These petit french bread rolls are perfect to eat as a small sandwich. They are very tiny and charming. When baked they end up having a peach-like shape, that I find to be absolutely adorable!
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These bread rolls can be eaten in so many different ways. I love them just on their own, or with a little butter or oil, but the truth is they go great with different types of ham, or cheese as well. In fact, they are the best to eat along with a charcuterie board, because they have a neutral flavor to them. With ham, spanish ham, Spanish chorizo, fuet, and many types of cheese and nuts and fruit such as grapes, strawberries, figs or pears, that combine perfectly with these breads.
They are soft and fluffy on the inside, they even look like cotton, while on the outside they have a crispy layer, which makes them great, because the combination of that texture on the outside and the softness on the inside is spectacular. It is best to eat them just when they come out of the oven, because that is when they have the best texture and flavor, when they are still a little warm.
These little breads are a little complicated to make, like many other breads, because they take a long time, more than other recipes, because you have to give them love and have patience. But don’t worry, because if you follow the instructions everything comes out perfectly.
We, as many of you already know, love bread. We love the idea of mixing ingredients, and seeing how the dough grows, evolves, and knowing that with time and enough kneading, it becomes a wonderful bread.
If you like this recipe, then you have to check out our mini milk baguettes, which are small and very soft milk breads.
Petit french bread rolls
Ingredients
For the dough starter:
- 3 tbsp (1.52 fl oz) (45 ml) water, at room temperature
- 1/4 tsp (0.017 oz) (0.5 gr) active dry yeast
- 1/2 C (2.30 oz) (65 gr) all purpouse flour
- 1/4 tsp (0.04 oz) (1.2 gr) salt
For the dough:
- 3/4 C + 2 tbsp (7.10 fl oz) (210 ml) water, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp (0.05 oz) (1.5 gr) dry active yeast
- The dough starter
- 2 3/4 C (12.34 oz) (350 gr) all purpouse flour
- 2 tsp (0.35 oz) (10 gr) salt
- 1 tbsp (0.52 oz) (15 gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
For the dough starter:
- In a small bowl place the water with the yeast and mix using a fork. Add the flour along with the salt and mix for 1 minute until everything is integrated and a very humid dough is formed.
- Cover the bowl with kitchen plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the dough starter rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Then refrigerate the starter for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Resting will give the bread a better flavor and texture.
For the dough:
- After the dough starter has rested, remove it from the refrigerator. In a large bowl, add the water with the yeast and the dough starter and mix very well using a spoon.
- Add the flour, previously sifted, and salt and mix with your hands until a smooth dough forms. Knead in the butter until fully integrated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic kitchen wrap or a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes so that all the flour particles are moistened.
- When the time has passed, place the dough on a clean surface and knead by beating and folding it over itself for 10-12 minutes until it is very smooth and elastic (the whole kneading process can also be done in a mixer with the dough hook on).
- Once ready, form a ball with the dough and put it in the same bowl with a little oil so that it does not stick. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rise for about 1 hour so that it doubles in size.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, place it on a floured surface and divide it into equal portions of 55 gr each. Take each portion of dough and form small balls that are as uniform and smooth as possible.
- Form the rolls starting with the first ball that was formed. To do this, take the ball and press down in half, using the side of your hand (the little finger side), to almost divide it in two, but without actually cutting it in half. Then sort of gather it together from the edges in. This will form the parting the breads have in the middle.
- Repeat the previous step to form the rest of the bread rolls and, when they are all ready, place them on a large floured baking sheet, with enough space between them.
- Cover the tray with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the rolls double in size for 1 hour.
- When there are 20 minutes left before the end of the leavening time, turn on the oven at 250°C (350°F). Place an empty baking dish at the bottom of the oven to put water in it and create steam during baking.
- Once the buns have doubled in size, place them in the middle of the oven. Also, add 2 cups of boiling water to the tray at the bottom of the oven and bake the rolls for 18-20 minutes until lightly browned.
- Remove the rolls from the oven and place them on a rack to cool down completely. Consume immediately or place in a plastic bag to store for 2 days at room temperature or up to 2 months in the freezer.
