I’m always disappointed with store bought rolls-they always seem be just a vehicle that brings your burger to your mouth. When you chew one, it turns into a gooey wad! Gross! And they never go bad or stale-you can have them for a month without them molding!
I’m glad that Reinhart had a recipe for Kaiser rolls. They have a really cool technique and are slightly enriched dough-so they were fun to work with. My brother, Evan, told me about buns he made from the website Smitten Kitchen. They were brioche buns though, meaning they were rich and very tender. These Kaiser rolls are a good balance between an enriched bread and a lean one.
Kaiser rolls are the quintessential sandwich roll because of their large size and their crisp-yet-soft texture. Supposedly, they originated in Vienna, Austria and were named after Emperor Franz Joseph. The word Kaiser means an Austrian emperor or an autocrat. In Austria, they are called Kaisersemme. The names of these rolls changes depending on the region in which they are made.
Oftentimes, they are referred to as Vienna rolls. However, kaiser rolls are sometimes called “bulkie rolls” in the New England Area. This variation is usually larger and softer than that of the Kaiser.
Anyway, Kaiser rolls have a hard crust, while still maintaining pillowy insides. They can be topped with seeds, or none at all. The top of a Kaiser roll represents a star-like shape. Rather than knotting each individual roll, some bakeries choose to use a Kaiser roll press.
This press is in the shape of a star. With a roll-sized ball, the baker presses the dough, going almost to the base of the dough. This cuts in a star-like shape which blooms in the oven, giving the roll its distinct shape. However, the traditional method is knotting several times until it forms a star.
Reinhart begins with a pre-fermented dough, in order to give the rolls more flavor. A few nights before, I made the pate-fermentee, which translates into “old dough.” Unlike other pre-ferments, pate-fermentee has salt. Usually bakeries just use yesterday’s leftover dough, rather than making some for this purpose.
I mixed together flour, salt, yeast together. To this, I added the pate-fermentee, water, oil, and egg. I kneaded the dough until it was soft, tacky, but not sticky. Then, I let it ferment for the first rise for about 2 hours.
After it had risen, I divided the dough out into 2-2/3 ounce pieces, and shaped these into balls. I let them rest for about ten minutes, or until the gluten had relaxed. Next, I rolled them out into 8 inch strands, and then I began shaping them.
I crossed the dough over itself, and tied a simple knot. Then, I took the strands and wrapped them around again, making a tight, star –like shape. I flipped them nice-side-down onto a prepared sheet pan, and let them rise again for about 45 minutes. Then, I flipped them right-side-up for the final rise. However, I realized that if I let them rise again and baked them, it would be past midnight. So, I put the pre-proofed, but shaped, rolls in the fridge overnight.
The next day, I took them out to take off the chill. Then, I misted them with water, sprinkled them with seeds, and baked them in a 450F oven for ten minutes. I then rotated them, lowered the temperature, and baked them for another ten minutes, or until the insides reached 200F.
They turned out really well-and they’re tasty too! I made a wicked sandwich with chicken, tomato, basil, mozzarella, whole grain mustard, and a reduction of balsamic vinegar. It was delicious, and the bun was too! Usually the bun is the worst part of the sandwich, but instead, the texture definitely complimented it. It was crunchy on the outside, and was substantial enough to hold together. I’ll definitely be making these again; maybe I’ll make a double or triple batch and freeze them!