Step 1For the dough, heat 200ml milk and the butter in a small pan just until butter melts. Set aside to cool until just warm.
Step 2Mix flour, yeast and 1tsp fine salt in a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook. Pour in cooled milk mixture and knead for 5min, until smooth and elastic (adding more milk if dough looks dry). Alternatively, mix in a bowl with a wooden spoon, then knead by hand on a lightly floured surface 10min. Cover bowl with a clean tea towel or clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 1hr, or until doubled in size.
Step 3Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Divide the risen dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each into a neat ball. Place on lined tray, spacing apart. Cover with greased clingfilm (greased-side down). Leave to rise in a warm place for 45min, or until noticeably puffed.
Step 4Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan) mark 7. When rolls have nearly risen, make the topping by whisking all the ingredients with 2tbsp tepid water and a pinch of salt – adding more water if needed to get a brushable consistency. Leave to rest for 5min.
Step 5Flatten the rolls slightly with the palm of your hand, then brush over the topping. Bake for 20min, or until crackled and golden. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
To store
Once cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
GH Tip
Sesame oil is traditional and gives a lovely savoury flavour, but you could use vegetable oil instead.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
