I finally figured out a recipe for the perfect sandwich rolls! Crispy and full of flavor, enriched with olives and just the right size to take to work or on a day trip. To make sure they turn out perfectly every time, I wrote down my most important tips:

Dough

Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients. In this recipe even the liquids are weighed, which is more precise than using a measuring cup.
Yeast needs food (flour and sometimes sugar) and warmth to rise. When you let your dough rise, place it in a warm spot without any drafts.
Salt kills yeast. Make sure the yeast does not come into direct contact with the salt and do not add very hot liquids.

Kneading and Folding:

Long kneading is important! The dough should be soft and smooth. Yes, kneading by hand is a bit of a workout.
Windowpane test: Take a golf-ball-sized piece of dough and gently stretch it. If you can see light through it without it tearing, you’ve kneaded enough.
Stretch and fold: This dough needs to be stretched and folded while rising. This gives the dough more oxygen and helps it rise better. With very sticky doughs like this one, it’s best to work with wet hands.

Baking

Place the baking tray in the oven while preheating. Slide the bread with the parchment paper onto the hot tray right before baking. This makes the rolls crispier and helps them rise better.
Use a spray bottle with water when baking. The steam helps the bread rise better and become crispier. If you don’t have a spray bottle, you can place an ovensafe dish with water in the oven. Remove it after about 10–15 minutes.

Storage

If you already know you won’t eat all the bread, cut it in half and freeze one part. Let it thaw overnight before eating and bake in the oven at 200 °C (390 °F) for about 10 minutes.
If you have hard left over bread, quickly rinse it with water and bake it in the oven at 200 °C (400 °F) until crispy again.

Recipe for 9 Bread Rolls:

Ingredients:

500g all-purpose flour
12g salt
6g malt extract (or brown sugar)
5g fresh yeast or 5 g active dry yeast
350g water
70g olives, pitted

Preparation:

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the malt extract and yeast. Add 330g cold water and knead the dough for about 6 minutes. (Do not add the full 350g at once. The flour cannot absorb all the water right away and the dough would be too wet to come together.) Add the remaining 20g of water and continue kneading for another 7–10 minutes. When using a stand mixer, you can increase from speed 1 to speed 2 after about 5 minutes. The dough will be very soft and wet
Cover the dough and let it rise for a total of 2.5 hours. After 45 minutes, stretch and fold it for the first time (with wet hands, reach down the side of the bowl under the dough and fold it toward the center). Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Do this about 4 times. Cover again and let rise another 45 minutes, then stretch and fold again and let rise once more.
Preheat the oven to 240 °C (460 °F). Divide the dough into 9 equal pieces and shape into rectangular rolls. Fold both sides toward the center, then fold the top part down and lightly press the ends together, dust well with flour. Place the rolls seam side down on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, cover and let rise again for 15 minutes.
Turn the rolls over so the seam is on top. Alternatively, score them with a sharp knife so they tear in a more controlled way. Put the tray in the oven and generously spray water into the oven with a spray bottle. Close the oven door immediately and bake for 10 minutes. (The alternative for the spraybottle with a dish of water is described above.)
Open the oven door for 2 seconds to let the steam escape, then bake the rolls for another 10 minutes.
Let the rolls cool on a wire rack after baking.

Tip: These rolls taste amazing with cream cheese, salami, or dried meat and cheese.

Crispy Sandwich Rolls with Olives