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Cooking
Pain au lait – French Milk Buns
· 20 servings
Smooth Dough
In a large bowl, mix together the milk, honey, plain flour, and half a cube of crumbled yeast. Stir into a smooth dough. Cover and let it rest in a warm place for an hour. I like to wrap the whole bowl in a large plastic bag.
Rising
After the first hour of rising, add the remaining ingredients. Use melted, cooled butter. You should end up with a smooth, non-sticky dough, which you then leave to rise for another hour.
Using a Bread Maker
If you have a bread maker, you can use the dough setting twice in a row and let it mix and rise conveniently right in the machine.
Divide and Slash
Divide the risen dough into 20 pieces. Roll them out on a floured surface into small, narrow buns, which you can slash twice on top with a razor blade to give them that authentic 'pain au lait' look, since these buns are usually scored this way.
Brush with Egg Yolk
Place the shaped buns on a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush with either water or beaten egg yolk, whichever you prefer. I like to sprinkle mine lightly with sugar afterwards, so I used just water.
Bake
Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C for about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on the buns while baking and adjust the temperature and time to suit your oven. The finished buns should be light in colour.
Serving
Let them cool completely and serve them sweet – for breakfast, a snack, dinner, or simply alongside a good cup of coffee.