Italian sandwich roll recipe needed

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ewilson04341

Assistant Cook
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Jan 5, 2009
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North Carolina for now
i am originally from maine and want to make the the italian roll from scratch because i so miss the original italian sandwich from maine
Can someone out there help me with this?????
 
yeah i looked at it and printed and read it through but this calls for a crusty bread this bread i am talking about is not crusty its actually a soft bread sort of like a hot dog roll but yet again a hot dog roll is not the right consistency i am looking for. Call me Picky its about the bread with this sandwich.
 
yeah i looked at it and printed and read it through but this calls for a crusty bread this bread i am talking about is not crusty its actually a soft bread sort of like a hot dog roll but yet again a hot dog roll is not the right consistency i am looking for. Call me Picky its about the bread with this sandwich.

Dear Picky,:LOL:

If you want a soft crust do not put any type of glaze on the bread. Just bake it, them when the bread comes out of the oven, rub a stick of butter on the top and cover with a tea towel. this will hold the moisture in the top crust and soften it nicely.

A soft crust is not really a quality of Italian bread, a chewy crust is its signature with a soft, airy crumb. If you want very nice sandwich rolls with soft crust, try my Basic White Bread recipe. It has sugar, milk and butter in the dough, and you can shape the dough to any shape you desire. I make this recipe for our sandwich/hamburger rolls every 7-10 days. they are delicious and they freeze well. Yes, I have made them in the shape of hogie rolls (tubes), using 4 oz of dough per roll. For very soft crust, eliminate the egg wash.

Enjoy!

Joe
 
I too need a good Italian Sandwich Roll Recipe

I know how You feel!!! Ilived in southern Maine for 49 years. I spent 15 years working in Boston, NYC, and Philly. I know live in Northeastern Nevada and have not been able to find anything that comes close to an Italian Sandwich. I have made friends with a local Baker and have been trying to explain to her what a REAL Italian Sandwich looks like. My next step is to have one sent overnight on FEDEX so We can disect it. So if you have any luck I would love to hear about it.:w00t2:
 
Did any of you try that roll recipe? As a kid I went to Maine for vacations and loved Amato's sandwiches, still do, everytime we are back there we eat literately dozens of them.

I have tried to recreate the sandwich roll many times and have had zero success. All the recipes I have tried end up being more like traditional Italian bread (thin/thick crust, dry airy inside), which could not be more different from Amato's bread. Amato's is dense, almost undercooked, not even a hint of a crust on it.

When in Maine last year I bought some of the bread just to eat it plain, thinking I could figure it out. The bread basically tasted like a hotdog bun, though less sweet, denser and if eating by itself you would say it needed more salt.

The frustrating part is most recipes for hotdog buns are basically white bread recipes also...so, still trying...the recipe could be something simple and just the procedure is unique, if we only had a insider at the Amato's bakery.... :)

I suspect the bread is baked in a low oven, since they have no browning at all.

-Mark
 
Italian "Sandwich" roll

For those of your searching for the Maine Italian "Sandwich" roll, here's what I have come up with.

Although, I'm still searching and haven't really tried a recipe yet, I am from Maine and I know exactly what you are looking for. I've been thinking lately that the consistency of the Italian sandwich roll is much like the Yeast Dinner Roll. I'm thinking we could make the roll and rather than make balls for the dinner roll, maybe make long ropes. What people have to understand is that they must bake next to each other so they become attached, not separately like other sub rolls.

These are really nothing like an "Italian roll", but have a very soft crust like on the top of a split hot dog roll. They are called Italian sandwich rolls because of the "sandwich" not the roll. They were originally made for Italian workers in Maine by an Italian baker and they evolved into the "Italian Sandwich" most all Mainers love and crave.

I think the very soft crust is made by some sort of dough enhancer or another bakers trick, not necessarily by brushing with butter or a towel but I'm not sure. They are unlike any other rolls I have come across EXCEPT the dinner roll, which comes very close. I am including a link for the dinner rolls so you can see what the consistency looks like, just imagine them in long rolls rather than dinner roll size, (same height though) but about 11 or 12 inches long.
http://www.recipebridge.com/g/ODI1NzYyMzo6OjoxMTA=

It is the crust that might come out differently but I think this type of roll is the basis and we just have to find out how they get that crust consistency although this crust in this recipe looks very close. Happy hunting.
 
