The original Messina dinner rolls. I grew up in my grandmother’s pastry shop, and when the Lent period arrived, we started making these sesame-covered delights, which we call “giuggiulena”.
The dinner rolls were created as traditional food after the long fast, rich in eggs, butter or lard, sugar, and very spicy.
The origins, however, date back to Jesus’ last supper, and the bread He broke for His disciples.
Today I will present the traditional preparation and the one with the Bimby.
Think for yourself;
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 3 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 12
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Sicily
- Seasonality: Easter Monday, Easter
- Energy 254.73 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 44.43 (g) of which sugars 7.68 (g)
- Proteins 7.61 (g)
- Fat 5.73 (g) of which saturated 2.06 (g)of which unsaturated 2.92 (g)
- Fibers 1.94 (g)
- Sodium 391.03 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 80 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
let’s go shopping
- 1.1 cups water
- 3.5 tbsp lard
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 0.88 oz fresh brewer's yeast
- 2.17 cups Manitoba flour
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cloves (essence)
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch nutmeg
Tools
what we need to prepare
- Stand Mixer or Bimby
- 2 Baking Sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Brush
- Oven
Preparation: The Original Messina Dinner Rolls
Hand kneading or using stand mixer
Warm the water slightly and pour it into a bowl or the stand mixer, along with the yeast, lard, and sugar.
Mix well together.
When the lard and yeast have dissolved, add the rest of the ingredients.
Knead until the dough is well combined.
Add water, lard, yeast, and sugar to the bowl. 1 min at 98°F speed 3
Add the remaining ingredients and knead on spike mode for 3 min.
After kneading, transfer the dough into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and then with a towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Then make 12 well-rounded balls, place them on the baking sheets with parchment paper underneath, and let them rise for another 2 hours.
After the time has passed, turn on the oven to 104°F and let them do the last 15 minutes of rising inside.
After 15 minutes, take the trays out of the oven, beat an egg with 3 tablespoons of milk and brush all the rolls, then sprinkle them with sesame “giuggiulena”
Increase the oven to 356°F static and bake the rolls for 15 minutes.
At the end of cooking, open the oven door and let the rolls rest for another 10 minutes before completely removing them.
Here are the original Messina dinner rolls ready.
storage
The Original Messina Dinner Rolls can be stored in a food bag and remain soft for several days, and if you wish, you can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Besides eating them as they are, I recommend filling them with Nutella, cream, or jam.

