Layerings of baby spinach, mature cheddar cheese, apple & plum chutney, and tangy apple chunks (I use Jazz apple - my absolute favourite). This combination is a complete winner! Why not try my homemade brioche rolls:
The Ale Bread Rolls Recipe:
