Italian Milk Bread Rolls Recipe (Panini Al Latte) (2024)

This Italian milk bread rolls recipe is a slightly sweet, soft, and small dinner roll called Panini al Latte. The dough of these fluffy buns is made with flour, milk, egg, and butter. They are golden brown and served fresh with gourmet filling at buffets or children's parties. This milk bread recipe is easy; it is a fun activity to do with the children.

This milk bun recipe is not for Japanese milk buns.

They are Italian milk bread rolls called Panini al latte.

These fluffy bread rolls are found everywhere in Italy and used for children's afternoon snacks, quick lunches, or as a buffet for children's parties.

They are soft and slightly sweet, served freshly made at room temperature, and can be filled with anything.

Other buffet finger food are Pizzette Italian pizza bites, Fried mozzarella cheese, Piadina Romagnola, Sicilian Arancini, they are easy to eat on the run, so no playtime is wasted.

Hamburger and beef

The sweetness of these panini is also a perfect combination with beef.

They are half way between a dinner roll and a brioche.

I use them as burger buns or filled with roast beef and onion relish and serve them with baked microwaved potatoes.

They are very easy to do and look just like chips.

Ingredients

To make the panini dough, you need the following basic ingredients:

• All-purpose flour: if you want to use good quality flour, I would suggest the Caputo bread flour brand
• Milk: you can either use low-fat or regular
• Melted butter: the butter should be melted. I like to melt it in the microwave with the milk as it is usually cold from the fridge. You can melt it over a regular stove if you don't have a microwave. Before you add the egg to the mix, make sure they are back to room temperature; otherwise, the egg will cook in the hot milk
• Egg: I have my own chickens free to walk around the garden, so I always have free-range eggs. I do recommend free range not only for the taste but also for animal wellbeing.
• Sugar: the sugar is needed to activate the yeast but also to make the dough sweet, like a brioche.
• Salt: 1.5 tsp
• Active dry yeast: I prefer dry yeast to fresh one as I can keep a stock at home and make pizza and bread anytime. The fresh yeast should be used within a short time frame and kept in the fridge. As yeast is a living bacteria, the fresh yeast easily perishes, so the dough will not rise.
• Egg yolk and some milk for the egg wash: it is brushed over the bread roll to make a golden brown top

An easy way to make the dough

These soft dinner rolls should be served freshly made the same day; this is why I make them at home using the bread machine. It is such a simple recipe.

Before my morning coffee, I put the dough ingredients in the bread machine.

In 1.5 hours, I have the dough ready to make whatever I want.

If you don't have a bread machine, see: How to make brioche or bread rolls’ dough without a bread machine

I use a programmable bread machine,and on this link, you can find more information on why I like it.

Instructions

Making the dough

To make the dough in the bread machine, prepare the wet and dry ingredients separately.

Preparing the wet ingredients

1. Melt the butter with the milk in the microwave for 1 minute at low power
2. Let them cool down before you add the egg; otherwise, the egg will cook
3. Add one egg
4. Mix until all the wet ingredients are combined

Preparing the dry ingredients

1. Mix the flour with the salt
2. The sugar
3. Stir with a fork

Preparing the dough

1. Pour the wet ingredients into the bread machine bucket
2. Add the dry ingredients
3. Put the dry yeast
4. Place the basket in the bread machine with the cycle "Dough". The final dough will be ready and had his first rise in 1.5 hours

N.B: If you don't have a bread machine, you can check the article: how to make dough without the bread machine

Shaping the buns

1. Cut the dough in half, and cut each part into equal pieces until you reach the size and number of buns you want.
2. Roll them in the palm of your hands and lay the dough balls in a baking pan over a baking sheet
3. Brush them with egg wash made of egg yolk and milk
4. Let them rest for 30 minutes for a second rise in a warm place covered with a tea towel; they will become nicely round shaped
5. If you want to make hamburger buns cut the dough into 6 parts and follow the directions above.
6. Once the buns have risen, bake them in a hot oven at 350 F - 180C for 20-25 minutes.
7. Leave them on a cooling rack for 10 minutes

Hint: if you are making burger buns, you can top them with sesame seeds

Storage

You can store them for 2 days in an airtight container, however, they are best made fresh.

You can freeze them in a plastic bag and let them defrost at room temperature.

A fun activity for children

The summer on the French Riviera is always very busy.Friends are coming to the region for their holidays, and as the coast becomes very busy, it is easier to invite them to the villa, especially if they have children.

Whatever their age, children love to make these fluffy milk buns.

Once the dough is made in the bread machine, I let the children shape the bread rolls.

The texture of the dough is smooth and soft. It is not a sticky dough, and you don't need much flour.

It is not important to make a smooth ball.

The bread buns will become nicely round once the dough rises.

Place them in the baking tray and let the children paint them with the egg wash.

While the Panini rise and then bake, the children can enjoy themselves in the pool.

The Panini will be ready when the children come out of the pool and immediately ask for something to eat.

For more recipes to make with children, you can check the recipes:

• Italian Easter cookies

Homemade Italian pasta tagliatelle

Top tips

• To make sure the rolls are all the same size, cut the dough in half, and cut each part in half again until you reach the size and number of buns you want.
• If you are making Panini, the rolls should fit inside the palm of your hand, as they have to rest for another 30 minutes; they will double in size.
• It does not matter if they do not look perfect when you roll them; they will automatically develop into nice, round, smooth buns once they have risen the second time.

Other recipes you can make with this dough

The dough is so versatile that I use it to make several other party food, and guests wouldn't know I spent very little time making all the goodies.

There are so many things I can do using the same milk bread dough recipe:

• Bread Rolls With Spinach And Sun-dried Tomatoes
• Brioche Sausage Rolls Recipe
• Focaccia Pizza

Sausage rolls are usually made with puff pastry, while these rolls are sweet and soft with a spicy bite from the mustard.They are easy to make and perfect for picnics, buffets,s or children's parties.

Other recipes you may like

More bread recipes in my bread category:

• Italian cheese bread
• English Muffins
• Homemade wraps
• Italian flatbread piadina

FAQ

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