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Conference turris::cooks

Title:	How to Make them Goodies
Notice:	Please Don't Start New Notes for Old Topics! Check 5.*
Moderator:	FUTURE::DDESMAISONSec.com::winalski

Created:	Tue Feb 18 1986
Last Modified:	Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	4127
Total number of notes:	31160

2154.0. "BREAD: Hard Roll Recipe" by POCUS::FCOLLINS () Fri Dec 15 1989 12:30

    Does anyone have a recipe for the old fashioned type hard rolls.
    They were crisp on the outside and rather light on the inside. 
    They sell hard rolls in some of the supermarkets, but in a plastic
    bag and they do not have the crispness they used to have.
    
    I remember stopping on a Sunday morning after church and buying
    these freshly baked rolls and a 1/2 lb. of boiled ham  and having
    a great lunch. 
    
    My brother-in-law said the secret was placing a pan of water in
    the oven, which I understand is no longer done.  Hope someone out
    there has the recipe.
    
    Thanks
    
    Flo

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
2154.1	Pro's use steam ovens	PARITY::KLEBES	John F. Klebes	`Fri Dec 15 1989 14:55`	8
	I worked in several bread bakeries during high school and college. The ovens used live steam injected into special rotating or traveling ovens. Based on this I would say placing water in the oven has some rational. I don't think you will ever be able to reproduce the same effect completely in a home oven. At least I never have been able too. -JFK-
2154.2	but .0 wanted hard rolls	BANZAI::FISHER	Pat Pending	`Sun Dec 17 1989 07:28`	5
	I think the live steam has the effect of keeping the crust soft. That's why home baked bread always has a harder crust than store bought loaves. ed
2154.3	Shock therapy	TOCATA::PICKETT	David - Beware of the dogma.	`Wed Dec 20 1989 11:21`	15
	Brenard Clayton, in his bread book, suggested the following method which has worked really well for me. When pre-heating the oven, place a metal baking pan on the bottom rack. (I use my 9x13) Just before placing the bread in the oven, pour in a cup or two of water. The water hitting the hot pan will make oodles of steam. Over time, this shock cooling will wreck your pan. (I use an old one, which has been retired to this fuinction solely). My experience is that this technique works better than simply preheating the oven with a pan of water. Having the water in there from the start does make the oven a bit mour humid, but pouring the water into a hot pan produces quite a sauna! dp
2154.4	CRUSTS/SOFT & HARD	JULIET::LOWERY_SH		`Thu Jun 25 1992 18:50`	13
	REPLY TO 2154.2 If you want your crust to be soft on your homemade bread, you should brush it with butter as soon as you get it out of the oven. To get a nice hard crust like French bread, brush loaf before baking, with eggwhite which has been beat with a fork and a little water. YES you do use a pan of water in the oven. It still works and I/my family like my French bread just fine. Also I sprinkle a little white corn meal on pan before I set dough on it. This makes the bottom really crunchy.
2154.5	cover with towel helps too	DECLNE::TOWLE		`Fri Jun 26 1992 09:00`	8
	Another way to keep the crust soft is after taking the loaves out of the oven, and placing them on a wire rack and brushing with somf butter, place a cotton bakers towel over the loaves while they cool. This will keep the moisture that rises while cooling, on the surface of the bread. When cooled, I place the loaves in a double thickness plastic bag and place in the refrig. -VT