Pampushki

Excerpted from Savoring

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Yield: 15 Rolls
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

As my mom would say, these savory rolls are like a hug from a Ukrainian grandma: pillowy, soft, and comforting. The key to the success of these rolls is the dough. It’s light and airy, and comes together with a few key ingredients, a little bit of love, and some oil. I have found that ensuring that the water is warm enough, letting the instant yeast bloom properly, and intentional kneading leads to the softest of doughs. The garlicky topping is the perfect finishing touch that takes these rolls to the next level. The result is doughy, garlicky, deliciously herbaceous rolls that your dinner guests won’t be able to resist! Trust me, every time I serve these, they are gone in minutes.

Savoring by Murielle Banackissa

A collection of beautiful and inspiring plant-based recipes filled with the flavors of far-reaching influences. Savoring invites you to slow down and immerse yourself in vegan cooking—meal by meal, moment by moment.

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1 cup (250 ml) warm water (at about 120°F)
1 tbsp (15 g) organic cane sugar
½ tsp sea salt
1 (2¼ tsp/7 g) sachet instant yeast
3 tbsp + ¼ cup (105 ml) canola oil, divided, plus more for greasing
3 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour, divided

Garlicky Glaze

3 tbsp (45 ml) water
2 tbsp (30 ml) canola oil
2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, grated using a Microplane
½ tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp fleur de sel or coarse sea salt

All ingredients Water Cane Sugar Sea Salt Yeast Canola Oil All-purpose flour Dill garlic Fleur de sel

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the water, sugar, and salt until most of the sugar and salt have dissolved.
Sprinkle the instant yeast over the water mixture in an even layer. Let sit for 5 minutes to activate. It will go from granulated to foamy, creating a uniform layer on top of the water.
Whisk the mixture until the yeast is incorporated (it’s okay if some small clumps remain), then stir in 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of canola oil.
Add ⅓ cup (45 g) of flour, whisking to incorporate. Repeat two more times.
Set the whisk aside. Add ½ cup (70 g) of flour and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate. Repeat two more times.
Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) of canola oil into a small bowl.
Sprinkle ¼ cup (35 g) of flour over the dough and incorporate using your hands.
Oil your hands (using the oil in the small bowl) and knead the dough directly in the bowl (or on a clean lightly floured work surface, if you prefer). If the dough is very sticky, add the remaining ¼ cup (35 g) of flour, 1 tablespoon (9 g) at a time, kneading between additions. Make sure to oil your hands often to help keep the dough smooth and airy. If you add too much flour, it will be too dense. Once the dough is no longer sticky, but smooth, elastic, and soft, knead for 5 more minutes.
Remove the dough from the bowl and brush some oil onto the bottom and sides of the bowl.
Cover the dough in a thin layer of oil, return it to the bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let rise for 1 hour in a warm environment.
Dust a clean work surface with flour and grease a 9-inch pie dish with canola oil or cooking spray.
Transfer the dough to your work surface and sprinkle lightly with flour. Using your hands, form the dough into a 14-inch log. Cut it into 15 equal pieces. To form into balls, pull each dough piece outward, then gather the edges together under the dome and pinch together. If you find that the dough is too sticky, making it hard to form each ball, dust each ball with a little flour.
Place in the glass dish, smooth side up. Brush canola oil over the pampushki or spray with cooking spray. Loosely cover in plastic wrap (you can reuse the piece you used previously). Let rise for 15 minutes in a warm environment.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
For the garlicky glaze, mix together the water, canola oil, dill, grated garlic, and fine sea salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, until they turn brown. To add a deeper brown color, broil at 500°F for 1 to 2 minutes after baking.
Remove from the oven, give the garlicky glaze a stir, and immediately spoon over the hot rolls. Garnish with fleur de sel.
Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Store at room temperature, tightly covered with foil, for up to 2 days.

MURIELLE BANACKISSA is a food photographer, recipe developer, and food stylist, based in Montreal. Outside of spending hours developing new recipes and shooting them in her home studio, Murielle loves paying attention to the details surrounding her as away to feel more grounded and present. From water droplets resting on leaves after rainfall, to the golden glow of summer nights, to the way yeasted dough rises under the ideal conditions, she is always seeking the magic in seemingly mundane moments.