AI-generated image
Pistolets
Crusty bread rolls
Pistolets: round, crusty Belgian Sunday-morning rolls with a split top
In Brussels and all over Belgium, someone in the family goes to the bakery early on Sunday morning to bring home a paper bag of warm pistolets, the small round rolls with a split down the middle. They are eaten at a long breakfast with butter, jam, chocolate spread, cheese and boiled eggs. The crust shatters and the crumb is light and open. The common mistake is baking in a dry oven, which gives a dull, thick crust; a pan of boiling water in the oven makes the thin, crackly bakery crust. Chef's tip: press the split with a floured wooden spoon handle right after shaping, not just before baking, and it opens cleanly in the oven.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flourplus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp sugar
- ⅓ oz salt
- 1 ¼ cups waterlukewarm
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar and ⅓ oz salt, add 1 ¼ cups water and 1 tbsp sunflower oil and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled.
Step 3: Knock back, divide into 8 pieces and shape each into a tight ball by tucking the edges underneath.
Step 4: Dust the balls with flour and press a floured wooden spoon handle firmly across the middle of each, almost to the bottom. Set them split side down on a floured cloth, cover and prove for 30 minutes.
Step 5: Heat the oven to 450°F (400°F fan) with a baking tray inside and a roasting tin on the bottom shelf.
Step 6: Turn the rolls split side up onto the hot tray, pour a mug of boiling water into the roasting tin and shut the door quickly.
Step 7: Bake for 18–20 minutes, until deep golden and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Freeze extras and refresh in a hot oven for 5 minutes.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pistolets take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- 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 fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
SalufPuffy flatbread
Saluf is the everyday bread of Yemenite Israelis, slapped onto a hot pan or taboon in Rosh HaAyin and Sha'arayim in Rehovot and eaten with marak temani, hilbe and zhug. It is soft and blistered, thicker than pita and with no pocket, made to tear and dunk. Home cooks often roll it too thin, which gives a cracker; it should be about 1 cm thick so it stays pillowy. Chef's tip: cook it under a lid on a very hot dry pan for the first minute, which traps steam and puffs it the way a taboon does.
Israeli
ChipaCheese bread rings
In Paraguay you hear 'chipa, chipa!' called by vendors with big baskets on buses and street corners, and every family bakes it for Holy Week, when chipa is the food of Good Friday. Cassava starch, a little cornmeal, butter, eggs and a lot of hard cheese are kneaded into a dough scented with aniseed, shaped into rings or small rolls and baked in a hot oven, traditionally a domed clay tatakua. It's chewy, crisp outside and best warm with cocido (toasted yerba tea). Chef's tip: the dough should feel soft and slightly greasy; add milk a spoon at a time, as too much makes the chipa spread flat.
Paraguayan
Matzah
Matzah is the flat unleavened bread eaten at Passover, recalling the Israelites leaving Egypt in too much haste for their bread to rise, and in Israel and Jewish homes worldwide it is also eaten as a crisp everyday cracker with soups and dips. The dough is only flour and water; by tradition it is mixed, rolled and baked within 18 minutes so it cannot ferment. This home version follows that rhythm but is not certified for Passover use. There is no salt: about 0.0 g salt per sheet. The usual mistake is rolling too thick, which gives a tough, chewy bread; roll until you can almost see the counter through it. Chef's tip: prick the dough all over with a fork before baking so it stays flat and blisters evenly.