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Pain maison
Pain maison: small crusty Mauritian breakfast rolls
Every morning in Port Louis, Mahébourg and Rose-Hill, the boulangerie or a man on a bicycle delivers bags of pain maison: small, round white rolls with a thin, crackly crust and soft middle, split and filled with butter and cheese, with chilli-spiked gâteaux piments, or with leftover curry. They're a simple lean dough baked very hot. The common mistake is under-baking because they look golden early; give them the full time so the crust stays crisp after cooling. Chef's tip: spray the oven walls with water as the rolls go in; the burst of steam makes the shiny, cracked crust.
- Total time
- 140 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast1 sachet
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz instant dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 ½ tsp salt. Add 1 ¼ cups warm water and 1 tbsp sunflower oil and mix to a soft dough.
Step 2: Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, then cover and leave for 1 hour, until doubled.
60 minStep 3: Divide into 10 pieces and roll each into a tight ball. Set on a floured tray, 5 cm apart, cover loosely and leave for 40 minutes, until puffy.
40 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 450°F (400°F fan) with an empty roasting tin on the bottom shelf.
Step 5: Slash a shallow cross or line on each roll. Slide the tray in, pour a cup of hot water into the empty tin and shut the door quickly.
Step 6: Bake for 18–20 minutes, until golden brown and hollow-sounding underneath. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before splitting.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pain maison take?
- About 140 minutes in total: 120 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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