Sweet
Pan de leche
Sweet Spanish milk bread — dense, hearty and almost biscuit-like in the crumb, with a glossy egg-washed top.
Not the cloud-soft Asian milk bread — these are sturdier, made for butter, jam and dunking into coffee.
Method
- 01
Mix the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add the warm milk, 2 eggs, lemon zest and vanilla and bring together.
- 02
Knead 8 minutes, then work in the soft butter a piece at a time until fully absorbed and the dough is smooth. Knead 5 minutes more.
- 03
Prove 1 hour 30 minutes until doubled — enriched dough is slow, so give it the time.
- 04
Divide into 12, shape into tight ovals and set on lined trays with room to spread.
- 05
Prove a final 45 minutes, then glaze generously with beaten egg.
- 06
Bake at 180°C for 15–18 minutes until deep gold and glossy. Cool on a rack.
Serve it with
Pairings
- Cheeses
- Fresh cheese with honey, mascarpone, or a mild manchego semicurado.
- Cold meats
- Split and filled with jamón serrano and a little butter — the Spanish school-bag sandwich.
- Seafood
- Not a seafood roll. Keep it for breakfast and merienda.
- Salads & vegetables
- Sliced peaches or figs with a squeeze of lemon, or a jar of good marmalade.
Keep cooking
