# Sparkling Water Bread Rolls with Bacon Maple Butter

Sixteen soft bread rolls made without yeast or kneading: flour, salt and a large amount of baking powder are mixed with two bottles of sparkling water, rested under cover, cut into pieces, shaped and baked at 230 °C (450 °F) for 25 minutes. While the dough rests, a block of butter is softened under a hot glass and mixed with slowly rendered bacon and its fat, maple syrup, garlic, chives, salt and pepper, then set in a silicone ice cube tray. One cube goes onto each hot roll.

- **Prep:** 30 min · **Cook:** 25 min · **Total:** 55 min
- **Servings:** 16
- **Difficulty:** Easy
- **Cuisine:** British
- **Category:** Breakfast, Oven Recipes
- **Recipe page:** https://webspoon.world/recipes/sparkling-water-bread-rolls-with-bacon-maple-butter/

## Ingredients

### Rolls

- 965 g flour (7¾ cups, plus a little for the counter)
- 10 g salt (1¾ tsp)
- 45 g baking powder (3¼ tbsp)
- 660 ml sparkling water (2¾ cups — two 330 ml bottles, opened at the last second)
- pumpkin seeds (chopped, for the top)
- sesame seeds (for the top)
- water (in a spray bottle, to mist the rolls so the seeds stick)

### Bacon maple butter

- butter (1 block, straight from the fridge)
- olive oil (a splash, for the pan)
- bacon (cut small)
- maple syrup (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
- chives (finely chopped, to taste)
- garlic (peeled and finely chopped)

## Instructions

1. Put 965 g (7¾ cups) flour, 10 g (1¾ tsp) salt and 45 g (3¼ tbsp) baking powder in a large bowl. Whisk so the baking powder spreads evenly.
2. Open the two bottles of sparkling water (660 ml / 2¾ cups) one at a time, at the last second, and pour them in. Mix with a spatula only until the dough comes together; every extra stir knocks bubbles out. It starts like lumpy oatmeal and thickens after a few more turns into a sticky, stretchy dough.
3. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rest while you make the butter.
4. Pour boiling water into a glass, pour it back out, and turn the hot glass upside down over the block of butter on a board. Leave it; the butter softens but keeps its shape.
5. Cut the bacon small. Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan over low heat and cook the bacon slowly, so the fat renders out. Keep all the fat.
6. Lift the glass off the butter and put the butter in a bowl. Add maple syrup, black pepper, salt and chopped chives to taste.
7. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Turn the heat off under the bacon and add the garlic to the pan; the pan's warmth softens it without turning it bitter.
8. Scrape everything from the pan into the butter, fat included, and mix until even. Spoon into a silicone ice cube tray, level the top, cover and refrigerate until the cubes set firm. _(timer: 20 min)_
9. Uncover the dough; it has risen and is full of bubbles and still sticky. Fold the edges in with your hands. Do not add flour to the dough.
10. Flour the counter, not the dough, and turn the dough out. Cut it in half, then the halves again, down to 16 pieces, touching it as little as possible.
11. Shape each piece by tucking the edges under until the top is smooth. Place the rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet side by side, not touching.
12. Chop the pumpkin seeds. Mist the rolls lightly with water from a spray bottle, score each one with a sharp blade and sprinkle with the pumpkin and sesame seeds; some will land in the cut.
13. Bake at 230 °C (450 °F) for about 25 minutes, until golden. The rolls join up in the oven; for more crust, space them further apart. _(timer: 25 min)_
14. Tear a hot roll open and put one or two cubes of the bacon maple butter inside to melt into the crumb.

## Notes from our kitchen

The rise comes from the baking powder and the gas in the sparkling water, so both are handled to keep bubbles in: open each bottle only when you are ready to pour, mix with a spatula just until there is no dry flour, and do not knead. The dough is meant to stay sticky after the rest. Flour the counter and your hands, not the dough; flour worked into the dough at this stage makes the rolls tough. Shape with a few tucks and get the rolls into the oven without a second rest. Mist the tops before adding seeds, or they fall off after baking; chopped pumpkin seeds stay on better than whole ones. Rolls set side by side join up in the oven and have soft sides; spaced apart they get crust all round. For the butter, render the bacon slowly over low heat so the fat comes out without the pieces burning, add the garlic only after the heat is off, and keep all the fat: it carries the bacon flavour into the butter. The butter must be soft before mixing or it will not take the additions; the hot-glass method softens it in the time the bacon cooks. Set the butter in a silicone tray so the cubes pop out cleanly.

## Variations

- **Plain rolls:** Skip the bacon butter and serve the rolls with plain salted butter, jam or cheese. The rolls themselves contain no sugar and no fat.
- **Different toppings:** Use sunflower seeds, poppy seeds or flaky salt on top instead of pumpkin and sesame. Mist the rolls first so the topping sticks.

## Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

- Calories: 290
- Protein: 7g
- Fat: 9g
- Carbs: 45g
- Fiber: 2g
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 520mg

## FAQ

### Can I use still water instead of sparkling?

The rolls will rise less. The sparkling water adds gas on top of the baking powder, which is what makes the crumb light and open. If you must use still water, keep the same amount and do not expect the same rise.

### Can I let the shaped rolls rest before baking?

No. The baking powder starts working as soon as the water hits it, and the gas from the water escapes over time. Shape the rolls and bake them straight away.

### Why did my rolls come out dense or tough?

Usually extra flour was worked into the sticky dough during shaping, or the dough was stirred and kneaded too much. Flour the counter only, handle the dough as little as possible and keep stirring to a minimum.

### How do I store the rolls and the butter?

The rolls are best on the day. Cool them completely, then keep in a paper bag or a towel for a day, or freeze and reheat for 5–8 minutes in a hot oven. The butter cubes keep for two weeks in the fridge and for months in the freezer.

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Source: [Sparkling Water Bread Rolls with Bacon Maple Butter — Webspoon World](https://webspoon.world/recipes/sparkling-water-bread-rolls-with-bacon-maple-butter/)