This style of bread roll is super common throughout Italy, where I’ve seen it in countless restaurant bread baskets. It may go by the generic name panino arrotolato, since the dough is rolled up, or even simply panino all’olio (olive oil rolls). But this type of bread roll may also be called mantovana (named after the city of Mantova), in which the rolled-up dough is slit down the middle, giving the rolls their distinctive shape.
I used the same color mix as for all my white breads: Fimo vanilla, Fimo Soft sahara, Premo white, and translucent. I formed the shapes by rolling out a thin sheet of polymer clay, cut out narrow triangles (actually, more like trapezoids once I cut off the tips), and rolled them up jelly-roll style. These rolls took a bit more sculpting than my others, as I tried to achieve the effect of the roll puffing open along the central slit. Next, I used a toothbrush, needle tool, and crumpled aluminum foil for texture and shaded the rolls with soft pastels for a golden-brown baked effect.
After baking, I sealed the rolls with Helmar Crystal Kote Matte spray varnish, so that the pastels wouldn’t rub off. Here’s a closeup of one of the rolls.
I’ve set aside a few of the rolls for the bread baskets in Osteria Al Vecchio Stallo. The rest have been glued in the tray. At long last, my bread shelves are now full!
