Vienna Rolls (bbd #06)

Three dainty shapes for buttery and crispy Vienna rolls

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Roundup PART I

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 Roundup PART II

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Eva from Sweet Sins is the host of bread baking day #06, for which she chose “bread shapes” as a theme.

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I found three interesting ways to shape Vienna rolls in an old professional bakers’ manual published in London in 1909. I scaled down the recipe given in the book—which originally called for 17 lb of flour—but I left it otherwise unchanged. The rolls bake beautifully crispy on the outside and have a nice layered interior.

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Clockwise from the bottom in the picture are shown the cannon roll, the horseshoe, and the twin or double roll.

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Thanks Eva for choosing a great theme and thanks to Zorra for initiating bbd!

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From the original recipe by Charles & James Scott

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In: “Vienna Bread: Instructions and Recipes”, 1909—UK

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Ingredients

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1 cup (228 ml) warm water

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1 cup (228 ml) whole milk

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5-1/2 cups (770 g) bread flour

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0.55 oz (15.6 g) fresh yeast (or 1-3/4 tsp (7 g) active dry yeast or 1 package)

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1-3/4 tsp (10.6 g) fine sea salt

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1/4 cup (50 g) unsalted butter, cold

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Egg wash (1 yolk mixed with 1 tbsp water)

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Scald the milk with the salt and set aside to cool to lukewarm. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (100°F–38°C) and set aside for about 5 minutes, until foamy. Add yeast water to flour and mix, then add the milk. Knead until the dough develops and feels satiny, smooth, and supple. You might need to add a little more water if the dough seems too dry or a little flour if it is too sticky. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes at room temperature, covered, then place it in a lightly buttered covered container and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight.

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Take the dough out of the refrigerator and flatten it in a rectangle 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) thick, with a rolling pin, on a lightly floured surface. Do not knead the dough. Dot the surface of the dough with thin slices of cold butter, then fold into thirds (business letter fold). Roll the dough again and fold in thirds two more times, letting the dough rest a few minutes every time. The same as you would do with croissants dough.

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Once the dough is ready, with sharp scissors or a dough scraper cut 1-1/2 oz (45 g) portions of dough and shape the rolls as shown in the following illustrations from the book.

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(click on the thumbnails to enlarge)

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For the Cannon Rolls

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Flatten a round portion of dough (1-1/2 oz–45 g) to resemble a “8” shape. Roll the rounded sides to enlarge them, then roll each side toward the center. Finally invert the roll so that the center strip is on top.

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For the Horseshoe

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Flatten a portion of dough (1-1/2 oz–45 g) into a round, then roll it into a sharp oval shape. Roll it up starting at one of the narrow ends, then elongate the rolled up dough rolling it under the palms of your hands, making sure the ends are well tapered. Finally curve it into a round, resembling a horseshoe.

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For the Twin or Double Roll

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Simply divide one portion of dough (1-1/2 oz–45 g) into two smaller balls, then join them together.

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Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C), place the formed rolls on two baking sheets and gently brush them with egg wash. Let the rolls rise, covered, until they are light. Bake them crisp in a dry oven (no steam). Let the rolls cool on a rack.

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This is how the interior should look; it is important not to knead the dough after the turns (click on the thumbnail to enlarge)

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Note: this dough, minus the butter and the turns, can be used, as said in the book, to make Kaiser rolls.

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