Makes: | 15 |
---|---|
Level: | Beginner |
Diversity Score: | 27 |
---|
These sweet and sticky malted sourdough fig rolls are a great way to celebrate the arrival of beautiful fresh figs in late summer. We love to pair them with a salty, savoury British goat's cheese here at the school, drizzled in honey.
Figs have long been a part of a Mediterranean diet and are a rich source of minerals, vitamins, fibre and polyphenols. But you don't need to wait for the fig harvest to enjoy malted sourdough fig rolls: this recipe works equally well using dried figs that have been soaked overnight.
Both fresh and dried figs have a lot of natural sweetness, so the fruit filling of these malted sourdough fig rolls do not need much in the way of extra sweetening. I added a little fig syrup, just enough to accentuate the natural sweetness, but you could equally well use date syrup. Pure maple syrup is also an option if you do not have fig or date syrup. If you do like a bit of extra sweetness, you could make the honey glaze in the recipe, or simply sprinkle a little sugar over the rolls before they go in the oven.
One note of caution: figs, especially dried ones, have a high fructan content. For this reason, I do not recommend them to people suffering from IBS and advise that anyone with other digestive issues should enjoy them in moderation.
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Mixing bowl
- Baking tray
Tin Size
- Baking tray (26 x 37cm, 3cm deep) OR 9 x 13 x 1 inch sheet pan (USA)
Suggested Starter
White
DDT
26°C (79°F)
To Ferment Your Dough
For The Dough
- 50g white sourdough starter (second build)
- 50g spray malt flour or coconut sugar
- 250g Botanical Blend No. 4, or stoneground wholemeal flour
- 30g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing OR sunflower oil
- 3 free-range eggs
- 2g salt
- plain white flour, for dusting
- For the filling:
- 20 dried figs, soaked in water overnight and drained OR use 230g fresh figs
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
- 2 tablespoons fig syrup
- For the egg wash:
- 1 egg yolk
- Splash of milk
- For the honey glaze (optional):
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼ tablespoon soy sauce
- 25g chopped pistachios
Baking Time
20 minutes
Bake At
180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4
Tutorials
Step | Timings |
---|---|
Refresh starter (first build) | Day 1, 10am |
Refresh starter (second build) | Day 1, 10pm |
Soak figs (if using dried) | Day 1, 10pm |
Prepare filling | Day 2, 8am |
Make dough | Day 2, 8.30am |
Roll out and shape dough | Day 2, 8.45am |
Fill and shape rolls | Day 2, 9am |
Prove | Day 2, 9.15am |
Bake | Day 2, 7pm (or cover and pop in the fridge to bake the following morning) |
Guidance, tips & techniques
Method:
If you are using fresh figs, they need to yield under your thumb and be sweet and easily squished. They don’t need to be soaked. Cut them in halves or quarters with a serrated knife and leave to the side.
If you’re using dried figs, soak them overnight, then drain. Finely chop the figs and put them in a bowl with the balsamic vinegar and fig syrup. Mash together until the figs have broken down and the mixture has a relatively thick consistency. If it is too runny, the filling will squish out of the dough as you make the roll. You should have about 250g of filling. Leave to the side while you make the dough.
Mix together all the dough ingredients in a large bowl. Bring everything together to form a ball, adding just a little water if you need to (see Tip below). Tip the dough on to a floured work surface and gently pat it out to form a rectangle about 35cm long and 12cm wide. The dough will be quite thick.
The next step is almost like making a long sausage roll. Spoon the fig filling into a long strip running lengthways down the middle of the rectangle. If using fresh figs, place the sliced figs over the dough and drizzle with a little balsamic. Then fold each side of the dough rectangle over the fruit so that the two edges meet in the middle, creating a long sausage. You need to be quite light-fingered as you do this, working with a very light touch. If you find the seams aren’t sticking together, brush a little water along one edge of the dough before you close them together. Ideally, you should try to get the edges to meet and seal, rather than overlapping. This isn’t essential, but it does make for a nicer shape.
Once you have the fig filling encased in a dough roll, take a serrated knife and, very gently, slice the roll into 15 pieces. Place each piece, seam-side down, on to a greased and floured baking tray. When all the small rolls are on the tray, dust them with a little flour, then cover the whole tray with a clean tea towel and leave it on the kitchen side to prove at ambient temperature.
When you come back to the fig rolls in the evening, they should be puffed up. You can bake them straight away, or pop them in the fridge to bake the next morning – if you do this, they will be a little sourer and a little more broken down.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Before baking, make an egg wash by mixing together the egg yolk with a splash of milk. Brush each roll with the egg wash, then bake for about 20 minutes until golden.
If you like your fig rolls a little sweeter, make a honey glaze. While the rolls are baking, place the honey, sesame oil and soy sauce in a small saucepan and gently warm through over a low heat. About 3–4 minutes before the end of the baking time, take the tray out of the oven and brush the rolls with the glaze, then return to the oven for the last few minutes. Top with chopped pistachios.
Tips: The eggs I used were big enough to bring the dough together without the need for any extra water. If you have smaller eggs, a lower extraction rate in your barley, or more wholegrain in your malted flour, then you may need to add 5–10g of water.
You can use other fillings in these rolls: we like dried dates with chopped pistachios or chopped almonds, and dried apricots with toasted sesame seeds.