Servings: 16 rolls

This wasabi and nori flavored bread was inspired by bread that I had with seaweed and some kind of fancy butter at The Pass & Provisions. Unfortunately The Pass & Provisions closed in 2019 but now I can have the bread all the time.

Making bread is notoriously finicky, and while I’ve based this recipe on the King Arthur Flour recipe for sourdough dinner rolls, I’ve made a lot of flavor adjustment and a bit of flour adjustment. I’ve found that King Arthur must not test their recipes in Houston, where humidity can sometimes be as high as 90+ %. I tested the recipe most recently in about 50% humidity so if your humidity is high (AKA summer in Houston, although I don’t know why you would have the oven on then) add a little bit of flour, if you’re baking in Utah maybe take a little out. I also kneaded in the mixer with a dough hook, so if you’re kneading by hand you can back off of the flour a little bit as well since you’ll be kneading on a floured surface and adding in flour that way.

You should be able to find wasabi powder and nori (seaweed sheets) at your local grocery store or if you want more selection, at your local HMart. If the co-op in Middlebury Vermont carries them, I’m sure your store does too (although to be honest the Middlebury Co-op international aisle has a pretty bomb selection).

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If you haven’t jumped on the pandemic sourdough bandwagon yet, starter is pretty easy to get going (especially now that the great rye flour shortage of 2020 seems to have abated). Either start your own, and I recommend using The Perfect Loaf for the greatest chance of success, or ask a nearby millennial for some of their starter and then just keep it alive by keeping it in the fridge and feeding it once a week, plus the morning of your next baking project.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (113g) sourdough starter

1 cup (227g) lukewarm water

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

2 3/4 cups (328g) AP flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoons wasabi powder

2 sheets of nori, cut into sprinkle sized pieces

6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup (28g) nonfat dry milk

1/4 cup (46g) instant potato flakes (flavor of your choice)

black sesame seeds

• In the bowl of a stand mixer measure the sourdough starter and lukewarm water, then sprinkle the yeast to activate.

• While the yeast is activating (read: bubbling) cut up the nori into sprinkle-ish sized pieces. Use scissors for this, not a knife, it will be much easier. This is also a good time to set the butter out on the counter to come up to room temp if you forgot to do that.

• Once the yeast is activated, add all of the remaining ingredients (except the sesame seeds) and mix with a dough hook until the lumps of butter are no longer visible. Turn the speed up to 4 (medium-low) and knead until the dough is soft and smooth. It will still be a bit tacky but should come away from the sides of the bowl easily.
• Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow it to rise at warm room temperature until it’s nearly doubled in bulk, 60 to 90 minutes.

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• While the dough is rising, lightly grease two 8″ round cake pans or one 9″x13″ rectangular cake pan.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, gently deflate it, and divide into 16 pieces or 15 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, and place 8 balls in each of the round pans OR place 15 balls in the rectangular pan in 3 rows of 5. King Arthur claims that “if you space the balls evenly, they shouldn’t touch each other” but I don’t know how that magic is achieved in the round pans.
• Cover the pans and allow the rolls to rise until they are very puffy, 60 to 90 minutes again. Partway through the rise, preheat the oven to 350 F.

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• Bake the rolls for 26 to 30 minutes in the top third of the oven, until they’re a light golden brown. Halfway through the bake remove the rolls, spray with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds. When you put the rolls back in the oven make sure to rotate them.