Although hamburgers aren't a traditional Moroccan food, they're a popular menu item at casual restaurants and cafes, and are served in many homes as well. Since store bought hamburger rolls in Morocco often leave much to be desired, I usually make my own. These soft, rich sandwich rolls always solicit compliments and requests for the recipe.
My recipe is adapted from one found in a King Arthur Flour Company catalog many years ago. If desired, substitute wheat or semolina flour for one cup of the white. Serve the rolls with Moroccan Style Hamburgers or other sandwich fillers.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Rising time, divided: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes
Yield: 12 large sandwich rolls
Ingredients:
- 4 1/2 cups (570 g) flour
- 3 tablespoons (50 g) sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 5 tablespoons (70 g) butter, soft or melted
- 1 tablespoon yeast, dissolved in 1/4 cup (60 ml) warm water
- 1 1/4 (300 ml) cups warm milk
- ------------------------------
- additional flour, for kneading
- vegetable oil or melted butter, for brushing on rolls
Preparation:
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter, yeast mixed with water, and milk. Stir to combine into a rough, sticky dough.
Knead the dough, by hand or in a mixer with dough hook, until a very soft, slightly sticky dough takes shape. Continue kneading for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the dough is very smooth. During kneading, you can add more flour or liquid if necessary, keeping in mind that the stickier the dough, the lighter your final baked product will be. The dough will lose its sticky quality after its first rising.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl (turn the dough over once to coat it with oil), cover with a towel, and leave to rise in a draft free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
Punch down the dough and divide it into 12 portions. Shape each portion into a ball (the smoother the top, the nicer the baked roll's appearance will be) and place on a greased baking pan. Slightly flatten the tops of the rolls, cover with a towel, and leave to rise for another hour or longer, until light and puffy.
Preheat your oven to 425° F (220° C). Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes, or until a rich golden brown. Remove the rolls from the oven, brush the tops lightly with vegetable oil or melted butter, and transfer to a rack. Cover with a towel and leave to cool before splitting and serving.
The homemade sandwich rolls will keep for a day at room temperature, or for several weeks in the freezer.
