Hoagie Rolls a la Peter Reinhart

I love a great sandwich as anybody who follows this blog must know. And without being overly particular, I like a sandwich with corned beef, or other cold cuts. Or with a nice fruity jam, or peanut butter. Or pan-seared veggies and cheese. The key to all of this is the right kind of bread, of course. And there are so many kinds to choose from for making good, no great, sandwiches.

One of my baking heroes is Peter Reinhart, the Master Baker whose many cookbooks, show his genius as a baker along with the learning process he is going through as he experiments with different approaches to baking bread. His bread is truly world-class and his books, like The Bread Baker's Apprentice, from which this recipe is adapted, are all classics. Because they are both cookbooks with great recipes, and also. teaching books. Peter Reinhart in other words, is not only a Master Baker, he wants to teach you how to take your bread to a whole other level. Put the two together, the love of sandwiches and the truly wonderful bread and you know you can't miss.

These rolls are from bread in the style of classic Italian bread. Not what they typically call Italian in the US, i.e., French only softer. Italian bread in the rustic tradition. A crunchy crust with a soft interior. The crust crackling with every delicious bite, and the soft crumb, holding the fillings heroically and sopping up every drop of mustard, mayo or whatever. In other words, a great hoagie roll with a rustic tradition. Try it, making sure to pay attention to the details. You won't regret it.

Here's What You'll Need:

for the starter (biga)
2 1/2 cups (320g) unbleached AP flour
1/2 tsp instant yeast
3/4 to 1 cup warm water

for the dough
2 1/2 cups (320g) unbleached AP flour
1 2/3 tsp salt
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp instant yeast
1 Tbs. olive oil
3/4 to 1 cup warm water
cornmeal or semolina for dusting

Here's What You'll Need To Do:

1. The night before baking, stir together the flour and the yeast, then slowly add the 3/4 cup of water. Mixing by hand bring it together to form a rough dough. If needed, add up to 1 cup water total.

2. Remove the dough to a lightly-floured surface and knead for a few minutes until it becomes smooth. Place the dough in a lightly-oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover to ferment.

3. After about 3 hours, you can place the biga in the refrigerator overnight.

the next day...

4. Be sure to remove the biga to the counter at least an hour before proceeding so it comes to room temperature.

5. Mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast thoroughly in a large bowl.

6. Cut the biga into smallish lumps and add it in, then, finally, the remaining water. Continue to mix until a soft dough forms. You may have to slightly adjust the flour and/or water. The resulting dough should be soft and just barely sticky. It is not a batter or stiff (like bagel dough for instance).

7. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl to rise until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

8. Remove the dough to a lightly-floured surface. Cut it in 2 being careful not to deflate it too much. If you are making loaves, shape each half into a 'log' shape, then after a short wait into a 'batard', i.e., slightly tapered at each end. If you are making rolls, cut each half into 4 equal pieces. Then after a short wait, shape each piece into a 'torpedo', or a round.

8. Place the shaped dough on a parchment covered baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Spray lightly with oil, then cover lightly with plastic to rise until almost doubled, about 1 hour. Slash the rolls down the middle just before baking. The loaves should be slashed in a decorative pattern too.

9. Bake in a preheated oven (450 F / 220 C), with steam for 30 minutes (loaf) or about 17 minutes (rolls).

10. Cool on a rack.

Second Home - Mediterranean Olive Bread

When you think of typical Mediterranean foods, certain images immediately come to mind. Salty white cheeses like the famous feta and its universal cousins. Olive oil and olives. Ripe, firm tomatoes. Fresh herbs like oregano, basil of course, thyme, rosemary.

And bread, two styles especially. There is the thick-crusted 'artisan'-style loaves. Basically a boule, baked at a high temperature until almost black. The interior remains soft and white while the crust is so crunchy you almost have to saw it open. Almost. Then there is the 'country' loaf. A softer crust with a white and fluffy interior. Almost heaven and made with only a few select ingredients. White bread flour, yeast, water and salt. To soften the crust just a little more add an egg. To brown the crust add some sugar. That's it.

