This week in baking: Portuguese Rolls
Never one to leave well enough alone, I am on a quest for a favorite roll recipe. I have been making the Weitzen Broetchen recipe posted on hanseata’s blog and nicely done in a video by Avioli Breadlabs for quite some time to the delight of family and friends. A local German master chef told me “these were the best buns he has had in a long long time since the old country”. So thank you hanseata for the recipe.
But sometimes the overnight rise can be problematic…especially when you plan poorly and need something in a few hours.
Enter the Portuguese roll recipe. First given to me by the Portuguese woman who has been cleaning my house for years. I love her…she’s so sweet. She brought me some of her rolls one week along with the recipe. They were good but I still wasn’t satisfied.
So I did what I do best…surfed the internet for more recipes. After tinkering for a while I came up with a recipe that satisfied me and doesn't take more than 3 hours start to finish and has passed with flying colors my independent panel of taste testers (i.e., family & friends!). My husband has always referred to my time in the kitchen as “R&D” because I usually only use a written recipe for reference nor do I always measure...a little of this...a little of that.... And there have only been a few failures in the 40 or so years we’ve been together. Not so with bread baking! I have made a brick or two!
With bread baking I do need to write down measurements and follow the recipes as written to a point….or write down what I’ve changed and make sure the next time that its correct which then leads me to change it up a little more…..its a deep, dark, hole I find myself in because I’m never 100% happy.
So after that introduction and my disclaimer that as far as I know, I don’t have an ounce of Portuguese blood, I present to you my Portuguese Rolls or Papa Secos...
I’m still working on my roll shaping. I think the next time I make the Weitzenbroetchen I will make them round with a slash because I like the way they look.
The insides were light and fluffy while the outside has a nice crunch to it.
And I can squeeze the inside into a ball like I do those rolls I love in Germany.
I can post my recipe if someone would like to try it and give me feedback,
All the best,
Wendy
Comments
Hi Wendy
Those rolls look perfect for Prego Rolls, a delicious dish from Mozambique. I'd love the recipe thanks
I would also like the recipe (and I'm sure we are not the only ones!).
Thanks,
Ingrid
These look tasty!
I'm always looking for quick bread recipe as I always decide I need bread last minute... :-)
Here is my recipe...if you find any errors let me know as I'm still perfecting it! Thanks for your feedback and please let me know how your rolls came out!
Portuguese Rolls
600 -650 gr or 4.5 – 5 cups (plus a little more for kneading) All Purpose* Flour
10 gr or 1.5 tsp sea or kosher salt
12 gr or 3 tsp dry active yeast
30 gr or 3 tbsp Olive Oil or equivalent butter NEVER Margerine
450 gr or 2 cups warm water
7 gr or 2 tsp sugar
Proof yeast with sugar in a 100 gr of warm water for 5 minutes or until bubbly. Put the rest of the dry ingredients in a mixer bowl use the minimum flour to start. Add the water and yeast mixture along with the rest of the warm water and mix until incorporated and let rest for 10 minutes. It may seem more like batter. Then mix either with a mixer and dough hook or by hand, adding dough by handfuls until dough is elastic and smooth and slightly tacky.
Turn out on a floured surface and knead a few times before putting into a prepared bowl to rise.
Let the dough rise in a warm place till double (about 1 hour). Divide the dough into equal pieces and with a little flour on your hands shape the dough in rounds, flatten them with the flat of your hand, fold in half and twist both ends to form an oval shape. Place the shaped pieces on a cookie sheet that has been covered with a towel and liberally sprinkled with flour. After placing all the pieces on the flour covered towel, lightly sprinkle the top of the pieces with flour and cover with another clean towel. Allow to rest for 30 minutes until somewhat puffy.
Heat the oven to 500 degrees while the rolls are resting. Brush the rolls with milk and place in the oven.
Turn the oven off and leave rolls in the oven with door slightly ajar for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
*You can use bread flour but rolls will be more chewy
The old fat finger!
for the recipe Wendy.
My thanks as well
I saw your photos and thought the crumb looks just like my German Weizenbrötchen :)
How did you achieved the pull-out crumb with AP flour? Do you have some that has less protein/gluten? I have to use Italian 00 in order to get that consistency.
Good job!
Karin
is what I used. I tried these with the 00 flour and they came out too crispy/hard. Using bread flour makes them chewier. These are not as light an fluffy as the Weitzenbrötchen. I'm not into the science.... I use tried and true trial and error! so I can't tell you how but I do get consistent results each time. I think the addition of the fat (olive oil) to the recipe makes it. I make little modifications after researching recipes.
LOL...timing is everything...I'm in the process of making some of your recipe for tomorrow.
Thanks,
Wendy