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Pain au lait
Soft milk rolls
Pain au lait: soft French milk rolls, split for a bar of chocolate at goûter
Pain au lait is the soft, slightly sweet milk roll French children take to school for goûter at four o'clock, split and filled with a bar of chocolate or spread with jam. The dough is enriched with milk, butter and a little egg, shaped into small oval rolls, snipped along the top with scissors and sprinkled with pearl sugar. The common mistake is overbaking, which gives a crust; they should stay pale gold and pillowy. Chef's tip: brush them with egg twice, before and after proving, for the glossy bakery finish.
- Total time
- 175 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- 1 ¾ oz caster sugar
- ¼ oz salt
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 1 egg
- 2 ½ oz unsalted buttersoft
- 1 eggbeaten
- 2 tbsp pearl sugar (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix the 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, 1 ¾ oz caster sugar, ¼ oz salt and ¼ oz instant dried yeast. Add the 1 cup lukewarm milk and 1 egg and knead for 8 minutes, then knead in the 2 ½ oz unsalted butter for 5 minutes more until smooth and elastic.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave to rise for 1–1½ hours until doubled.
90 minStep 3: Divide into 12 pieces, shape each into a tight oval roll and set on lined trays. Brush with 1 egg.
15 minStep 4: Prove for about 1 hour until puffy. Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan).
60 minStep 5: Brush again, snip a row of cuts along the top of each with scissors and scatter with 2 tbsp pearl sugar. Bake for 12–15 minutes until pale golden and soft.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pain au lait take?
- About 175 minutes in total: 160 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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