This bread is from the second category. It has a robust crust but not at all crunchy or chewy. The interior is soft as soft can be. Fluffy. It is a variation on a bread found throughout the Mediterranean in one form or another. Another variant can be found in the wonderful baking book Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. I have replaced the typical butter with olive oil to cut down on the saturated fats, and to add the flavor of the oil. Olive oil does not suit a lot of baked goods, but is perfect for Mediterranean bread. Also, just so you wouldn't mistake it's origins, I have added about 1 cup of roughly chopped green olives. The aroma in your kitchen will be unbelievable. And if you can manage to wait until it cools, you won't be disappointed.

Here's What You'll Need:
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups bread flour (or AP flour)
1 Tbs. dry yeast
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cups warm water
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter (or Olive oil)
1 cup green olives, roughly chopped (or half black)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Here's What You'll Need to Do:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups of the flour and the other dry ingredients (yeast, sugar and salt). Mix thoroughly.

2. Make a well in the center, then add the water, while stirring, to form a thick-ish batter. Beat in the eggs, then the butter gradually. Or the olive oil if using it instead of the butter.

3. Stir vigorously until the batter is smooth and silky, then add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough 'cleans the bowl'. Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and shiny and only just barely sticky.

4. Place the dough in a lightly-oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover and let it rise until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

5. Deflate the dough. Push it out with your fingers until it forms a rough rectangle. Sprinkle the drained olives evenly over the surface of the dough, then roll it up, jelly-roll style from the long side to form a 'log'. Tuck the ends underneath the log, and place it on a parchment -lined baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel, to rise a second time, about 45 minutes.

6. About 20 minutes before baking time, pre-heat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Brush the loaf with the beaten egg, then bake for about 35 minutes until it is a deep brown. It will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

7. Cool on a rack.

Oh, and it makes amazing toast!

Pane Con Pomodori e Cipolle Rosse - Tomato and Red Onion Bread

I love Italian bread. It's a fact. I think what I love the most is the simplicity that leads to sophistication that I find in the best Italian breads. For example, the most popular breads have only four ingredients: flour, water yeast and salt. There are some Tuscan breads that even leave out the salt, depending on the thick stew served with the bread to provide the flavor when you sop it up. How simple is that? So... where does the flavor come from? From the rise, which, if you do it right, should be slow and at cool temperatures. Like in the fridge.

This bread is a variation of a peasant loaf that comes from Calabria in Southern Italy. There, they like food spicy and the tomatoes are firm and packed with flavor. The combination of a slow-rising dough, with tomatoes and red onions and just a pinch of red pepper flakes makes for a bread that is strong on character and perfect for smoked meats and cheeses. Or just toasted with butter or some other spread like humus, mustard (under the toppings) or a good quality mayonnaise (ditto).

Here's What You'll Need: (for 1 large loaf)
3 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
2/3 (167 ml)cups warm water
4 cups (560 g) bread flour
2 tsp. salt
1 lb (450 g) ripe tomatoes
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 red onions, finely sliced
3 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Here's What You'll Need To Do:
1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside to activate, about 10 minutes.

2. Mix the flour and salt in a separate large bowl, make a well in the center and add in the dissolved yeast. Mix in just enough flour from the sides to make a slurry, then cover and let it rest to create a 'sponge' for about an hour.

3. In the meantime, peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds. Chop just the flesh of the tomatoes roughly and set aside. Peel and finely slice the onions.

4. Heat the olive oil in a pan then add the onions and oregano and pepper flakes. Finally, add the tomatoes and saute gently, covered for about 10 minutes. This will allow the juices to come out of the tomatoes and create a thick sauce. Cool this mixture completely before continuing.

5. Stir the tomato mixture into the sponge, and mix thoroughly to make a soft slightly sticky dough. The tomatoes are wet, and you may need to add a little flour to keep the dough manageable, i.e., only slightly sticky.

6. Knead for a few minutes to bring it together and evenly distribute the tomato mixture, then form it into a ball and place it in a lightly-oiled bowl (turn to coat) and cover to let it rise. Let it double in volume. This will take about 2 hours. If you want to greatly improve the flavor, you can place the dough in the refrigerator overnight like I did. Amazing!

