makes 1 dozen small rolls
Port and figs have been a happy combination for at least as long as I’ve been around good restaurants. In developing this roll, I felt as though there were generations of pastry chefs speaking to my psyche and urging me to include chopped figs in a dinner roll—or perhaps it would be better to say an after-dinner roll. I had an instinct that using milk in the starter and dough, reinforced with cream for a velvety mouthfeel, would produce a rich and slightly sweet dough that could stand up to blue cheese or Roquefort, two cheeses that make no bones about needing huge flavors in any foods that accompany them. The marriage of port and figs also works well with soft, super-creamy cheeses, such as Camembert, Brie, or Fromager d’Affinois. Bottom line: These rolls are great with cheese.