Milkweggli (or swiss milk bread rolls) are sweet bread rolls, very soft, that are never lacking on buffet, or in breakfast's baskets, of restaurants and hotels.
In Switzerland these bread rolls, together with the butterzopf (or butter braid), are the main characters of the brunch on August 1st and, to celebrate the Swiss National Party, the bakers carve their surface with a pair of scissors to form the design of a cross (this cross, in fact, is also present on the Swiss flag).
If, for the morning breakfast, do you want to offer something different in addition to the traditional butter croissants, or wholemeal croissants, here is the recipe to make delicious swiss milk bread rolls.
Ingredients
-1 kilo (1000 grams) of white flour type 0
-380 milliliters of milk
-5 eggs
-75 grams of sugar
-20 grams of salt
-50 grams of fresh brewer's yeast (or alternatively 250 grams of mother yeast)
-60 grams of butter
To brush the milkweggli
-2 eggs
-50 milliliters of milk
Preparation
1.Pour milk, yeast, sugar and eggs into the mixer bowl, then set speed 1 and let it run until the yeast dissolves well.
2.Add white flour type 0 a little at time and knead for another 2 minutes on speed 1. After 2 minutes, add the salt, then set the machine to speed 2 and knead for another 10 minutes.
3.Finally add the butter, cut into cubes and left to soften previously at room temperature for 30 minutes, then knead for another 10 minutes until the dough becomes soft and smooth and comes off easily from the mixer.
4.With the help of a baker's scraper, remove the dough from the mixer bowl, then place it on a floured work surface. Cut out blocks of 400-500 grams, round them quickly with your hands, then cover them with a cloth and let them rise for about 2 hours.
5.After 2 hours, take a block, then place it on a floured divider plate. Lightly flour the surface, then break with the automatic dough divider and rounder. Place the balls obtained on a pan greased with a little oil, arrange 4 horizontally and 3 vertically, then cover the pan with a plastic sheet (in this way a crust will not form on the surface of the swiss milk bread rolls) and place it on a trolley for baker.
6.Repeat the same operation with the other blocks until all the dough is used up. Then put the trolley in the cell and leave the milkweggli to rise for 30 minutes.
7.After 30 minutes, take a baking tray, remove the plastic, print each bread roll in the middle with the special milkweggli mold, then cover again with the plastic and place the tray again on the trolley. Repeat the same operations with the other trays.
Tip: to prevent the mold from sticking to the surface of swiss milk bread rolls after a while, lightly flour it before each press.
8.Place the milkweggli in the leavening cell and let them rise for another 30 minutes. In the meantime, break 2 eggs into a container and add 50 milliliters of milk.
9.Once leavened, brush the swiss milk bread rolls with the egg and milk mixture. Bake, with a light steam, at 200 degrees for 10-15 minutes until they are golden brown. Conclude the last 5 minutes of cooking with the draft open.
10.Remove the pans from the oven with gloves (or with the shovel if they are at the bottom of the oven) and place them on a trolley. Leave to cool.
Milkweggli: tips for filling
Milkweggli, as we have already seen, are a fixed presence both on the buffet, and in the breakfast's baskets of hotels and restaurants, and of the brunch on August 1st.
A classic, and much appreciated, filling is the one formed by the couple of butter and jam, but the swiss milk bread rolls are also good with a filling of butter and honey or Nutella.
For those who don't like the crunchy crunchiness of michette and rosettes, or prefer a softer alternative, milkweggli are also great picnic companions.
As for the savory fillings, we particularly recommed these combinations:
Dostoevsky: salmon, butter, dill and thin slices of lemon.
Vegetarian: grilled vegetables, cream cheese like Philadelphia.
Salami: butter, thin slices of salami.
Ham: ham, butter, cheese slices.
Mortadella: thin slices of mortadella, pickled gherkins and Philadelphia-like spreadable cheese.
