Maj. Michael Bruno asked about brotchen.
I got this recipe from the bread baker's list (courtesy of Mike Avery) a
few months back. Mike posted it in response to a thread about a home-sick
au pair, who was pining for brotchen. I tried it, and it reminds me a lot
of the rolls we got on our hiking trips in Switzerland last year...very
light crispy, scrumptious. There's an unusual "something" about this recipe
that I've never been able to put my finger on; the ingredients are so
"usual", but the result seem different. The magic must be in the ingredient
proportions. Or maybe the memories of Swiss lakes, misty mornings on the
mountain tops, meadows, cowbells...
This isn't exactly the way Mike posted the recipe. I "shorthanded" the
recipe for my own use making dough in the bread machine, then shaping rolls
by hand and baking. So, I apologize if something gets lost in the
translation. But if you're at all familiar with making bread dough (and
Major Bruno certainly sounds like he knows what he's doing!), there's
nothing special going on here at all. The egg wash counts, though. Don't
omit it. The rolls taste fine but look half-cooked without it.
My family devours these. I make a double recipe every week, bake the
rolls, put them in the freezer, and then just toss a couple of frozen rolls
in the oven at dinner time (150 F for about 10 - 15 min.) and we have fresh
rolls for dinner (or lunch or breakfast -- with freshly made "refrigerator"
jams and butter.) In the interests of our health, I've even done these
mixing whole wheat and bread flour half-and-half (I Use King Arthur's white
whole wheat flour) and they're still good (my "health nut" husband says
even better.)
* Exported from MasterCook *
Brotchen
Recipe By :Mike Avery
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Breads
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pk. dry active yeast
2 tsp sugar
3 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tbs vegetable oil -- or unsalted butter
1 cup warm water
Method:
Combine all ingredients in bread machine pan and use dough cycle. After
dough cycle completes, punch down and let rise for 15-20 minutes more.
Divide into 10-12 round portions on a greased cookie sheet. Allow to rise
until doubled. Brush with an egg wash (1 egg white beaten with 1 Tbsp
water) and make decorative slashes in top of rolls. Place in a 375 F.
preheated oven and bake until golden brown (about 30 minutes).
For additional crispness it helps to spray the rolls periodically with a
fine mist of water. The rolls are finished when they sound hollow when tapped.
Note: These are traditionally oblong, with a slashed top right down the
center of the oblong, but can be shaped as round rolls, with criscrossed
slashes in the top, similar to kaiser rolls. Also great for dinner
rolls. Baked rolls can be frozen and reheated in a warm (150 F) oven for
10 to 15 minutes until warm and crisp. Or rolls can be partially baked
until set and light brown, then frozen. Complete baking prior to serving
in a 375 F oven until golden brown and heated through.
("Brown-and-Serve")
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Per serving: about 150 Calories (kcal)-- 20% calories from fat)