Thanks to all who responded to my brotchen question. I've been away for a
little while so I would have responded sooner. I'll see if I can address
all questions/comments:
1. Mike Avery's recipe/suggestion - I came into contact with Mike a few
months ago and he suggested the recipe that Joyce listed. I tried it and
unfortunately it didn't make the brotchen I was looking for, or maybe it
was me. While the crumb was close, once agan, the crust wasn't. I'll give
the recipe anther shot this week adhereing to everything it suggests,
exactly. I've got a bread machine which I don't use any more. Maybe the
way this thing kneads and mixes has something to do with it (I do know this
CAN be an issue). I use a KitchenAid right now as well as by hand. Mike's
a great guy and has always done his best to help me or at least point me in
the right direction.
2. The specific brotchen I'm seeking - Yes, there are so many different
types of brotchen over there but the ones I'm seeking I've found in
Geislingen, Koln, Dusseldorf and Wiesdorf, and at different bakeries, so I
can only assume they are pretty common. Actually, the crumb and shape is
one thing (that I'm not really that stuck on), but the crust is the
sticking point. I don't know the names of the types of rolls (could
probably find out though). I'll do the best I can to describe, no sorry,
they're not Laugen Brotchen. The crust that I'm looking to create is
uniformly golden brown, very crunchy (breaks into little pieces but without
falling all over the floor), and slightly chewy. The crumb is light, does
have a tendancy to clump together (it's easy to gather it and remove it,
which some people do), and doesn't seem to be made from any type of
enriched dough. The brotchen themselves are light and have a shelf life of
about 2 days.
3. Mrs Chris Pringle: If it's not too much, you could email me the recipes
in German. Translating here is no problem for me. I have found recipes in
German on the web, but nothing was really out of the ordinary.
4. What I've found that seems to work:
a. Forming the brotchen, letting them rise and 1/2 way through the rise,
cutting with an oiled knife, and flipping onto the cut. Then, just before
baking, flipping back again, and then of course baking. This technique
absolutely produces the correct shape.
b. Since my last post, I received a suggestion from a German baking
website. They said to use skim milk in the recipe since the extra sugar
will provide crunch to the crust without imparting sweetness to the dough.
Yes, it works in that it does produce a nice crunchy roll, but no it's not
the same. Maybe I'm doing something wrong of course but using milk seems
to produce a heavier roll. I'll continue to experiment.
5. I could of course go on and on but I'll wait to see what someone can
come up with. Regardless, I'll continue to pester the entire baking
industry and experiment on my own. When I make any landmark discoveries,
I'll let you all know. The flipping thing definately does work, so at
least that's the first part of the puzzle that's been solved. Thanks again
to you all. Am sure I've got some of you chuckeling at my obsession with
brotchen. Even my wife thinks the Major of Marines has gone off the deep
end.