Michelle Darmody: How to follow a magical process and bake your own bread rolls

The strong white flour is high in gluten which gives the dough its wonderfully bouncy and stretchy nature.

Freshly baked whole wheat rye bread rolls in the kitchen

Last week, when I was tired and exhausted, I realised I had forgotten to get bread rolls. They were needed early the next day and the shops were already shut. I resentfully, and sleepily, started to gather the ingredients to make a batch of rolls myself. I used a fast action yeast, as time was of the essence and I had no starter in the house. Once I started to create the dough for the rolls my resentment slipped away. As I kneaded the warm soft ball my tired mind soothed. I used a little brown flour to add texture to the rolls but they can also be made with all white flour, as long as it is strong flour.

Kneading allows the proteins in the gluten to strengthen and form strands which help to trap the air that is formed when the yeast starts to react. It is a magical process.