When I first saw Chef Pamela’s bread rolls, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia.
These were popular when I was growing up – they were available in supermarkets, fast food outlets, and often graced the bread plates of small cafés and restaurants. These days they’ve been replaced with sourdough and crusty rolls. I thought it might be fun to bake a batch for old time’s sake!
I didn’t use Pamela’s recipe (but did follow her shaping instructions) and opted instead to make our tried and tested Pain Viennois dough. The finished rolls were slightly sweet and a little briochey, and perfect with Pete’s latest batch of apricot jam.
I made a double quantity of the dough, and allowed it to prove until well risen and puffy. I then shaped 24 x 50g (1.7oz) balls, which were allowed to prove in a lined baking tray. After the second rise (photo below), the rolls were brushed with a beaten egg and baked in a preheated 200C fan-forced oven for about 18 minutes…
They baked to a rich dark brown…
…with a soft golden crumb…
. . . . .
I shaped the remaining dough into 30g (1oz) balls and allowed them to prove on a parchment lined tray, covered with greased clingfilm. These were then deepfried in oil. Most of the finished doughnuts were simply dipped in caster (superfine) sugar…
…but a few were filled with Pete’s plum jam…
The bread rolls were delicious, but as always, the doughnuts, which were an afterthought, stole the show. I try not to make these too often, as Pete and the boys usually make themselves sick eating them. If you’d like to try making doughnuts at home, I’ve written a detailed tutorial here which might be of use.
Pamela, thanks for the inspiring a fun afternoon!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
My mouth is literally watering! I want to try those rolls sometime, my camera is broken so no blogging for me at the moment :(
Sue, every photo in this post was taken with my iPhone! :)
Those rolls and donuts look mouth watering (borrowing Sous Chef’s words) delicious and so picture perfect. Always fun to take a trip down memory lane.
Thanks Norma! It really was fun to make these rolls – the donuts were an added bonus! :)
These are the kinds of photos I like to wake up to! Celia, they look fantastic. I’m definitely going to try these this weekend- my kids are going to go wild for doughnuts! Xx
Emilie, I hope they work out well for you! :) x
Your rolls are perfect! What a beautiful crumb.
:-) Mandy
Thanks Mandy! They were fun to make, and the boys loved them!
Oooh wish I could have those rolls with marmalede jam and cup of tea,my granny used to make bread every week,thanx for my childhood memories. :-)
Sponge, isn’t it funny how our childhood memories work – I remember rolls very similar to this coming with our Kentucky Fried Chicken. It’s been decades since I last tried them! :)
Looks so amazingly perfect. I am inspired to try these. Thanks!
Thank you! I hope you like them! :)
My mother always made doughnuts, Celia, as well as a brioche like cake/bread called bukta. I miss her so… thank you for these lovely recipes and images.
Lizzy, I must ask June about bukta! I’ve never known her to make bread. I wanted to let you know that we took June out recently to eat kurtosh – Hungarian rolled pastries, and she was very chuffed! :)
Oh dear Celia, how much I love this, Thank you, they seem so delicious, love, nia
Nia, thank you! xx
Celia- your pictures are so good- I could almost reach out and have one of those lovely rolls for mid morning tea. Almost!
I think these will have have to go on my list of breads to make soon!
It is so very cold here the fireplace has been fired up all day long- for the last three days. I’m putting up a post on the bread I baked in the fireplace yesterday- not as beautiful as yours, but fun.
Heidi, your fireside bread looks like great fun indeed! I think I’d like to play around with making little dinner rolls – they’re a great blast from the past! :)
You never cease to amaze me Celia. You are a marvel!
Glenda, you are very kind, thank you! This is a really easy recipe! x
Damn! They both look gooooood!
Gill, they’re not sourdough, but it was nice to do a little yeast baking for a change! :) Hope you’re well, darling! x
The rolls look absolutely delicious…and I want a doughnut NOW!
I would deliver if I could, Deb.. :)
Waw! The bread rolls look so appetizing! 30 at a time: lovely! And those filled doughnut balls look amazing & quite tasty too! ;) Yummm!
