Easy Portuguese Milk Rolls {Around the World in 12 Dishes}

This post is part of “Around the World in 12 Dishes,” the series in which each month participating bloggers travel the world with their kids by cooking a dish from another country and perhaps reading a book, doing a craft, or learning fun facts about it.

I have a confession to make: I have a thing for bad boys.

You know the type.  The ones that promise you the stars and the moon only to leave you with nothing.

Each time it is the same, yet each time I tell myself this time will be different.

Even though I know it won’t be.

And so, when I saw this Portuguese beauty on Pinterest, I know I would fall for him, but I also knew it would end in disaster.  Yet, this time…

… I was wrong.

Yes, I am talking about bread – or more specifically, any bread product that is supposed to rise.  I love baking, yet making a good loaf of regular ol’ bread has always eluded me.  I can make quick breads from here to the Iberian Peninsula, but whenever I try anything with yeast in it, it is a miserable, misshapen failure.

Still, I keep trying new recipes and have pinned dozens more.  So I had little hope that this time would be any different.  And yet…

…this time it was different.

As part of our virtual visit to Portugal this month, I decided to try to make Portuguese milk rolls (paezinhos de leite).  They just looked so good!  And I loved the author’s description of having them as a young girl in Portugal.

But as Monkey and I shaped the dough into balls (he decided to make his into “eggs”), I tried not to get my hopes up.  The recipe had been too easy!  Surely with so little kneading these rolls would be a disaster…

But when I pulled them out of the oven, there they were in all of their golden glory.  Sure, they probably would have puffed up more for someone else, but they tasted great and looked good, too!

Now, I must admit that to my American taste buds they were a bit plain, but perhaps it is because – as noted in the original article – they are often enjoyed as a mini-sandwich of sorts, with butter, ham, and cheese.

Monkey ate his with jam, while I enjoyed mine with both butter and honey, and with cheese.  Yum!  I will definitely make these again and perhaps next time play around with some variations, like adding raisins and cinnamon.

So for once, things worked out!  Even from this great distance, Portugal has been good to me.  Be sure to also take a look at our Portuguese-inspired artwork!
Check out the other participating blogs to see what they have been cooking up:

Adventures In Mommydom, Afterschool for Smarty Pants, All Done Monkey, Crafty Moms Share, Maroc Mama, Creative World of Varya, Glittering Muffins, Kid World Citizen, Mermaids’ Makings, The Educators’ Spin On It and The Mommy Talks.

If you try a dish from Portugal, we’d love to hear about it! And don’t forget to download this month’s placemat and passport! You can also link up your dish or craft here to share your post on all the participating blogs: