Sour cream rožky: Slovak bread rolls, soft inside with a crisp crust from a bowl of water

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Activate the yeast

   10 min

   Crumble the yeast into the lukewarm milk, then add the sugar and 1 tbsp of flour. Let stand for 10 minutes until foamy.

2. Knead the dough

   10 min

   Place the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the yeast mixture, sour cream, and melted butter, and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. It should be firmer than a sweet yeast dough, or the rolls will lose their shape.

3. Let the dough rise

   1 hr

   Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.

4. Shape the rolls

   15 min

   Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each one into a triangle with sides about 20 cm long. Roll up tightly from the wide edge toward the point, then curve the ends slightly. Place the rolls seam-side down, leaving space between them, on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

5. Let the rolls rise

   30 min

   Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220 °C (425 °F) and place a heatproof bowl on the oven floor. Carefully pour boiling water into the bowl just before baking.

6. Bake with steam

   20 min

   Brush the rolls with the beaten egg and sprinkle with caraway seeds and coarse salt. Bake for 10 minutes at 220 °C (425 °F) with the bowl of water in the oven. Carefully remove the bowl, reduce the temperature to 200 °C (400 °F), and bake for about 10 more minutes, until golden brown. Transfer the rolls to a wire rack right away.

Tip: Transfer the baked rolls to a wire rack right away, since their bottoms would soften on the baking sheet; the next day, restore their crispness with 5 minutes in an oven preheated to 180 °C (350 °F). You can use poppy seeds or sesame seeds instead of caraway seeds.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Chrumkavé domáce rožky s rascou a soľou: kyslá smotana ich drží mäkké