Milk Bread Rolls (Panini Al Latte)

Different Ways to Use Them

In Italy, you'll often find them sliced and slathered with butter and jam and enjoyed with a cup of caffe latte for breakfast, which makes them excellent breakfast buns!

At noon, milk rolls just like panini bread are stuffed with cold cuts and cheeses for delicious sweet-and-savoury treats. By the way, this is a 100% hit on kids’ birthday parties!

They're so versatile that you can come up with all kinds of creative fillings:

• try them with mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes for a tasty veggie option
• use some chocolate spread and chopped hazelnuts for a sinful sugary treat
• make the rolls a bit bigger for super soft burger buns that'll impress your guests at the next BBQ
• use the dough to wrap sausages for some classic pigs in a blanket appetizer. 

Milk rolls are best enjoyed fresh out of the oven, as soon as they've cooled enough to handle. You can also store them at room temperature for a few days or keep a stash in the freezer and use as needed.

However you decide to use them, with milk rolls you are sure to add a special homey vibe to any meal. Plus, they are super easy to make, as they require very little cooking time and just some basic pantry ingredients.

Follow this detailed step by step recipe for milk bread rolls. Ingredients and their measurement can be found in the printable recipe card below.

Before You Start

• Sift flour.
• Slightly warm up milk until lukewarm.
• Take butter and egg out of the fridge.

Prepare the starter

In a small bowl mix yeast, ⅓ cup milk and 1 cup flour all taken from the total amount. The starter will be very thick and sticky.

But you don’t have to handle it with your hands. Transfer the mix to a narrow tall container and cover with a lid or a plastic wrap.

Mark with elastic band or marker the dough level. Let rise in warm, draft free place until double in size.

It should take around 1 - 1.5 hours.

Prepare the dough

Once the starter has doubled in size add all the remaining ingredients in a bowl, add starter and mix well.

Knead by hand 10-15 minutes or with a stand mixer and a dough hook for 10 minutes until a smooth ball of dough forms.

Place the dough in a slightly oiled bowl and let rise until doubled in size.

Shape Milk Rolls

• On a very lightly floured surface fold the dough over itself forming a thick rope (photos 1-4).
• Than divide it into 2 or 3 parts (photo 5).
• Roll out each part a little thinner and cut into pieces about 1 or 1.5 ounce (30-40 grams) depending on how big or how small you want your milk rolls to be (photo 6). In fact, you can go all the way up to 50 grams or almost 2 ounces but I find 35 grams is perfect.

Take each piece of dough and fold its sides in the center, repeat this move a few times rotating the piece each time (photos 7-12).

Then place the roll on the work surface (no flour needed!) and cover it with your palm (photo 13).

Roll the dough under your palm applying gentle pressure (photo 14) until you get a smooth roll (photo 15).

As an alternative you can roll it between the palms of your hands (photos 16, 17), whichever feels more comfortable to you.

That’s OK to have a seal at the bottom, the most important think is to make the top of the roll smooth.

Final Proof

• Place milk rolls distanced apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Cover with a plastic bag, blowing it up with air so that it doesn’t touch the dough.
• Let rise until double in size. It’ll take anywhere between 30 to 90 minutes. I like to place them in a turned off oven with a pot of freshly boiled water to create perfect warm and humid environment.