Savory Rolls

Directions

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   1. Combine all sponge starter ingredients in a mixing bowl. The resulting goo should look wet and reckless. Wrap the bowl up and let it sit in the corner (preferably a warm one) for four hours or as long as overnight.
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   2. Combine all the dry ingredients for the dough in a large bowl or the mixing bowl for a counter top mixer. Mix them, mechanically or manually, so that all they are distributed evenly. Add water, one cup of the sponge, and butter and mix to combine.
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   3. Add the egg. You want to do this after the butter so the egg doesn't cook. Mix by hand for ten to fifteen minutes (three to five with a Kitchen Aid using the paddle on medium speed) until the dough forms a smooth paste. It should still be sticky and stretchy, but not very wet. If you're using a machine; switch to the dough hook and mix for another five minutes on medium; if you're manual, turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead the hell out of it for seven minutes.
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   4. In yet another bowl, add the olive oil and give a swirl. Form the dough into a ball, and roll it in the oil so that it's greasy everywhere. Cover the bowl with plastic and let it sit for an hour in a warm corner.
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   5. For filling, make
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   but add 2 pounds of sliced shallots. When the shallots begin to brown, add 1/2 cup cream sherry and reduce by half. Set aside.
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   6. Form the rolls: on a floured surface, gently roll out the dough into a 12 by 18 inch square. Spread the sherry-butter-shallot-mushroom goo all over the giant dough square on your counter. Make sure to spread evenly all the way to the edges. Apply the dill and the cheese in a similar fashion; evenly distribute all the way to the corners of your dough sheet.
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   7. Sprinkle salt and grind pepper all over the thing and preheat your oven to 350.
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   8. As if it were a joint-that's right-carefully roll the rectangle into itself. Start at the bottom and curl inwards until you have a bulging log. Use a sharp knife and slice rolls off of the left side of the log. You can make them as thick as you'd like; we like ours about two inches thick.
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    9. Gingerly place the rolls side by each on a greased (with butter) baking pan and cover them loosely with plastic.
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    10. When thirty minutes-minimum!-has elapsed, slide the rolls into the oven and bake for fifteen to twenty minutes. When they start to smell amazing, check them. You're looking for a nice golden brown hue on the top of each one.