Hi, I have just started a new job where one of my requirements is to bake breads and bread rolls; my boss has given me the following criteria which is to be met for the rolls:
- light and soft texture (but not "McDonalds burger bun" soft
- crispy
- light, as in weight
- not chewy
I've tried everything; high hydration; steam; no steam; high temperature, low temperature; egg; milk, etc - he's not satisfied. He suggested a longer kneading and proofing time which I'm not sure of (especially the kneading). I am not the most experienced bread baker, but I do know one or two things, just not how to get that light fluffiness of commercial bread rolls. I spoke to a baker at a supermarket here and he said the ONLY way is to add a 15% pre-mix to the dough. My boss doesn't seem too keen. Please, I desperately need some advice here, on how to get what he's asking of me. (I live in South Africa, by the way. Many thanks, Justine
Try adding some fat to the dough (lard or butter or oil) after developing the gluten really well. It's what French bakers do to make brioche. Mix your dough 10 minutes, then add the fat and mix another 10 minutes.
Also, up the yeast and fluffiness will come.
How come he hasn't shown you how to make these rolls? There's a reason supermarket bread is fluffy cottonwool. It's because they use industrial-scale processes to meet their priorities and these have little in common with artisinal techniques (and ingredients).
What scale production do you need to achieve? What equipment is at your disposal (mixers, ovens etc)? There are plenty of roll formulae which tick some of your boxes. For example, I use a baguette dough to make crispy rolls for one customer, a cafe. The recipe uses a 12-16 hour biga but with less dough development than for baguettes. Let me know if you'd like to try it.
Your boss is demanding! The previous comment suggesting that you add fat is a very good one. Also, I would avoid additional kneading, as that's not likely to make the bread taste better or feel fluffier. You might also consider supplementing white flour with whole wheat, white whole wheat, spelt, etc. As you suggest, the best way to improve the bread's flavor is to use a pre-ferment (or sourdough levain), and to increase the fermentation time. Good flavor takes time.
First, your boss is a jerk. If he knew how to make this type of bread he would have shown you how to make it. His suggestion of "more kneading and proofing" is a blind one in my opinion. What it sounds like he wants is a dough developed by using an intensive mix method. It produces a light crumb with a thin crisp crust. Dough developed this way suffers from oxidation of the wheat which effects taste. It will not be noticeable to individuals used to eating store bought bread. Research intensive mix bread. I am not at home right now so I cant get you the directions that I have from King Arthur Flour on how to make this bread. I will get it tonight and post it tomorrow for you. Hope your boss doesn't fire you by then.
A couple of thoughts come to mind to help with the softness and tenderness aspects you are looking for.
One is the use of cooked potatoes, thoroughly mashed and mixed into the dough. The water in which the potatoes were boiled can also be used as some of the liquid and will help tenderize/moisturize the finished rolls. If cooking isn't practical in your bakery, you can also add potatoes in dry form as potato flakes or potato flour. You'll need to increase hydration somewhat to account for the additional dry ingredients.
The second is tang zhong, where a small portion of the flour is cooked with five times its weight in water. You can search for that term here to get more detailed instructions.
Crispy crusts and a soft interior are somewhat opposed to each other. Bernard Clayton's recipe for Eggshell Rolls uses beaten egg whites in the dough to produce a light texture and a thin, crisp crust.
Best of luck with your assignment.
Paul
The suggestions sound alot like the King Arthur Flour "White Bread 101" recipe. It contains butter, milk powder and potato flour, plus a pretty hefty dose of yeast. In addition to flour, water, and salt. I make dinner rolls (pictured) with this recipe and it seems to meet your boss' requirements. My dinner rolls scale about 2.5 ounces dough weight each, and they are about 2/3 the finished size of a burger bun. Maybe try 3.5-4.0 ounces pre-baked dough weight per burger bun.
I did the math on burger buns from our grocery store and the baked weight is less than 2 ounces per roll. They are super fluffy and have zero flavor or substance to them. The bread culture in the US is broken.
Hi all,
I want to give a big Thank you for all of the tips and advice - it's much appreciated.
To answer some of the questions:
- it's a deli / coffee shop, and we'll be selling breakfast and lunch, along with a hot counter (this is where the bread comes into play)
- as for appliances: mixers: it's a free-standing with a capacity of 6kg; the oven is industrial with a maximum temperature of 400 Celsius with no steam function. We also have a proofing oven with humidity settings
- I cannot say how much we're hoping to do, production wise, but it's going to be more than 30 rolls a day, I'm more or less certain of this. Apart from the rolls we also want to do "rustic" breads, ciabattas, and rye
The reason my boss doesn't know of any recipes himself is because this venture is the first time for all of us, and he has admitted he doesn't know too much about baking. So we're all sorta flying into this blind, haha.
But thanks again! Tomorrow we'll be doing some test-runs...