7. If you placed to dough in the refrigerator, remove it, and, leaving it covered, let it come to room temperature, about 2 hours. 'Knock down' the dough, and form it into a tight boule. Place it on a baking sheet covered with baking paper, covered with a kitchen towel to rise again, about 1 hour.

8. Bake in a pre-heated oven (350 F; 180 C) for about 45 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a rack completely before slicing.

Not Yo' Mama's Italian Bread

Time was, that going to an Italian bakery meant something special. By that I mean, some kinds of bread are closely associated in our minds with their ethnic origins. For example, if asked to think of French bread, you will almost immediately think of the crusty baguettes, long and thin, with the chewy crust and soft interior. Perfect for butter and a nice sharp cheese. Unfortunately, for most people, Italian bread has come to mean something similar only softer. In truth, there are many types of Italian bread, from the rustic Pane Tuscana, which is very crusty and chewy (also no salt so eaten with salty foods usually), to the crusty dinner rolls found at almost all Italian restaurants. Modern bakeries, in their quest to speed things up (for increased volume and profits) have sacrificed flavor and texture. When we deliberately slow things down, in other words, work with dough that is fermented for a long time, we can coax out the flavors in the wheat that we otherwise sacrifice. If you are willing to start the bread today but only eat it tomorrow, then the whole world of complex flavor and texture opens up to you.

I have written in the past about using various starters. One I have used before is called pate fermente. This is French in origin and is essentially the formula for baguette dough, only put in the refrigerator overnight to ferment slowly. This bread, called simply Italian bread, harks back to the days before factory bakeries, when even commercial breads were shaped by hand and proofed slowly. It uses a starter called a biga, which is Italian in origin and similar to the pate fermente. On the second day, the starter is allowed to come to room temperature, then mixed with the other ingredients to make a chewy bread with a soft crumb, perfect for sandwiches (or sopping up the gravy of a great bolognese sauce. It is an adaptation from a recipe inThe Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. An exceptional book BTW and one everyone should have on his/her bookshelf.

Here's What You'll Need:
for the biga
2 1/2 cups (320g) flour
1/2 teaspoon yeast
3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons to 1 cup  (200 to 230g) water at room temperature
1. Stir together the flour and the yeast, then slowly add the water to form a shaggy dough. Remove it to a lightly floured tabletop and knead for a few minutes until smooth. Then place in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover and let it ferment for 2 to 4 hours. It will rise until doubled but, as you can see it takes a while.
2. Remove it from the bowl, then remove the gas gently. Place it back it the bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day...

Here's What You'll Need for the Dough:
all the biga from yesterday
2 1/2 cups (350g) flour
1 2/3 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon yeast
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup to 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons (200 to 230g) water (or milk)

Here's What You'll Need to Do:
1. Remove the biga from the refrigerator about an hour before using so it comes to room temperature. Cut it into about 10 pieces and cover with a towel while it warms up.
2. Mix together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast.Then add the biga pieces, the olive oil and the water.

Using a mixer, mix it all together until it forms a smooth ball that 'cleans the bowl' of the mixer.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it on a lightly floured tabletop for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and tacky (but not sticky). Then, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat and cover. Let it ferment at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
4. If you are making loaves, gently divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, form them into loaves while being careful not to de-gas the dough any more than necessary. Place the dough in prepared loaf pans.
5. If making rolls, divide the dough into 9 equal pieces, about 50g each (about 2 oz.). Gently shape them to be tapered at the end, like Italian 'torpedo rolls'.

6. Either way, cover and let them rise for another hour until they are about 1 1/2 time their original size.
7. Heat the oven to 475 F (240 C). Place an empty loaf pan on the bottom. If using a baking stone, place the pan under the stone. When the oven is heated, and the bread has risen, pour about a cup of boiling water into the pan and quickly close the door. After a few seconds spray the walls of the oven with water and close the door. Do this again after another 20 seconds or so.
8. Lower the temperature to 425 F (220 C), slash the bread, then place the bread in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes for loaves or 15 minutes for rolls.

9. Cool on a rack.

These rolls make great sandwiches. Yum!!