Semi-sweet rolls are a must-have at every respectable party! When we were kids, they were always present on birthday and various event tables, filled with sweet or savory ingredients.
They are very soft and fragrant rolls, absolutely irresistible, perfect for parties for both adults and children.
Semi-sweet rolls are ideal in a buffet with whatever your imagination suggests: sweet version with jam or Nutella, savory version with various cheeses or cold cuts, or to create delicious mini hamburgers.
To complete the party, you can also try:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: makes about 30 rolls of 0.88 oz each
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 91.93 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 15.04 (g) of which sugars 3.24 (g)
- Proteins 2.56 (g)
- Fat 2.75 (g) of which saturated 1.64 (g)of which unsaturated 0.99 (g)
- Fibers 0.43 (g)
- Sodium 95.95 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 1 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 for the semi-sweet rolls
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 7 fl oz milk
- 6 tbsp sugar (for savory version 4 tbsp)
- 1.25 tsp salt
- 2 eggs (plus one for brushing)
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1 cube compressed yeast
Preparation of the semi-sweet rolls
To prepare the dough for the semi-sweet rolls in a bowl (or in the mixer), put the flour, eggs, sugar, crumbled yeast, and about 80% of the milk required by the recipe.
Start mixing, adding later the remaining milk in which you have dissolved the salt.
When the dough starts to come together, gradually add the softened butter, until it’s completely absorbed. In the end, you should have a soft dough, but not yet smooth enough.
Place the dough on the work surface and cover it with an overturned bowl; let it rest for 10 minutes, then knead it again to make it smooth and elastic.
At this point, grease a large bowl or a container with a lid and place the dough in it (if using the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap). Let it rise for about 2 hours (it should double in size).
After the rising time has passed, overturn the dough onto the work surface and divide it into equally sized pieces (about 0.88 oz each). Round each piece of dough with your hand, making it rotate on the work surface (pirlatura), until each roll is perfectly spherical.
Place all the semi-sweet rolls thus formed on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them slightly. Cover with a kitchen cloth and let them rise again for about an hour and a half.
Halfway through rising, brush each roll with beaten egg thinned with a little milk.
When the semi-sweet rolls are well puffed, it’s time to bake them.
Bake them in a static oven at 392°F for a maximum of 10/15 minutes, they should be golden but still soft.
Take them out of the oven and let them cool before filling them.
Storage
Semi-sweet rolls can be stored in an airtight container for a maximum of a couple of days, alternatively, you can freeze them.
FAQ
I am lactose intolerant, what can I use to replace butter and milk?
Semi-sweet rolls can also be made with water instead of milk, and replacing butter with 2 oz of oil + 0.5 oz of water.
Can these be made without using eggs?
If you want to replace the eggs, instead use 2 tbsp of butter and 1.5 oz of milk.
Can this dough be used only for semi-sweet rolls?
This dough can be used for several recipes: you can make simple brioche by sprinkling them with granulated sugar before baking; the dough spread out in a baking pan and sprinkled with sugar before baking becomes a delicious sweet focaccia; in the savory version, you can make hot dog buns (shaping them into a baguette) or by forming larger rolls and covering them with sesame seeds you get classic hamburger buns.
