Home » Vegetables » Overnight Rolls for Balsamic-Roasted Eggplant & Arugula Sandwiches
5 from 14 reviews
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Last week when a dear friend sent me the recipe for Ruth Reichl’s balsamic-roasted eggplant and arugula sandwiches, I immediately bought a baguette and set to work slicing, brushing, and roasting the various purple globes collecting on my counter. The result — an unfussy, completely delicious sandwich — sent me racing back to the store, but this time I skipped past the bakery. The local baguettes, I’m afraid, require gnawing with all one’s might.
If you have access to a great bakery, a fresh baguette, ciabatta roll, or focaccia would all work well here. If you don’t, consider making your own rolls. These are a simple variation of the peasant bread recipe — in essence the peasant bread is getting the Lahey treatment: the yeast has been cut way back and the rise extended to overnight (or about 12 hours).
Here’s a thought: if you take 5 minutes to mix the dough together this evening, you will be rewarded with the makings of a super-simple Friday night dinner, delicious vessels fit for flanking whatever your heart desires, but may I suggest balsamic-roasted eggplant and arugula? It’s so good.
This is what the dough looks like after a 12-hour rise:
Punch it down on a well-floured surface, and portion it out:
Shape the portions into rough balls and transfer to a baking sheet:
Bake for 20 minutes:
Once cool, the rolls can be halved and filled as you please.
Overnight Sandwich Rolls
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
5 from 14 reviews
- Author: Alexandra Stafford
- Total Time: 12 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 6
Save Recipe
Description
Here My Mother’s Peasant Bread recipe gets the Lahey treatment: yeast cut way back, rise extended for many hours (about 12). Sugar has also been omitted. The dough is super wet, so go big on the flour—seriously, don’t hold back. I have been making these for these balsamic-roasted eggplant and arugula sandwiches.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (512 g) unbleached all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup (32 g) for shaping
- 2 teaspoons (7 g) kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) instant yeast
- 2 cups (439 g) cold water (tap is fine)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 4 cups flour, salt, and instant yeast. Add the water. Mix with a rubber spatula to form a wet, sticky dough ball. Cover bowl with a tea towel or bowl cover and leave to rise at room temperature overnight or for up to 12 hours.
- The following morning (or after about 12 hours), the dough will have risen and its surface will be covered with bubbles. Line a sheetpan with parchment paper or a Silpat. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Spread the 1/4 cup flour over a work surface. Dump the dough out onto the surface. Using as much flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the board and your knife or dough scraper, divide the dough into 6 roughly equal portions. Again, using as much flour as necessary on your hands and work surface, shape each portion into a rough ball. Use two hands to stretch each ball gently into a rectangle—doesn’t have to be perfect—and transfer to prepared sheetpan, spacing evenly. Let shaped rolls rise for 20 minutes.
- Transfer pan to the oven. Bake 15 minutes. Rotate pan. Bake 5 minutes more or until nicely golden. Transfer rolls to cooling rack to cool completely.
- Prep Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Yeast
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Vegetarian Fall Winter Spring Dinner Summer Eggplant Weeknight Dinners Bread Recipes Lunch Vegetables
« Previous PostSimple Roasted Eggplant Involtini
Next Post »Thai Chicken Salad (Larb Gai)
Want to Chop Like a Pro?
Get your free 8-video tutorial
Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe
Michelle —Reply
Hi Ali!
These look so delicious! How do you think using bread flour might change anything? Thank you!!!alexandra —Reply
Bread flour would be great!
Alexandra —Reply
Do you think you could shape these into a hoagie/sub bun?
alexandra —Reply
Yes, absolutely!
Rebecca —Reply
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made the dough last night and baked them this morning. I divided into 8 portions so the buns were a bit smaller. The buns are deliciously soft but have more of a dense texture with fewer air bubbles, and the crumb is a bit tacky. The tops are quite pale. Could this be a result of overworking the dough in the shaping process, and/or underbaking? I’m not an experienced bread baker so I followed the recipe to a T, timing and all, on this first try. Any insight would be appreciated! Excited to eat the fruits of my labour this week and to try this one again!
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Hi Rebecca! Apologies for the delay here. Questions for you: are you using a scale to measure? And what type of flour are you using?
Regarding the paleness, next time try baking them at 450ºF for the entire time.
Next time, you can extend the second rise: it’s possible the rolls need to proof for longer, more like 40-60 minutes before you bake them, especially in these colder months.
Rebecc —Reply
No problem at all! Thanks so much for your reply. I’m using a scale to measure, and I used Robin Hood AP Organic flour (only one I could find that was unbleached). I’ll try these tips next time. It’s quite cold in our place (Ontario winters!).
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Unbleached is perfect! Let me know how the second round goes 🙂
Debbie Polishook —Reply
Can I sub have Srpouted wheat flour for AP flour for the sandwich rolls? There is a slight chance the rolls will be denser, but I’ve had great success with sprouted wheat flour, so go for it 🙂
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Yes!
Diane —Reply
Can this dough be kept in the frig longer and portioned out as needed. It is just my husband and I.
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Yes! Just be sure to store the dough in an airtight container to ensure it doesn’t dry out. If you don’t have a container, you can slick the surface of the dough with olive oil, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Kelli —Reply
Just discovered this recipe last night and the rolls are baking as I type! Planning to serve them for lunch with leftover chicken piccata and pasta (using your pesto recipe with homegrown Thai basil). THANK YOU as always for your wonderful recipes and making me look like the home lunch hero!
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Woohoo! I hope they turned out well, Kelli! Chicken piccata + pasta with Thai basil pesto sounds absolutely heavenly! Thank you for your kind words 🙂 🙂 🙂
Katey —Reply
Hello Ali,
I love your website and enjoy your recipes. This recipe calls for instant yeast. I don’t use instant yeast. Is it possible to use active yeast after it has proofed or is this recipe different?
Thank you.Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Yes, absolutely! Go for it 🙂
Barbara —Reply
I have made these rolls as directed, they are excellent for portobello or other sandwiches.
I am thinking of making them for a Christmas Eve appetizer spread in a smaller slider size. What should I do differently (besides the portion shape and size)?
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Great to hear, Barbara! I don’t think you need to do anything differently, but I might consider shortening the bake time, though not by much — 5 minutes or less depending on how much smaller you are making them.
Maura Jordan —Reply
what if they stay in fridge longer than 12 hours more
like 24 hours
?Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Hi! Do you mean the initial rise? Or the shaped rolls? The initial rise is at room temperature, but if you wanted to shape the rolls and stick them in the fridge, that would work, too. And they would be fine for 24 hours as long as they are in an airtight container.
Micki —Reply
I prepped these last night and baked them this morning. We used them as sandwich rolls and they were delightful! My husband raved about them all day!
I was curious about doubling the recipe – anything I need to be aware of?
Thank you!
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Great to hear, Micki! Thanks so much for writing. Nope, no changes need to be made when doubling. Go for it!
Sarah —Reply
Holy guacamole these are easy and delicious!!!
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Great to hear, Sarah!
TDinNC —Reply
Every one of your recipes (and I mean EVERY ONE!) that I have made have been fantastic. Your directions are clear and well written, and the results are delicious. It’s at the point where I always check your site first when I need a recipe. THANK YOU!!
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Awww thank you 🙂 🙂 🙂 This means a lot. Thanks for writing.
