Michette are round bread rolls, very popular in Northern Italy and in the Canton of Ticino (Switzerland), with a weight that generally ranges from a minimum of 50 to a maximum of 90 grams.
An essential companion for hikers’ picnics and day trips, once cooked the michette can be stuffed with cold cuts, cheeses or grilled vegetables and served as a tasty snack or take-away lunch for students and workers away from home.
Below we at Starpizza propose the recipe for michette with white dough using the direct method , but michette can be made with any type of dough, including wholemeal and spelt.
Ingredients
-1 kilo (1000 grams) of white flour type 00
-10 grams of brewer’s yeast (or 200 grams of mother yeast)
-500 milliliters (half a liter) of water
-10 grams of salt
Procedure
1.Pour the white flour type 00 into the mixer, then set the machine to speed 1 and let it run for 5 minutes to aerate the flour. Add the salt.
2.In a container, dissolve the brewer’s yeast in water at room temperature. Once dissolved, pour the yeast and water mixture into the mixer. Let it run for another 5 minutes, then set speed 2 and continue for another 5 minutes.
3.Turn off the machine. Using a dough scraper, remove the dough from the bowl, then place it in a previously floured plastic proofing box. Place the box in a proofing cell and let the dough rise for 90 minutes.
4.After the rising time, divide the dough into 400 gram loaves. Place one loaf on a plate for a dough divider and rounder, then place it under the press of a manual dough divider and rounder and press to form round balls.
5. Repeat the operation with the other doughs. Arrange the balls obtained on a baking tray (3 vertically and 3 horizontally). Each tray should ideally have 9 balls, but if you have very large trays, you can also put 12 balls.
We suggest not to add more, otherwise, during the leavening phase, the rolls could stick together.
6.Place the trays, covered with a plastic sheet, on a trolley. Place in the proofing cell and leave to rise for 90 minutes.
7. Once the leavening is complete, take a baking tray, remove the plastic, then, with the help of a razor blade, make an 8-centimeter incision on each michetta. Place the tray on the trolley, then repeat the operation with the other trays.
8. Bake the michette at 220/230° Celsius with a little steam and cook for 15-20 minutes. Finish the last 5 minutes of cooking with the draft open, then remove the trays from the oven with gloves (or with the peel if they are at the bottom of the oven) and place them on a trolley.
9. Do not use too much steam, otherwise bubbles will form on the surface of the michette.
Fillings for michette: suggestions
Grilled vegetables : spreadable cheese (example: Philadelphia), grilled vegetables of your choice (we recommend aubergines, red peppers and courgettes).
Salami : butter, sliced Milanese salami.
Dostoevsky : butter, smoked salmon, thin slices of lemon and dill.
Cooked ham and cheese : pink sauce, cooked ham, sliced cheese (example: Gouda, Edam or Fontina), green salad and tomatoes.
Made in Sud : spreadable cheese (example: Philadelphia), spicy salami, chopped black olives and grilled eggplant.
Wrong Caprese : butter, sliced buffalo mozzarella, oregano, sun-dried tomatoes in oil and Formentino salad.