Sophie, thank you – there were little round balls of dough all over the place! :)
;)
Nothing better than fresh baked goods – YUMMERS!!! Have a Great One:)
Renee, thank you! Hope you’re having a fabulous weekend! x
Now I’m thinking doughnuts for breakfast… and that’s never a good idea.
Brydie, have you made these? They are SO easy, and I can almost guarantee that your little monkeys will adore them..
Oh Celia…more amazing bread from your kitchen. It looks wonderful!
Jane, you’re very kind – you could make these standing on your head, love. :)
That bread looks fantastic! And I have no doubt they were as delicious and crumbly as they look. Yum!
Thanks Clare! The crumb on the rolls was soft and light – just as I remember the ones I had when I was growing up! :)
Thanks Celia. I haven’t made donuts for years (for good reason!) and you’ve given me the inspiration to give them a go again. The rolls look fabulous. Hope it’s not too hot up there for you at the moment. We’re playing a waiting game with the fires this morning and I’ll be glad when it’s over…
Hi Meaghan, I hope you guys are ok..the fires have been very scary this year! It’s been hot here, but not too bad today.. xx
Doughnuts from the leftover dough! Brilliant! Typically I make cinnamon rolls but next time. . . They will get doughnuts!
Thanks Celia!
(Thanks for the shout out too)
Pamela, we had a blast making these, thanks for the inspiration! :)
Oh Celia they look delicious , so delicious I just dont know how you cant stop eating all day. Especially the doughnuts. Your dinner rolls look perfectly risen and the eggwash top looks stunning. You must have been so excited when you pulled them from the oven
Tania, I love that you understand – yes, I let out a little moan of excitement when I opened the oven! Wish Skater all the best for us when he starts uni tomorrow! :)
These look picture perfect indeed Celia! Much better than most bakeries I’m sure :) I’ve tried a few gluten free yeast donut recipes, but haven’t got it anywhere near right yet…. Probably a good thing! :) xox
Becca, I hope you nail it, if anyone can, it’s you! Although the whole GF bread thing is still tricky. Maybe GF baking powder doughnuts instead of yeasted ones?
I think you’re right Celia, though I’m still going to add just a pinch of yeast for that classic flavour. I also need quite a wet mix which is possibly better baked, but again I want to go for authenticity. I guess it’s back too the drawing board…
Celia the inside of those bread rolls looks incredible, so soft I can almost imagine how it must feel to bite into. Love that you used the leftover dough for doughnuts!
Thanks Claire! If the boys had had their way, I would have made 60 doughnuts.. hahaha
In spite of the fact I’m one of that new mob who’s into sourdough and seed upon seed upon seed, both versions of these look absolutely beautiful and yes it would be auld lang syne :) !
Eha, sounds like they’re a familiar memory for quite a few of us! :)
Beautiful! What more can be said!
Praise from the breadmeister – thanks Doc! :)
Beautiful! They look so fluffy and light and tasty!
Manuela, thank you! They were very light and soft – quite different from our usual sourdoughs! Made a nice change.. :)
I’ve resolved to make doughnuts at home this year so all this info is really helpful – they look fabulous
Sally, they’re not very hard if you don’t mind deepfrying – I hope you get a chance to give them a go! :)
Oh my goodness, so are you saying that if I had dropped by this week, I might have been able to try these? :P
If you give me a little warning, I’ll make a batch for you! :)
Oh, those rolls look so tenderly delicious!! If the neighbors knew you were baking all those up from the smells, I’ll bet they were lined up at your door. I’d put some of Pete’s jam on my roll and have a dozen of those plain doughnuts. I hate messing w/ the oil so I haven’t made doughnuts in quite some time. I never know what to do w/ the old oil.
Mel, we filter and reuse our grapeseed oil a couple of times – it’s always fine. We don’t fry doughnuts in the same oil we fry fish in though… :)
Celia, I want to come to eat at your house! They look wonderful.
