Gelf’s sandwich baps
Makes 12 sandwich baps
To make the poolish starter:
25g plain white flour
25ml warm water
A small pinch of dried yeast (less than 1/8 tsp)
For the main dough:
250g plain white bread flour, plus a little extra for dusting
125g wholemeal flour
125g spelt flour
2 tsp or a 7g packet of fast action yeast
1 tsp sea salt
350ml warm water
The day before you want to make your bread, make the poolish by simply mixing all the ingredients in a jam jar. Pop in the fridge for at least 16 hours or up to 48 hours. It should be risen and bubbly.
Combine the flours, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Add the poolish and the warm water. Mix by hand to form a rough, sticky dough.
Knead for 10 minutes. Concentrate on stretching out your dough using the heal of your hand and then folding it over itself before stretching it out again.
Pop the dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a tea-towel or a plate. Prove in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Heat your oven to 200°C/Gas mark 6. Place a baking dish in the bottom of the oven which you’ll add water to just before cooking.
Flatten the dough and stretch into a square. Cut into 3 strips. Then cut each strip into 4 evenly-sized pieces, giving you 12 in total.
Shape each piece into a roll by gently folding it int the middle 4 or 5 times and turn your dough over so the folds are now on the bottom and place on a lightly oiled baking tray.
Dust the dough with a little flour. Set in a warm place to prove for a further 20 minutes.
Place the risen rolls in the oven. Add a mug of water to your preheated tray. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
They’re best eaten within a day or two, or you can freeze.
To perfect your breadmaking skills and to discover more delicious bakes, check out Andy Tyrrell’s Next Level Bread & Baking and Sourdough and Wild Yeast Baking courses
Or for gluten-free options, try Naomi Devlin’s Gluten-Free course.
For further bread-making inspiration, check out the River Cottage Bread Handbook by Daniel Stevens
Perfect your breadmaking skills and to discover more delicious bakes
River Cottage baker Andy Tyrrell teaches you the art of sourdough and wild yeast baking. You'll be baking as you learn.
Wild yeast is all around us, the joy of foraging into flour and water to create your natural starter can be a life-long journey. Looked after correctly, your sourdough starter will provide you with the fantastic reward of your own sourdough creations for years to come.
As one of the courses in the River Cottage Cooking Diploma 'Sourdough and Wild Yeast Baking' will inspire you to experiment with new baking techniques and recipes.
Bread is one of the original and most popular courses at River Cottage HQ and in this extended, online version, our bread expert Andy Tyrrell will guide you through every stage of the baking process, giving you the knowledge and confidence to bake professional-level bread at home.
You’ll learn how to make many different styles of yeast breads including the famous River Cottage Farmhouse Loaf, as well as enriched doughs for sweeter bakes.
Led by nutritionist and gluten-free expert Naomi Devlin, this Gluten Free cookery course will give you the knowledge and skills to cook tasty gluten-free recipes.
With a combination of hands-on cookery and educational demonstrations, over the course of four lessons you will learn about gluten-free flours and healthy alternatives for food intolerances, and leave you inspired to create your own delicious gluten free dishes - from bread, pasties and other dishes at home.