Mini Pan de Sals

It's been years since I made bread and my son has been wanting to make bread for weeks and since he was off from school today due to a snow storm, I thought what a perfect way to spend the day.

I have never been good at breadmaking, my taking a class in Bakery Management notwithstanding, but that hasn't stopped me from trying. I think it's the smell of the dough that does it for me.

Here's a photo of the dough after the first rising.


Here are the mini pan de sals waiting for the second rising, just before baking.


Mini pan de sals waiting to be eaten.

Recipe:
1-1/2 cups warm water (110 deg F)
1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 pack)
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole-wheat flour)
Breadcrumbs

Put the warm water in a mixing bowl and add the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar; stir to dissolve. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining sugar and the oil and mix until smooth. Add the salt, 1 cup of flour and the yeast mixture; stir well. Add the remaining cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, supple and elastic, about 10 minutes. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in it and turn to coat the dough with oil. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Form each piece into a cylinder and roll out until the log is 1/2 inch in diameter. Using a knife, cut each log into 1/2 inch pieces. Roll in breadcrumbs and place the pieces, flat side down onto two lightly greased baking sheets. Gently press each roll down to flatten. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, about 20 minutes.