Michetta Milanese

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Kitchen scale for precise measurements
• •Thin wooden dowel or pencil-width rolling pin for shaping
• •Baking stone or heavy inverted baking sheet
• •Metal pan for steam
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the dough

   Combine the flour and water in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until no dry flour remains. The dough will be shaggy and rough. Let it rest, covered, for 30 minutes. This autolyse allows the flour to hydrate fully and develops gluten without effort.

   The hydration here is 65%, which creates a dough that is workable but not too wet. Michetta requires a dough that can hold its shape during the long cold fermentation.
2. 2

   Add salt, yeast, and fat

   Sprinkle the salt and yeast over the rested dough. Add the lard or olive oil. Squeeze and fold the dough repeatedly until everything is incorporated, about 3 minutes. The dough should become smoother and more cohesive. Traditional Milanese bakers use lard. It creates a more tender crumb and crisper crust. Olive oil is acceptable.

3. 3

   Develop the gluten

   Turn the dough onto a clean surface. Knead vigorously for 8 to 10 minutes. Stretch, fold, push, rotate. The dough should become smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. When you stretch a small piece, it should form a thin, translucent membrane without tearing. This windowpane test tells you the gluten is properly developed.

4. 4

   First rise

   Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover tightly with plastic. Let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 90 minutes. The dough should be puffy and when you press it gently with a floured finger, the indentation should spring back slowly.

5. 5

   Cold fermentation

   Punch down the dough gently. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, at least 12 hours and up to 24. This cold fermentation develops flavor and makes the dough easier to shape. The Milanese bakeries do this. You should too.

   Cold dough shapes more cleanly and holds its form during the second rise. The extended fermentation also creates the complex flavor that distinguishes proper michetta from ordinary rolls.
6. 6

   Divide and pre-shape

   Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Divide into 12 equal pieces, about 70g each. Use a scale. Eyeballing creates uneven rolls, which bake unevenly. Shape each piece into a tight ball by cupping your hand over the dough and rotating it against the work surface. The surface tension should be visible. Let the balls rest, covered, for 15 minutes.

7. 7

   Shape the michette

   This is the critical step. Flatten each ball into a disc about 10 centimeters across. Using a thin rolling pin or dowel, press firmly from the center outward to create five spokes, like cutting a pie into five wedges but not cutting through. The center should remain slightly thicker than the edges. The spokes create the characteristic rose pattern and, more importantly, create the architecture that allows the interior to hollow during baking.

   Press firmly enough to nearly reach the board, but not so hard that you cut through. The dough should have visible valleys where the dowel pressed and ridges between. This creates weak points where steam escapes, leaving the center hollow.
8. 8

   Final proof

   Place the shaped rolls on parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced 5 centimeters apart. Cover loosely with oiled plastic or a damp towel. Let rise at room temperature until puffy but not doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. The rolls should hold a gentle fingerprint. Do not overproof. Overproofed michette collapse rather than hollow.

9. 9

   Prepare the oven

   Place a baking stone or inverted baking sheet on the middle rack. Place an empty metal pan on the bottom rack. Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F) for at least 30 minutes. The stone must be thoroughly heated. Michetta requires immediate, intense heat to create the hollow interior.

10. 10

    Bake with steam

    Working quickly, slide the rolls onto the hot stone. Immediately pour 1 cup of hot water into the empty pan below and close the oven door. The steam is essential for crust development. Bake for 8 minutes with steam, then open the oven door briefly to release the steam. Continue baking for another 8 to 10 minutes until the rolls are deeply golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

    The rolls should puff dramatically in the first minutes, then the spoke pattern should deepen as the interior hollows. If your rolls are dense rather than hollow, your oven is not hot enough or your shaping was too gentle.
11. 11

    Cool properly

    Transfer the rolls to a wire rack immediately. Let them cool for at least 20 minutes before eating. The crust will continue to crisp as they cool. When you tap a properly made michetta, it should sound like knocking on a door. When you break one open, the interior should be mostly air with thin walls of crust.

Chef Tips

• •The dowel for shaping should be thin, about the diameter of a pencil. A thick rolling pin cannot create the sharp valleys that allow the interior to hollow. Some bakers use the handle of a wooden spoon.
• •If your michette emerge dense instead of hollow, three things may be wrong: the oven was not hot enough, the shaping did not create deep enough valleys, or the dough was overproofed. Adjust one variable at a time.
• •Michette stale quickly because they have no crumb to retain moisture. They are best within hours of baking. This is why Milanese bakeries bake them throughout the day.
• •Traditional lard creates the most authentic texture. If you keep kosher or prefer not to use animal fat, olive oil works. Butter does not. It browns too quickly and changes the flavor.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough requires overnight cold fermentation and cannot be rushed. Plan accordingly.
• •Shaped rolls can be frozen before the final proof. Freeze on a sheet pan, then transfer to bags. Thaw overnight in refrigerator, proof at room temperature, and bake fresh.
• •Baked michette freeze adequately for one month. Refresh in a hot oven for 5 minutes directly from frozen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 62g)