October 12, 2009 - 5:01pm
Kaiser roll question
I made Kaiser Rolls using Peter Reinhart's formula in BBA. They taste good but don' look good. During proofing they spread out and were a bit flat looking. Also, using a kaiser roll cutter didn't work. During the proofing of the completed rolls the dough rose to the point of eliminating the tool cuts. After baking the cuts pretty much disapeared. Could the dough have been too wet? Would it be better to use the tool after turning the rolls over for the second proofing? Should you press the tool down as far as you can into the roll?
Jerry
Share
I believe your problem lies with the hydration of the dough. PR instructs "adding flour, if needed, to make a dough that is soft and supple, tacky but not sticky." Therefore, I'd have to agree with you assessment that the dough was too wet.
However, I sometimes wait until the dough has proofed before making any cuts so that the cuts occur just prior to loading the prepared dough into the oven. That can help accentuate the intended impression of the cut design and reduce the likelihood that it will be absorbed in the final proofing or initial baking phase.
Having just made this recipe last week, I agree on the above comments about the hydration. BTW, I tried the manual knotting method for the rolls, and found it quite easy to do, and in fact fun, so if you're having trouble with that cutter, give the manual method a try. It really doesn't take long, and the results are great.
I have found PR's recipe makes a wet dough also, so I have cut down the water in the dough recipe to about 4 oz. Another thing I am doing is forming the balls immediately after making the dough, letting them rise for 2 hours, then using the kaiser stamp with nbicomputer's suggestions of rye flour and doing the second rise. This method has given me a better overall shape.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX9vAUb9y7I
This is a great video by one of the local experts on this site. And this:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/9295/finaly-made-it
is the thread it came from.Enjoy!
I've tried PR's and I was left wanting more.
cake diva found a recipe in Saveur magazine and posted it.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/13111/hamburger-buns-saveur
Try this one and you won't be disappointed. It's very versatile, I've been placing shredded old cheddar on top and selling them as cheese buns.
Looks like a great recipe...for a hamburger bun.
Not for a Kaiser roll, though. A Kaiser roll is a hard, crisp, airy roll, as opposed to a soft, squishy bun.
Again, looks like a great bun recipe that I will try.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/6245/another-one-norm-onion-rolls#comment-31799
I cut almost through mine with the roll cutter. My advice: Don't be gentle! The ones I thought I'd ruined by almost cutting through them were by far the prettiest rolls when the proofing was done. Good luck!
Ria
yes, adjust your water and knot by hand! i also had poor results with cutters from procurement to usage. it seemed that a heavier hand was needed but knotting was more satsifing so i never went back.