I had a bit of leftover cream sitting in the fridge about to pass it’s use by date and couldn’t for the life of me think what to do with it; I had been planning on baking some pain au lait and then I had a thought – why not use cream in place of the milk? I wasn’t entirely sure how well it would work, whether the cream would make the bread too heavy, but I gave it a go regardless and was incredibly pleased by the result.
The rolls were a little denser than traditional pain au lait, but still turned out incredibly soft and were utterly delicious – rich, light and slightly sweet; flavourful enough to enjoy on their own, but equally delicious split and filled with jam, toasted and buttered, or, my favourite, dipped in to thick hot chocolate. Damian rapidly devoured three of them as soon as I was done taking photographs (I nabbed one as soon as they were cool enough to handle… though in my defense it was a wonky one…). I don’t know whether any of you have ever tried Jamaican hard dough bread before, but these very much reminded me of that – rich, dense, chewy, soft and slightly sweet.
They are fairly simple to make, though the dough is quite soft and sticky at first; give it a few minutes of kneading though and it stops sticking to your fingers, develops a smooth skin and becomes silky and elastic (though still quite soft). You will need to start the day before you want to bake the rolls as the dough needs to be left to rise in the fridge overnight, this allows it to rise slowly, which develops a better flavour, and to firm up a bit so it is easier to shape. They stay soft for a good few days in an airtight container but do need to be warmed through before serving; either pop them in a low oven for 5-10 minutes or split and toast them.
Pain A La Crème - Double Cream Bread Rolls
Ingredients
- 300 g (2 + 1/2 cups) strong white bread flour
- 4 g (1 tsp) fast action yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 40 g (3 tbsp) caster (superfine) sugar
- 200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) double cream (heavy or whipping)
- 60-100 ml (1/4 cup - scant 1/2 cup) warm water
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, to glaze
Instructions
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Start the day before you want to bake. Place the flour in a large bowl and add the yeast to one side and the salt and sugar to the other. Mix in the cream and enough water to make a soft, sticky (but not wet) dough. Be aware that it may look a little dry at first but as you begin to knead it it will become stickier so don't add too much water straight away.
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Turn the dough out on to an un-floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough has become elastic and formed a smooth skin, it will be quite sticky at first, but as you knead it will become smooth and supple.
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Place the dough in a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight, this will allow it to firm up a little.
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The following day, remove the dough from the fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for half an hour or so to warm up a little. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper or a silicone liner. Give the dough a very brief knead then divide it into 10 equal pieces.
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Shape each piece into a ball then roll them out on a lightly floured surface into a disc about 10cm (4in) wide. Roll the disc up tightly into a batard, roll from either end so that the centre is fatter, pinch the seam tightly to seal and then use your hands to neaten it - it should be fat in the centre and slightly pointed at either end.
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Place the shaped rolls seam side down on the baking sheet, making sure that they are well spaced apart. Loosely cover with a clean plastic bag (making sure that it doesn't touch the dough), or with oiled clingfilm. Leave to rise for about 45 minutes until puffy and the dough springs back slowly when you poke it with a finger, if it springs back quickly then it needs a little longer. (They don't rise as much as standard bread dough so don't expect them to quite double in size).
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Meanwhile heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Once the buns have risen, gently brush them with egg wash then use a sharp pair of scissors to make about 6 diagonal cuts on the top of each bun in a zig zag pattern.
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Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden and the internal temperature registers as 94C/200F (or a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean). Transfer to a wire rack to cool, store in an airtight container, best served warm.
I am sharing these with CookBlogShare, Totally Talented Tuesdays, Create Link Inspire, Foodie Fridiy, Fiesta Friday, Foodie Friends Friday, Friday Favourites and Fabulous Foodie Fridays
OMG…fresh rolls? With CREAM!!! You had me at cream…you had me at cream 🙂
LOL! 🙂
These rolls are gorgeous! I’d love to smother one of them in nutella and eat it for breakfast!
