fantans

at first sight, these rolls are both somewhat dramatic and unusual. they also add a much more refined look to the average small individual bread offering at a dinner party or even an everyday meal. they pull apart easily into nice little sections, perfect for scooping up that last bit of food and luscious sauce that you can't bear to go to waist waste.

fantans are said to be american but i have also read they are french. who knows. all i know is that they taste great and look fan-tan-tastic. they can be made with 5 or 7 sections but i prefer the 5 sectioned one as it is less bulky and more upscale looking.

they are easily made with your favourite roll recipe or the following:

1950's american classic breadroll recipe

this recipe is from an era when bread rolls were de rigueur at the supper table. G-d forbid they weren't there! {june cleaver??}. you may halve this recipe as it makes alot. you may also form the rolls and then freeze them right away that way you can later pull them out to pop in the oven when you want fresh rolls. perfect for when you either don't have the time or inclination to bake. make sure you have space in your freezer!

1 1/2 c milk, scalded

pour this into a large bowl. then add,

1/4 c sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 c shortening (or butter)

cool this to lukewarm. then in a small bowl add,

1 pkg active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/2 c. warm water & 1 tsp sugar

let this prove until foamy, 10 - 15 minutes and then add to the first mixture and mix well.

add,

1 well beaten egg & 3 c AP flour and mix well.

add another,

2 to 2 1/2 c more flour and work it in well.

remove the dough and work it for a good 5 minutes, adding more flour if necessary. shape this into a ball and cover in a greased bowl and let rest until doubled, approx. 1 1/2 hrs.

gentle deflate the dough and then divide it into 4 and make balls. let this rest 10 minutes before reworking it.

roll out one of the balls with a rolling pin into a rectangle. brush with some melted butter.

cut long strips about 2 1/2 inches wide. try to make a rectangle with is approximately 1/4 inch thick. cut the strips into approx. 3 inch lengths. it is your decision how big or small you make these.

take 5 pieces and stack them neatly. with your fingers, pinch only the bottoms to attach them.

put these into a muffin tin and open up the sections a bit. make sure all are buttered to encourage browning and depth of flavour.

cover with plastic wrap and let rise again til almost doubled. about 30 minutes. during this time, preheat your oven to 375 F and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden. remove and let cool slightly.

*best enjoyed the day they are baked or freeze before baking (see above note after recipe title).

*the ones i made here are thicker and larger than what the recipe called for. i also used a "texas style" muffin tin to bake them in order to accomodate their larger than standard size.

*if you want these as a parve dinner roll, i would suggest perhaps using water or soy milk and margarine to replace the dairy content.


diana at dianasdesserts.com provides a different fantan recipe which uses potato flour & dried milk. it has a bit of a different look to it, also.

this is another recipe for something called french fantans; also available are a few other roll recipes.