Dinner rolls

The levain produces a sourdough loaf that is flavorful, very flavorful with fermentation, but not attractive. I do no like what the culture does to flour when it is done with it so a trick would be to never let it be done. That is, never let the culture be done with the flour or come close to exhausting it.

This technique does that. It uses the flavor of the levain without any emphasis at all on the yeast elements of the culture, that portion is taken over by a fast and reliable commercial single cell yeast. The two are combined with the aim of attaining the benefits of both approaches, natural leaven and commercial yeast.    

It's what people do who are not purists. But what of the weight, the crumb, crust, and taste?

The bread is excellent. It is both oddly aged and new, it has qualities of both, seriously, it is hard to pin down. Open crumb but not wide open, it toasts similarly to how the faster to rise white bread does but it comes out heavier and more substantial. Its flavor is nicely developed without being actually sour. I like the taste and the weight.

The dough is a lot easier to handle than stiffened and refreshed levain and more cooperative and forgiving. The finished loaf altogether easier to deal with. The crust is thin and delicate. I can see why people do this hybrid method, I always viewed it as cheating but now I am changing my opinion. It can salvage this otherwise difficult culture. 

These are large for dinner rolls, they are mini loaves, actually, and substantial enough that one could be a whole meal. But why would you want that, so you load it with things and then cannot finish it. With simple olive oil they are impressively flavorful rolls. 

Baked on highest heat possible with heavy steam the first half. That is what causes the blister shown on the surface.