These Ale Bread Rolls are made with English ale and a blend of wholemeal and white flours. Simple to make and delicious to eat.
When I left my old job to work on this website, I imagined days filled with baking fresh bread in a tidy kitchen, testing recipes, taking relaxed food photographs and writing – all while sipping espresso and celebrating each culinary success.
Reality has been a little different, but one thing that has stuck around is this excellent cheese sandwich made using these homemade ale rolls from Paul Hollywood’s How To Bake. It’s not haute cuisine, but it’s genuinely satisfying.
How to make Ale Rolls
Full recipe with detailed steps is in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Combine the flours, salt and yeast in a bowl, then add softened butter and most of the ale. Mix until a soft dough forms.
- Knead for 5–10 minutes until smooth, then place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise for 1–2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough, divide it into 14 pieces, shape into balls and arrange on lined baking trays. Prove again, dust with flour, make small snips on the outer rolls, and bake until golden—about 30 minutes.
👩🍳 PRO TIP The malty notes from the ale combined with the wholemeal give these rolls a robust flavour. They’re perfect for a Ploughman’s lunch, or alongside a hearty stew or soup.
I haven’t been baking every day, but I have made these ale rolls several times and they always impress. They develop a crisp crust and a light, fluffy interior with a wholesome, malty flavour that works brilliantly in sandwiches.
🍽️ What to serve it with
- Sliced roast chicken
- Cheddar cheese and coleslaw
- Crispy bacon with BBQ sauce
- Alongside a hearty beef stew or a Tuscan-style chicken soup
I used a traditional English ale from a local brewery, but any good-quality, flavoursome ale will work. The dough is a mix of strong white bread flour and strong wholemeal flour for texture and depth of flavour.
For the sandwich I kept it classic: baby spinach, mature cheddar, plum & apple chutney and crunchy apple chunks (I love Jazz apples). The mix of tang, sweetness and creamy cheese makes a brilliant filling.
🍲 More fantastic bread recipes
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Artisan Bread Recipe
Breads
Fruit Soda Bread
Breads
Easy Homemade Garlic Bread Recipe
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Ale Bread Rolls
2
30
2 30
Ingredients
- 400 g (3 1/3 cups) strong white bread flour, plus a handful more for dusting
- 100 g (3/4 cup + 1 tsp) strong wholemeal flour
- 10 g (2 tsp) salt
- 10 g (2 1/2 tsp) instant yeast
- 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) flavoursome good-quality ale
- Olive oil for kneading
For the sandwich filling:
- Baby spinach leaves
- Mature cheddar cheese
- Chutney of your choice (I used plum & apple)
- Apple chunks from a tangy, crunchy variety
Instructions
- Place the flours in a large bowl. Put the salt on one side and the instant yeast on the other so they don’t touch directly.
- Add the butter and about three-quarters of the ale. Mix with one hand, adding more ale a little at a time until the dough comes together into a soft, not overly sticky, ball. You may not need all the ale.
- Lightly oil your work surface, turn the dough out and knead for 5–10 minutes until smooth. The dough will be sticky at first but will become elastic.
- Lightly oil a clean bowl, place the dough inside, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm spot for 1–2 hours until doubled in size.
- Line two baking trays with baking parchment.
- Turn the proved dough onto a lightly floured surface, knock the air out by folding it over itself and divide into 14 pieces (about 60g each for even rolls).
- Shape each piece into a smooth ball, tucking any seams underneath. Arrange seven rolls on each tray in a flower shape: one in the centre and six around it. Place each tray inside a large carrier bag and leave to prove for another hour.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan) as the rolls finish proving.
- Remove the trays from the bags, dust the rolls lightly with white flour and snip each outer roll three times with scissors (see the photos for placement).
- Bake for about 30 minutes until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped on the base. Cool before filling.
Notes
Well wrapped in baking parchment and stored in a bread bin, these rolls will keep for 1–2 days. If preparing the sandwich in advance, toss apple chunks with a little lemon juice to prevent browning.
Nutritional information is per roll, excluding the sandwich filling.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be treated as an approximation.
This post was first published in August 2014 and updated in June 2023 with some housekeeping edits.
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