I used to work at Nappi's Bakery in Portland Maine.
The quintessential Italian Sandwich Bread bakery in the southern Maine area.

The trick to the crust is to spray it with water before the proofing and after the proofing. The water for moistening and the water used in the dough was very well filtered also.
(note: after the proofing the dough ropes should be touching each other to the point of rising upward (not outward.)

A full size bakers sheet should hold 15 ropes (I think. It has been 20+ years) They were bagged in 6's and the division per pan was not even.

As to the recipe, it was a family secret.

There is no other bread like that in the world.
 
I used to work at Nappi's Bakery in Portland Maine.
The quintessential Italian Sandwich Bread bakery in the southern Maine area.

The trick to the crust is to spray it with water before the proofing and after the proofing. The water for moistening and the water used in the dough was very well filtered also.
(note: after the proofing the dough ropes should be touching each other to the point of rising upward (not outward.)

A full size bakers sheet should hold 15 ropes (I think. It has been 20+ years) They were bagged in 6's and the division per pan was not even.

As to the recipe, it was a family secret.

There is no other bread like that in the world.


Thanks for sharing and welcome to DC!
 
Hi! I signed up specifically for this thread but I now realize there are many other interesting things to explore here. I realize this is an old thread but I'd like to bring it back to life. I too once lived in Maine and I CRAVE Maine Italian sandwiches and am trying to figure out what the Maine Italian Sandwich Bread Recipe might be? . I'm trying to see if I can make them at home and wonder if anyone has anymore tips or tricks to offer? I've tried hamburger and hot dog roll recipes and they aren't the same. Thanks!
 
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Welcome to DC, Kate!

I found a thread here that discusses your rolls. I keep trying to get my favorite bread maker to try different things. Hopefully, you will find the rolls you seek.
 
Buon Giorno,

Interesting Post ...

*** Involtini ( Rolls ) in Roma ...

When we were in Roma, we had enjoyed Turkey Involtini stuffed with fresh home made Ricotta with black truffles at Casa Bleve on Vìa Del Teatro Valle Number 49 ...

In Italia, I have never seen Involtini in bread ... They are a roll served without bread.

Therefore, I would tend to believe that this Recipe from Maine had been developed by Italian Immigrants either during the 1920s or WWII 40s or prior to 1920s ...

Any historical knowledge on topic ?

Good luck with finding the right recipe for you.

Have a nice Sunday.
Ciao, Margi. Cintrano.
 
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I prefer Italian breads and rolls that look like this-
(Of course the small rolls are often round and of a much lighter color.)
 

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Hi! THANKS!

Hi Kathleen!
WOW! Thanks! I don't know how I've missed that one! I'll disect that thread, try the tips sometime over the next few days and report back! :yum:

Hi Margi!
I think we've met on Foods of the World forum!
History:
You're correct!
1902 Giovanni Amato began making this bread and selling it to shipworkers. He brought the recipe from Italy.

It has a different texture than the breads we in the US consider to be "Italian" in that it has a fine crumb and isn't crusty.

When considering the origin of this bread and the fact that one small bakery in Maine produces 10,000 Italian sandwich rolls per day, it has to be a fairly simple secret and I have to remember to not over think this! I think there are 3 bakeries in Maine producing these rolls. Amatos, Bottos and Nappis.

Let the experimentation begin! :LOL:

Thanks again to you both! kate
 
In my travels from Milano and Vicenza to Roma the Subway / Blimpie (swollen frankfurter roll / hamburger bun / Wonderbread consistency) breads did not seem to be particularly popular; except perhaps with people who have dental problems. Many of the northern Italian breads seemed to be a little short in the salt department. Throughout much of Europe breads of a more substantial nature seemed to be favored more than many of the breads favored in the USA.
I had to learn how to bake my own bread bread my when I moved out of the NYC area.
 
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I'm a bread fiend.......and also a bread snob! lol! I've been baking so long the Home Ec. teacher in high school had me, as a 7th grader, come in to teach the seniors how to make bread! lol! I completely understand your need to learn to make bread!
Those are beautiful loaves justplainbill.
 

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