Papo Secos ~ Portuguese Rolls

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Shape the dough

    • Divide the dough into ten equal pieces, about 4 1/4 ounces (120 grams) each. Lightly flour your hands. Cup one hand over a chunk of dough and roll it on your work surface in a circle to tighten the ball. Being somewhat neurotic, I count the turns—no fewer and no more than 40 revolutions. Repeat with the remaining dough.
    • Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with a floured non-terrycloth kitchen towel or a baker’s couche. Cover them with a kitchen towel. Let rest for 20 minutes.
    • Transfer the balls to your work surface. Heavily dust the towel again.
    • Flour your hands. Flatten a dough ball into a 6-inch (15-cm) disc. Using the side of your hand, make a deep crease (think karate chop) across the middle of the disc.
  • Grab both ends of the crease and gently tug them to elongate the dough into a slight oval.
  • Fold one half of the dough over the other along the crease. The dough will have a half-moon shape.
  • Twist the ends of the half-moon into fat points and, using your thumbs, flatten them a bit to seal.
  • Gently transfer the papo seco to the towel, seam-side down. As you shape more rolls, arrange them in a row, few inches apart. Pull the towel up between each row to create a ridge that will hold the shape of the rolls during proofing. Repeat the shaping and lining up the papo-secos, folding up the towel between rows.
  • Cover the rolls with a towel and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Shape the dough

    • Divide the dough into ten equal pieces, about 4 1/4 ounces (120 grams) each. Lightly flour your hands. Cup one hand over a chunk of dough and roll it on your work surface in a circle to tighten the ball. Being somewhat neurotic, I count the turns—no fewer and no more than 40 revolutions. Repeat with the remaining dough.
    • Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with a floured non-terrycloth kitchen towel or a baker’s couche. Cover them with a kitchen towel. Let rest for 20 minutes.
    • Transfer the balls to your work surface. Heavily dust the towel again.
    • Flour your hands. Flatten a dough ball into a 6-inch (15-cm) disc. Using the side of your hand, make a deep crease (think karate chop) across the middle of the disc.
  • Grab both ends of the crease and gently tug them to elongate the dough into a slight oval.
  • Fold one half of the dough over the other along the crease. The dough will have a half-moon shape.
  • Twist the ends of the half-moon into fat points and, using your thumbs, flatten them a bit to seal.
  • Gently transfer the papo seco to the towel, seam-side down. As you shape more rolls, arrange them in a row, few inches apart. Pull the towel up between each row to create a ridge that will hold the shape of the rolls during proofing. Repeat the shaping and lining up the papo-secos, folding up the towel between rows.
  • Cover the rolls with a towel and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

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