Hot Dog Rolls (2)

Welcome to another step-by-step recipe from BreadClub20. Why not drop by our main Facebook page by clicking here.... If you like what you see and enjoy the recipe, we hope you go on to join us by 'Liking' and 'Subscribing'.

A few months ago, I published a lengthy Breadclub20 posting on Hot Dog Rolls. 

You'll find it at :  https://breadclub20.blogspot.com/2020/12/hot-dog-rolls.html.

As well as tracing the social history of the Hot Dog and its accompanying roll, it also provided a recipe that was not as sweet as those sometimes preferred in the States or on the continent. 

This recipe, provides an alternative, albeit still not sugar-enriched. It's more on the lines of a Bridge Roll. The Bridge Roll was introduced around about 1926. Certainly, there is no record of the term before that date. 

By the 1950s, they were regularly served at children's parties, where they always seemed to be filled with either meat paste or egg and cress. They are wonderfully fluffy and light, but, by nature, rather small. 

However, there's nothing wrong with dividing the dough in such a way as to make rather larger rolls, ideal for a hot dog. Once cut, they will more than suitable for a pork sausage or frankfurter, bockwurst or wiener. 

Or egg and cress, I suppose. 

INGREDIENTS

450 gms strong white bread flour

200 mls milk

2 beaten eggs

10 gms sea salt

5 gms caster sugar

100 gms unsalted butter

10 gms instant active dried yeast

2 tablespoons of milk for glazing

METHOD

If you're using a machine, add the flour and the salt to the pan and cover with the liquid. Leave to autolyse for fifteen minutes. Add the remainder of the ingredients and choose a Basic Dough programme (2hrs 20 minutes). The proceed to the next stage. 

If you're mixing by hand or using a stand mixer, add the softened butter and the salt to the flour and mix thoroughly. Then add othe remainder of the dry ingredients (except the yeast). Slowly add the liquid, the eggs and then the yeast until you have a sticky mix. Turn the mix out onto a floured board and knead until you have a silky and pliable dough. (There are 'Help' videos and articles in the 'Useful Web and YouTube links' on the lefthand side of this page). Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover. Leave for an hour somewhere warm until the dough has doubled in size. 

This is a recipe with 61% hydration, allowing for the water content of the eggs, the milk and then calculating both as a % of the total flour. (74 gms (eggs) + 200 gms (milk) = 274. Which is 61% of 450 gms of flour)

Weigh the dough.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly-floured board, knock it back gently and divide into ten equal-sized portions. 

Flatten out the roll into a rectangular shape aproximately 15 cms long (the length of your frankfurter or bockwurst) and then fold inwards from the side nearest to you to form a 'swiss roll' form. 

Tidy up the ends, tucking them underneath and place seamside down on a baking sheet lined with silicone or parchment. 

Repeat with the other portions. Place them fairly close to each other as you want them to tough when they expand as 'batch bake'. This means that, when you tear them apart, you'l have two lovely soft sides to each roll. 

871 grams - divided into ten rolls. 

Even a dog whelk would have better dough-shaping skills than me! It's always been one of my weaknesses. Trouble is, I'm running out of time to get it right. 

Cover with parchment paper or a light cloth and leave until they have doubled in size - this should take approximately 40 minutes at 21⁰C. 

Preheat your oven to 220⁰C. 

When the oven is ready, lightly brush or spray the rolls with milk and then back for 15 - 18 minutes until lightly browned. You don't need them to be too brown - they'll be softer if they're not. 

Transfer the batch to a wire rack and allow to cool before separating them. 

What you don't eat immediately, you can freeze for another day. 

If you want to use this recipe for Bridge Rolls, simply divide the dough into 24 equal parts and make smaller rolls. They will be ideal as snacks, for children or to accompany soup. 

Happy baking.