Michetta Milanese

Name: Michetta Milanese
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Lombarda
Ingredients: 300 g strong white bread flour; 135 ml Water; 3 g Fresh yeast; 50 g strong white bread flour; 45 ml Water; 4 g barley malt extract; 7 g Fine sea salt

Michetta is a classic Milanese hollow bread roll with a distinctive star-shaped scored crust that bakes exceptionally light and crisp.

🇮🇹Italy· Lombardy

Prep: 45 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 65 min
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Hard
Calories: 215 kcal

Ingredients

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Servings

300 g strong white bread flour — high-protein Manitoba flour for biga preferment
135 ml Water — room temperature, for biga
3 g Fresh yeast — or 1 g active dry yeast, for biga
50 g strong white bread flour — for final dough
45 ml Water — lukewarm, for final dough
4 g barley malt extract — or clear honey
7 g Fine sea salt — fine grain

Equipment

•mixing bowl
•baking sheet
•rosette bread stamp or apple slicer
•spray bottle
•wire cooling rack

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 215 kcal
fat: 1 g
carbs: 44 g
fibre: 2 g
protein: 7 g
calories: 215 kcal

Instructions

1
Stir 300 g flour, 3 g fresh yeast, and 135 ml water together until a firm, shaggy dough forms.
2
Cover loosely and let the preferment ferment at room temperature for 16 to 18 hours.
3
Tear the fermented preferment into pieces and place into a bowl with remaining flour, water, and malt extract.
4
Knead firmly for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, then knead in the salt for 2 minutes.
5
Roll the dough flat with a rolling pin, fold into thirds, and rest covered for 20 minutes.
6
Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and roll each firmly into a tight, smooth ball.
7
Cover the balls with a damp cloth and leave to rest on the worktop for 30 minutes.
8
Press an apple slicer or rosette stamp firmly halfway down into each ball to create distinct petals.
9
Flip rolls upside-down onto a floured cloth, cover, and prove for 45 minutes until puffy.
10
Flip rolls petal-side up onto a preheated baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
11
Mist the hot oven thoroughly with water to create steam and insert the tray.
12
Bake at 230°C for 18 to 20 minutes until golden, crisp, and sounding completely hollow when tapped.

Chef's tips

Using high-protein Manitoba flour is critical for developing the gluten structure that allows the roll to puff and hollow out. Generating sufficient steam in your oven during the first ten minutes keeps the crust supple enough to expand dramatically.

Ingredient substitutions

fresh yeast → active dry yeast using one third of the weight
barley malt extract → honey or malt syrup

Storage

Best eaten on the day of baking, or store in a paper bag for up to 24 hours.

Reheating

Reheat in an oven preheated to 180°C for 4 to 5 minutes to restore the crust's crackling crispness.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Stamping too lightly, which prevents the characteristic star-shaped petals from blooming open.
•Using standard plain flour, which lacks the gluten strength needed to produce a hollow interior.
•Skipping oven steam, resulting in a thick, hard crust rather than a delicate, blistered crunch.

Serving suggestions

Split open and fill generously with thin slices of mortadella or salame Milano.Serve alongside a classic Milanese cotoletta or beef stew.Enjoy warm from the oven spread with salted mountain butter.