Now I’m going to have to bake another batch because I didn’t think to try one with nutella and it sounds amazing! 🙂
I love to grab some of these rolls! Lovely!
Thank you!
Oh my! This would be perfect for my black coffee. Amazing, amazing rolls, Hannah! Happy FF! xx
Thank you! They are delicious with coffee, or tea, or hot chocolate! (Yes I did try them with all of those 😛 ) x
Wow those look yummy. I have never heard of pain au lait. Which I see means Milk bread. These are beautiful and I will be giving them a try. Thanks for bringing this to Fiesta Friday #72. Have a great weekend and Happy FF! :)) Quinn
Thank you 🙂 I should probably have specified that pain au lait is milk bread!
These would make the perfect breakfast or brunch treat – love this! Thanks for linking up with us for Fabulous Foodie Fridays, I hope you have a great weekend 🙂
Thanks Lauren 🙂 They are perfect for breakfast, and disappeared very quickly!
These rolls look amazing! Thanks for sharing at Foodie Friends Friday!
Thank you!
Yet another gorgeous bread recipe! You`re magnificent with making bread and I wish I could be as skilled as you at them! Would you consider mailing me a box or letting me take the entire platter from FF home this evening hehehe
Ha ha! I’ve had a lot of practice! 🙂
Oh wow! they look amazing! I might have to try this recipe 🙂
Thank you!
These rolls sound amazing! I am sure the cream kept them moist with a slight sweetness?
Thanks Julie 🙂 Yes they are very moist and slightly sweet – delicious!
Oh these would make the most delicious breakfast!!! Gosh they look absolutely perfect! Thanks for linking up with our Fabulous Foodie Fridays party xx
Thanks Lucy 🙂 x
I would absolutely love some of these warm rolls for tea!
Thank you!
I haven’t branched out into make anything bready yet, but I think these lovely rolls will have to go on my list. One of these for breakfast would be a great start to the day! 🙂
#tastytuesdays
They make a great breakfast! Bread making is not as complicated as it seems, it just takes a bit of practice to learn what it should look and feel like at each stage, and there is nothing as satisfying as home made bread!
They look literally perfect. Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x
Thanks Vicki 🙂 x
This looks so delicious! It makes me want to just go and bake them now. I love fresh bread a little too much K x #recipeoftheweek
Me too! Freshly baked bread is addictive!
WOW!! I never know what to do with left over cream, and now I know what I’m trying next! 🙂 #tastytuesdays x
I’ve thrown so much of it away in the past and hate wasting things so had to come up with something to do with it! x
I am a massive fan of starting my yeast dough after dinner and letting it rise overnight so that we can have fresh, warm bread or cake for breakfast.
These look delicious!
#TastyTuesday
Fionnuala from http://www.mykitchennotebook.blogspot.com
I almost always let it rise in the fridge overnight, you can have fresh bread so much quicker in the morning that way! 🙂
No need for leftover cream to go off in the fridge! You wouldn’t believe how much we throw away. I am completely sold on these bread rolls! #Bakeoftheweek
Yes I’ve thrown away loads of cream, but I hate to do so! Making bread with it is a much better idea 🙂 x
Your bread looks awsome! I’m bookmarking this 😀
Thank you!
I’ve been dying to make my own bread – this looks awesome!! I always have a little leftover cream so I will know what to do with it next time! I featured your post this week at #FoodieFriDIY – thank you so much for participating!
Thanks Jenny 🙂 I adore baking bread, and its the best way I’ve come up with to use up cream!
Won’t these be pretty small if the recipe calls for 2& 1/2 cups of flour for 10 bread rolls?
They are fairly small, though not tiny. You could make six to eight bigger ones if you prefer.
Thank you 🙂
Is there also an easy way to shape the bread ?
No problem 🙂 you can just roll them into balls then snip the tops a couple of times with a pair of scissors before you put them in the oven.