Anne, I’d love to have you over! :) I can just imagine how good these would be made with your homegrown eggs, milk, and flour! :)
Gorgeous rolls, Celia! I must compare this recipe with the one I’ve used in the past, I think yours have a more yellowish crumb, far more appealing than mine
as for the doughnuts, is it my impression or you made them a little smaller this time? That way, if “someone” eats 12, maybe “that person” won’t get sick? ;-)
Sally, the yellow comes from our backyard chookie eggs, they’ve got very yellow yolks! And I didn’t make them smaller, but I made fewer, so “someone” didn’t get a chance to eat a dozen this time! :D
Love those rolls, Celia! Perfectly shaped and browned. How I remember them! No holiday dinner was complete without them and every “family” restaurant featured them. And those donuts are dangerous good. Put a platter of them out and they’ll be gone in minutes. No doubt.
John, thank you for remembering with me – the rolls seem to have disappeared completely from restaurants these days, but they were everywhere 40 years ago! :) And you’re right, the doughnuts never last long.. ;-)
Hey Celia! Quick question- do you happen to know why you’re supposed to use UHT milk vs. the regular kind? I’m so curious…Almost all of our dairy products over here are UHT. Thanks a bunch! I can’t wait to make these!
Em, the original recipe is for regular milk – heated and then cooled to blood temperature. I use UHT to circumvent the process! Hope you like these! :)
There’s a great video of Richard Bertinet making this dough here:
http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/video/2008/03/bertinet_sweetdough
Ah, I get it. Very clever Celia! Thank you for the video clip too- it was fantastic! I can see myself enjoying that kneading technique after a long, stressful day ;)
Celia! A+++
This recipe was AMAZING, and that is an understatement!!
The flavor and texture of this dough is out of this world. It was everything I’d hoped it would be. As a complete novice to bread baking, your instructions and videos were very helpful. The only thing I’d do differently next time is to double the recipe! They were gone in seconds!
When I make this again, is it ok to let the dough rest overnight on the counter, or does it have to be refrigerated?
Thank you so much for a fabulous recipe! xx
Hooray, thanks for letting me know, Emilie! Did you make the dough into doughnuts or breadrolls? It’s a yeasted dough, so it only takes an hour or so to prove, and leaving it on the bench overnight would definitely be too long for it. And I’ve never had much success with leaving dough in the fridge, so I can’t advise, sorry!
Now that you’ve nailed the recipe, here are some of the other things I’ve made using variations of it:
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/10/23/bacon-slice/
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/04/02/hot-cross-buns-recipe/
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/10/25/sunday-scrolls/
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/03/01/blackberry-crown/
Hope you have fun with it! :) xx
The combination of briochey dough and home made apricot jam sounds so good – the kind of plateful you could contemplate and feel that the world was a beautiful place! That will be this Easter’s recipe for my annual ‘bun fight’. The description of Pete eating doughnuts until he felt sick reminded me of a little book I used to read to my girls – Little Black Sambo. I know these days the title is considered offensive, but my girls loved it because little Black Sambo got to eat a hundred and sixty nine pancakes – he had their idea of the perfect Mummy.
Jan darling, I use this recipe for my hot cross buns as well…
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/04/02/hot-cross-buns-recipe/
And I think getting to eat 169 pancakes really does make someone the perfect mummy! :)
I made doughnuts in December and shared the leftovers with the homeless as I made far too many :)
Goodness Tandy, how many did you make? :) It’s good of you to share – ours never last long enough, no matter how many I make! :) x
I’ll pass on the donuts. No offense, but I planned to be so stuffed on those rolls I won’t be able to walk!
You’ll pass on the fried doughnuts, Greg? Goodness, are you sick? :D (thanks for the compliment! :))
They are so beautiful, you clever clever baker!
Thanks darling! :)
Celia, thank you so much for the additional recipes! I’m going to get so fat this winter ;)
The plan was to make both the rolls and the doughnuts, but I was a little hesitant to double the recipe just in case I messed it up! But I will definitely do so next time! My mind is buzzing with ideas for this dough. It’s fantastic and fun! Thanks again Celia :) xx
PS- So I just made the rolls :)
Emilie, have fun with it! I hope you get a chance to make the doughnuts – they’re very addictive! :)
[…] a batch of bread rolls made from Celia’s sweet dough recipe. Clearly not as pro as hers, but thankfully not a complete disaster either! I had such fun baking […]