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- Dec 9, 2017
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I have kind of settled on Canola oil for my Italian bread and Kaiser rolls. I use ti to grease the bowl for primary rises also. I am open to suggestions, does anyone have a different favorite oil they have good success with?
I initially started out with Olive Oil. I figured, why not, it is good stuff on everything else! But it was ‘flavoring’ my bread. Enough so that the Italian did not take quite like it should. I tried a few other oils (do not really remember which to be honest) and settled on the canola, it seemed to be the most ‘inert’ tasting one.
For helping me.. I will pass along this woman’s Italian Bread recipe. If you have ever been to upstate NY or in NYC, THIS is what Italian bread tastes like. She said she could not get it in Albany, but we had a great Italian bakery in Binghamton, NY, that made it.
I make a half recipe loaf, it comes out very well. Just cut the ingredients in half. Play around with the salt amount to your taste. IT does not take much either way to make it different. I prefer a little saltier taste. For dough texture: I hand kneed and like it so it just sticks, yet fully separates from my palm. If I stopped mid kneed, I would be able to lift the dough ball up just by it sticking to my hand, but not be ‘messy’ or too wet. All the dough will easily separate from my hand. If I make the dough wetter, I can’t get good tension in it for the last rise before baking. Too wet and it just flattens out. Too dry and it tases too dry – yuk. Just right and you will get a great, free-standing loaf of Italian bread!
To finish: Right before it goes into the oven I brush it with half and half. I do not cover it for the final rise, so it has a little crust on it and it takes the basteing nicely. It gives it a great, sort of flaky crust.
To bake: 400 for 20 minutes for a softer crust. 400 for 25 minutes gives it a nice tooth to the crust. Not crunchy hard, but really nice.
Same woman: Kaiser Rolls. These really are Da Bomb! I do not cover them for the final rise, I can never get the towel to come off correct. It pulls at them and they all flatten out!! Again, I do a half recipe and get 6…. Or is it 8 hamburger sized buns. It takes quite a bit of tension on them when you are balling them up. Try putting a little less oil in them, I prefer them that way.
I initially started out with Olive Oil. I figured, why not, it is good stuff on everything else! But it was ‘flavoring’ my bread. Enough so that the Italian did not take quite like it should. I tried a few other oils (do not really remember which to be honest) and settled on the canola, it seemed to be the most ‘inert’ tasting one.
For helping me.. I will pass along this woman’s Italian Bread recipe. If you have ever been to upstate NY or in NYC, THIS is what Italian bread tastes like. She said she could not get it in Albany, but we had a great Italian bakery in Binghamton, NY, that made it.
I make a half recipe loaf, it comes out very well. Just cut the ingredients in half. Play around with the salt amount to your taste. IT does not take much either way to make it different. I prefer a little saltier taste. For dough texture: I hand kneed and like it so it just sticks, yet fully separates from my palm. If I stopped mid kneed, I would be able to lift the dough ball up just by it sticking to my hand, but not be ‘messy’ or too wet. All the dough will easily separate from my hand. If I make the dough wetter, I can’t get good tension in it for the last rise before baking. Too wet and it just flattens out. Too dry and it tases too dry – yuk. Just right and you will get a great, free-standing loaf of Italian bread!
To finish: Right before it goes into the oven I brush it with half and half. I do not cover it for the final rise, so it has a little crust on it and it takes the basteing nicely. It gives it a great, sort of flaky crust.
To bake: 400 for 20 minutes for a softer crust. 400 for 25 minutes gives it a nice tooth to the crust. Not crunchy hard, but really nice.
Same woman: Kaiser Rolls. These really are Da Bomb! I do not cover them for the final rise, I can never get the towel to come off correct. It pulls at them and they all flatten out!! Again, I do a half recipe and get 6…. Or is it 8 hamburger sized buns. It takes quite a bit of tension on them when you are balling them up. Try putting a little less oil in them, I prefer them that way.