Easy soft olive oil rolls

These homemade soft olive oil rolls are easy to prepare, fragrant and perfect to be served with different types of both savory and sweet fillings. Prepared with a simple dough based on fresh yeast, extra virgin olive oil and flour. The dough of these rolls is really easy whether you knead it by hand or in a mixer with a hook attachment. In addition it has a light scent and flavor of olive oil. They are super versatile and can be prepared for different occasions. They are perfect as breakfast rolls together with hazelnut cream or for lunch or for a snack. With this dough you can also create mini rolls to make them perfect for buffets and parties.

Instructions easy soft olive oil rolls – the biga with fresh yeast

Pour the water into a small bowl and crumble a gram of fresh yeast into it. Mix well until it is completely dissolved. Add the flour and mix coarsely. Cover with a plastic wrap and leave to rise at room temperature for 14 – 18 hours.

Preparation of the dough

In a large bowl pour the flour. Add salt, water and extra virgin olive oil. Mix coarsely until there are no visible traces of flour. Let it rest for 30 minutes to let the liquid absorb the flour (autolysis).

At this point, add the biga and 1 teaspoon of barley malt or honey or 2 teaspoons of sugar. Knead by hand or in the mixer with a hook for about 10 minutes or until you get a very elastic dough.

Homemade oil rolls – the folds

Create a ball of dough and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

Now let’s move on to the folds which you will have to repeat 3 times in the distance of 30 minutes between one and the other. After the rest time, take your dough and roll it out with your hands creating a rectangle.

Mentally divide the rectangle into three equal parts. Pull and fold a part from the outside on itself towards the center (as in the photo).

Repeat the same operation with the second edge of the dough.

Now you have to repeat the same process on a narrow rectangle that has formed. Take a left part of the dough and fold it back on itself towards the center. Repeat the same thing with the right side.

Flip the dough to create a tight package with the dough seal facing down and the smooth side up. Place in a bowl and let it rise for 30 minutes.

Repeat the same procedure of the folds 2 more times, always letting the dough rise for 30 minutes after the folds have been made. You will see that with each fold the dough will become softer and more elastic. After the last fold, let your dough puff for 2 hours or until it doubles in volume.

The rising times are approximate, it can take more or less time depending on the temperature of the environment, the freshness of the yeast, the strength of the flour and other factors not related to the recipe.

Note from the author of this recipe

While you are waiting for your dough to rise I just want to tell you that I really appreciate that you have decided to prepare my recipe. If you like it, I would be delighted and it could be a huge help for me if you follow me on my official social channel such as instagram where I publish every time a new recipe comes out. To become my follower just search for foodohfood in your instagram or click on this link: https://www.instagram.com/foodohfood/ and press Follow. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Barbara.

Baking the rolls

On a work surface, divide your dough into 10 – 12 pieces. Roll out each piece with your fingertips to create a long oval. Roll each oval on itself to create a bun. Place each piece on a baking sheet, covered with parchment paper with the seal facing down.

Cover with a cotton cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes or until they become puffy.

Preheat the oven to 250 ° C. Before putting the olive oil rolls in the oven, brush them lightly with a some water. Bake in a preheated static oven for 8 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180 ° C – 190 ° C and bake for another 12 – 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.

p.s. If you are looking for another recipe for amazing buns with olive oil, check out my Olive oil rolls with spelt flour, pumpkin and rosemary (photo below).