More successful try with the "wild rice and onion" bread

Still referring to the recipe from "Artisan Breads Everyday". After last night's over-proofing hocky bucks, I immediately mixed up another batch of dough (1/3 of the recipe), baked up 9 rolls (2oz each as the book suggests) tonight, they come out much better:

The topping is "dutch crunch" thanks to Nathan's help here: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/14406/dutch-crunchtiger-bread-question . I applied the topping 15 minutes into proofing, and got the right size of cracks for me

Also left two without topping, but scored one instead, just to see how it will come out, as a test to oven spring:

Great flavor since I used wild rice and organic dried onion (incredibly fragrant), tight crumb but that's not unexpected for this dough. Soft chewy crumb.

BUT, here's the thing: tonight, I only proofed the rolls for 35 minutes! Rather than the 90 to 120 minutes indicated in the recipe. I proofed for 70 minutes last night and it was way too long. Tonight, at 35 minutes, when I poke the dough, it comes back only partially. Judging from the scored the roll, it was not under-proofed either. That's a huge difference IMO, is it really just because the rolls are much smaller than tin loaves, and come to room temperature faster? I love the taste, but next time, I will cut the yeast WAY down, or maybe even use a totally different process, just keeping the flavor combo. For those of you who made the dough into freestanding or tin loaves, what's the crumb like? Holy and open? Or tight like mine? I keep thinking the crumb can be improved with a different process, right now it's sort of in between - not open and chewy enough, yet not soft and spongy like a dinner roll or sandwich loaf.