Petits Pains Bread Recipe

By
Elizabeth Yetter
Elizabeth Yetter
Bread expert Elizabeth Yetter has been baking bread for more than 20 years, bringing her Pennsylvania Dutch Country experiences to life through recipes.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/29/22
French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe

 The Spruce

Prep: 4 hrs
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 4 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 12 rolls

These French rolls are small versions of a baguette and are real crowd pleasers—chewy breads that have a slight crunch on the outside and are soft on the inside. Dip in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with truffle oil and salt, or spread with warm hummus.

These petit pains (little breads) are great for a family dinner and go well with soup and pasta dishes. You can offer them as part of a make-your-own sandwich party, or have them for dinner for a very French spread with wine and cheeses.

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Ingredients

  • 1 2/3 cups warm water, 95 F to 110 F

  • 1 (1/4-ounce) package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

  • 1/2 teaspoons salt

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 large egg whites, for brushing, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
    The Spruce

  2. In a large bowl, mix the warm water and yeast until the yeast is dissolved.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  3. Stir in the salt and sift in 1 cup of flour at the time, until you have a soft dough that can be kneaded.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it for about 8 minutes. If the dough gets too sticky, dust it lightly with flour and continue with kneading. You want the dough to be soft.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  5. Grease a medium-size bowl with olive oil. Put the dough into the bowl and then turn the dough over so that the top of the dough is also lightly greased. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it is doubled in size, or for about 1 hour.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  6. Punch down the dough inside the bowl.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  7. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise again for 1 hour, or until it is doubled in size.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  8. Punch down the dough again.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  9. Turn it out onto a floured table or surface and knead out all the bubbles for about 5 minutes.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  10. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into round rolls. For a neater end product, you can weigh the large dough and divide it by 12, making it into small rolls of the exact same weight.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  11. Place on greased baking sheets and cover to let rise a third time for 1 hour.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  12. Remove the cover and flatten each roll with the palm of your hand on a lightly floured surface.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  13. Roll each circle of dough on itself and leave the seam facing down. With your hands at a 45-degree angle, taper the ends of each roll to a point. You'll end up with the shape of a small baguette.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  14. Place the rolls back on the greased baking sheets, seam down. Cover, and let proof (rise) again for the last time for about 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  15. Bake the rolls at 400 F for about 20 minutes or until they are golden brown. You can spray them with filtered water a couple of times while they bake for a crispy crust, or brush 2 egg whites on the rolls before baking for a shiny crust.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  16. Remove the rolls from the oven and turn them out onto a cooling rack.

    French Petits Pains Bread Rolls Recipe
     The Spruce

  17. Serve warm or cool and enjoy.

Filtered Water for Better Bread

  • Use bottled water instead of tap water to make your bread. Water softeners and chlorinated public water can sometimes kill the yeast needed to make your bread dough rise.

How to Store and Revive French Rolls

Ideally, you'll eat these rolls on the same day that you bake them, but if you have some left, there are a couple of things you can do to keep them fresh until the next day:

  • Store them in a paper bag. Plastic bags make the rolls sweat, and they'll lose their crunch overnight.
  • Wrap them tightly in a sheet of parchment paper if you don't have a paper bag.

If you already have hard bread, you can:

  • Run cold water on each roll and bake them at 350 F until crispy.
  • Freeze and when ready to use, thaw for an hour, run under cold water, and bake at 250 F until warm.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
174 Calories
3g Fat
32g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 174
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 3%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 267mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 8mg 1%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 52mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)