Petit Pains au Lait

By DrChef

These classic French round milk rolls have a soft crust and a light, slightly sweet crumb.

Ingredients

• 4 C white bread flour
• 2 t salt
• 1 T sugar
• 1/4 C butter, softened
• 1/2 oz fresh yeast
• generous 1 C lukewarm milk, plus 1 T extra for glazing

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

1. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets. Sift flour and salt together into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Rub softened butter into flour.
2. Mix yeast with 4 T milk. Stir in remaining milk. Pour into flour mixture and mix to soft dough.
3. Turn out onto lightly floured surgace and knead 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in lightly oiled bowl and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let rise, in warm place, for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
4. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface and punch down gently. Divide into 12 equal pieces. Shape into balls and place onto baking sheets.
5. Using sharp knife, cut a cross in top of each roll. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise, in warm place, for 20 minutes or until doubled in size.
6. Preheat oven to 400 F. Brush rolls with milk and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Transfer to wire rack to cool.