Recipe: Vienna (Rosette) Rolls

I had some friends who recently travelled to Vienna, and they though this might be what you were looking for:

Vienna Rolls

Vienna rolls are five-part, round rolls with thin, hard surfaces and light interiors. Commercial versions tend to be uninspiring. A hand crafted Kaiser looks like an overblown rosette - the product of what some call "klopping", a Yiddish word for the sound and motion delivered as a baker molds the dough into shape. If you want an authentic look, there are roll "stamps" available. Otherwise, add the marks with the back of a chef's knife.

1 1/2 cups tepid water
5 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 eggs
1 egg white
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon malt powder (optional - available from home brewing supply stores)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached bread four
nonstick cooking spray
poppy seeds for garnish

In a large bowl, whisk together water and yeast. Let stand 2 minutes. Whisk in eggs and egg white, then salt, sugar, malt powder, then oil. Fold in most of flour to make a soft, kneadable dough. Knead (by hand, with bread machine mixer hook - slow speed). Add more flour to produce a soft, bouncy dough (5 to 8 minutes).

Form dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Insert bowl into a plastic bag and let rise until almost doubled (30 to 40 minutes).Gently deflate dough and cut into 16 portions. Let rest on a board for 3 to 5 minutes, and then shape into balls and mark / decorate / stamp.

Stack two baking sheets together and line the top one with parchment paper. Place rolls, stamped / decorated side down, on baking sheet. Insert baking sheet(s) in large plastic garbage bags (clear ones are available in garden stores) and let rise until doubled (30 to 40 minutes).

Gently turn rolls decorated side up and spray rolls generously with non-stick cooking spray and top with poppy seeds.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place rolls in oven and immediately reduce heat to 350 F. Bake until evenly browned (15 to 20 minutes).