Pain viennois
A milk bread of French bakeries whose name points to Vienna: in the late 1830s the Austrian August Zang opened a Viennese bakery in Paris, and the word “viennoiserie” is traced back to it. Pain viennois is a long loaf made with milk, butter and a little sugar, with a soft, fine crumb and a thin, glossy crust. You will know it by its close diagonal scoring. In France it is used for sandwiches and children's snacks, often with chocolate chips in the dough.
Your own work in that: 40 min.
- Kneading 15 min
- Rising 60 min
- Shaping 20 min
- Proving 60 min
- Glazing and scoring 5 min
- Baking 20 min
- Cooling 20 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneKnead the dough
Mix the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt, pour in the milk and knead 5 minutes. Add the soft butter in pieces and knead another 8–10 minutes until smooth, elastic and no longer sticky.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour · 280 ml lukewarm milk · 7 g dried yeast · 30 g sugar · 9 g salt · 50 g butter, softened
Butter only after 5 minutes — the gluten forms first.Leave to rise
Cover the dough and leave somewhere warm an hour, until doubled.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour · 280 ml lukewarm milk · 7 g dried yeast · 30 g sugar · 9 g salt · 50 g butter, softened
Divide and pre-shape
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, roll each loosely into a log and rest under a cloth 10 minutes.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour · 280 ml lukewarm milk · 7 g dried yeast · 30 g sugar · 9 g salt · 50 g butter, softened
Shape the loaves
Flatten each piece into a rectangle, roll it up tightly along the long side, pinch the seam and roll under your palms into a 25 cm log. Place seam down on a lined tray.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour · 280 ml lukewarm milk · 7 g dried yeast · 30 g sugar · 9 g salt · 50 g butter, softened
Rolled tight — the ribs will be even.Prove
Cover the loaves and leave 45–60 minutes, until clearly risen. Towards the end heat the oven to 190°C.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour · 280 ml lukewarm milk · 7 g dried yeast · 30 g sugar · 9 g salt · 50 g butter, softened
Glaze and score
Brush the loaves with beaten egg. With a sharp knife or blade, score the tops with close diagonal cuts every 1 cm, shallow, 3–4 mm deep.
Ingredients: 1 pcs egg
Shallow and close — the signature ribs.Bake
Bake 18–20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and glossy and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour · 280 ml lukewarm milk · 7 g dried yeast · 30 g sugar · 9 g salt · 50 g butter, softened
Cool
Cool on a rack at least 20 minutes. Slice lengthwise and serve with butter and ham, jam or chocolate.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour · 280 ml lukewarm milk · 7 g dried yeast · 30 g sugar · 9 g salt · 50 g butter, softened
Before you start
With chocolate
Pain viennois au chocolat is a popular afternoon snack in France: add 100 g of dark chocolate chips in the last minute of kneading.
How to score
Chilled dough scores best. If the knife drags the dough, put the loaves in the fridge for 10 minutes before scoring.
Storage
Thanks to the milk and butter, pain viennois stays soft for a long time — 2–3 days in a bag. It also freezes well and makes excellent toast.
