Soft, fluffy milk rolls made with the Thermomix®, spread with butter and a spoonful of strawberry jam, are our go-to Sunday breakfast. We have been baking them for years, and the recipe is so well-practised by now that it always comes out right.
How to make the milk rolls in the Thermomix®: Warm yeast, 220 g milk, 70 g butter, 30 g sugar and 1 pinch of salt for 5 minutes at 37°C on speed 1, add 450 g flour (type 550) and knead for 4 minutes on kneading mode. Leave to rise for 2 hours, divide into 10 pieces, shape, prove for another 1 hour, brush with egg yolk and milk, then bake for 20 minutes at 200°C top and bottom heat. Makes 10 rolls.
What we love about this recipe is that it needs no unusual ingredients. Milk, butter, yeast, sugar, salt and flour are things most people already have at home. If you fancy fresh rolls in the morning, you can even leave the dough to rise overnight in the fridge. That saves time in the morning and adds more flavour.
Milk Rolls with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 8 ✓
- 1/2 cube fresh yeast
- 220 g milk
- 70 g butter
- 30 g sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 450 g flour, type 550
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions 0 / 6
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1
Knead the yeast dough.
Place yeast, milk, butter, sugar and salt in the mixing bowl and warm for 5 minutes / 37°C / speed 1. Add flour and knead for 4 minutes / kneading mode until you have a smooth dough.
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2
Leave to rise.
Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
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3
Knead the dough again.
Knead the dough on a floured surface, shape into a log and divide into 10 equal portions.
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4
Shape the rolls.
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Shape each portion into an oval milk roll by rolling it under your cupped hand, then place smooth side up on the tray. Arrange them close together with about 5 mm between each roll so they have room to rise. Cover with cling film and leave to prove for 1 hour.
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5
Glaze the rolls.
Preheat the oven to 200°C top and bottom heat. Whisk egg yolk with milk and brush over the rolls.
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6
Bake the rolls.
Bake the rolls on the middle shelf for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown.
Tip: These milk rolls freeze well and taste almost freshly baked after a quick warm-up in the oven.
Nutrition per serving
What makes our Thermomix® milk rolls so fluffy
Three key details determine whether these 10 milk rolls turn out pillowy or dense. First, the temperature when warming: we warm the milk and butter together with the yeast for exactly 5 minutes at 37°C on speed 1. Any hotter and the yeast becomes sluggish; any cooler and it starts too slowly. Second, the butter: 70 g, preferably at room temperature, so it blends smoothly into the dough and keeps the crumb light. Third, the rising time: 2 hours for the first rise, then another 1 hour of proving after shaping. If you put the dough in the fridge overnight, you get extra flavour as a bonus.
Why we use type 550 flour instead of type 405
Most milk roll recipes use type 405 flour. We deliberately use 450 g of type 550. The difference is small but noticeable: type 550 has slightly more gluten protein. This makes the gluten network stronger, the dough holds the fermentation gases better, and the rolls keep their shape in the oven rather than spreading out. They have a touch more bite while still being soft inside.
If you only have type 405, use it without worry. The rolls will be marginally finer and slightly softer, which many people actually prefer. More important than the flour type is thorough kneading: a full 4 minutes on kneading mode, until the dough is smooth and elastic and pulls away from the bowl. This is exactly where the Thermomix® shows its strength. It kneads evenly all the way through, without us having to work by hand for ten minutes.
The most common mistakes with milk roll dough
The dough does not rise
The cause is almost always temperature. If the milk gets hotter than 40°C during warming, the yeast cultures die. So take the 37°C on speed 1 seriously and do not warm for longer than instructed.
Our solution: If the dough has barely grown after an hour, slide a baking tray onto the lowest shelf, place a bowl of boiling water alongside it, and put the covered dough in the middle of the oven. The warm, moist air often gets the yeast going again.
The rolls turn out dry
Either they were baked for too long, or there was not enough liquid in the dough. For us, 220 g milk to 450 g flour is the balance that keeps them fluffy. If you find the dough too firm afterwards, knead in a little more milk, one tablespoon at a time.
Our solution: Keep an eye on the oven from minute 15. As soon as the rolls are golden brown, take them out. Brush a little melted butter over them straight after baking to keep the crust soft and glossy.
The rolls spread out flat instead of rising up
This happens when the dough is too soft or does not get enough tension during shaping. Without tension in the surface, the roll has nothing to hold it upright.
Our solution: Roll each piece of dough in a circular motion under a cupped hand on the work surface until the surface is smooth and taut. Place smooth side up, and leave enough space between the rolls during proving, about 5 mm, so they do not touch each other.
Sweet and savoury variations on the milk rolls
With raisins: Soak 100 g raisins briefly in warm water, drain well, then work them in by hand after kneading. Tip from practice: only shape half the portions with raisins, then everyone at the table is happy.
With chocolate: Knead 50 g chocolate chips into the finished dough. They hold their shape during baking and only melt inside the warm roll.
With pearl sugar: Instead of an egg yolk glaze, brush the rolls with milk and sprinkle generously with pearl sugar. This gives a crispy, sweet topping.
Overnight for more flavour: Cover the finished dough and leave it in the fridge for 14 to 16 hours. The next morning, shape the rolls, leave to prove for 1 hour at room temperature and then bake. The long, cool rise gives noticeably more flavour.
What we love to serve with the warm milk rolls
Fresh and still warm, the rolls need nothing more than a little soft butter. The classic pairing is our strawberry jam with the Thermomix® or, for something less sweet, our jam without setting sugar. For a Sunday breakfast we also like a soft-boiled egg, and we always keep our egg cooking time guide for the Thermomix® close to hand.
If you fancy more yeasted bakes: our easy plaited loaf with the Thermomix® uses the same dough logic on a larger scale. For the savoury side, we recommend our soft burger buns or our oat rolls.
Goes well with: butter, jam and honey.
How to keep the milk rolls fresh and freeze them
The rolls are best on the day they are baked. In a sealed bread bag they keep for 2 days, though they do get a little drier. We warm them up briefly: 3 minutes at 180°C in the oven and they taste almost freshly baked. Frozen, they keep for 3 months. To thaw, leave them at room temperature for 30 minutes or put them straight in the toaster.
This is our weekend tip: we often bake double the batch, freeze half straight after cooling, and then have fresh milk rolls on hand at any time without having to make a whole batch of dough in the morning.
