"Sheldon" > wrote:
> That's not true. The vast majority of Kaiser rolls (actually they are
> Vienna rolls) are naked (no seeds) except for a light dusting of rye
> flour, and they are not made with sourdough, not ever. The real deal
> hand made roll is higher, rounder, poofier, with a very thin crisp
> dark brown crust and a light creamy crumb. I notice you never
> mentioned how you formed them, the most important aspect of this
> particualr roll is how they are formed into a five petaled rosette, a
> trick you certainly would have not only mentioned but also
> photographed in the making because it's kind of a well guarded secret
> in the industry and not many know how.... those sure look machine
> stamped to me... even old NYC union bakers with 50 years expereience
> can't "klop" the petals that evenly by hand. Hand stamps can be
> purchased (King Arthur sells them) but those are definitely machine
> stamped. You didn't bake those rolls, you bought them, a dozen in a
> plastic bag.
>
> Don't anyone ever try to fool me with baked goods, especially not
> breads.

My kaiser rolls MUST have poppy seeds. It's true that not all do. And almost all
of the bread I bake begins with my sourdough starter and doesn't use separate
yeast.

A purist would say a kaiser roll must be hand formed, by I'd guess 99.99% of the
kaiser rolls made in the USA (all sources including home) are not hand formed.

I use a hand stamp. I've had it for quite a few years, and it is made of cast
aluminum. It's very solid. I don't know if they are even made like this anymore.
Here's a picture of my stamp:

http://i6.tinypic.com/4zedoxt.jpg

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