4 ms·

> IMO getting the bread right is the hard part Do you have a good recipe? I've been wanting to add a really authentic Philly Cheesesteak to our menu at our bak

> IMO getting the bread right is the hard part Do you have a good recipe? I've been wanting to add a really authentic Philly Cheesesteak to our menu at our bakery here in Vietnam but I don't have a lot of experience with that particular sandwich. I know the American expats here would appreciate if we get it right though.

sbuccini 4y ago
Drop a link to your bakery, I'd like to come visit!
- esperent 4y ago
  Thom's Sourdough Bakery by the beach just outside Hoi An. Come say hi if you're in town. https://maps.app.goo.gl/J6zaGxcYAh3RJm788 https://maps.app.goo.gl/J6zaGxcYAh3RJm788
throw7 4y ago
this guy (charlie anderson) is currently trying to replicate the philly roll (for a philly cheesesteak, his prior take was ny style pizza): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvgurFUheY8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvgurFUheY8
MivLives 4y ago
I'm originally from Philly, and I've had a cheesesteak on banh mi roll a few times. It makes a very good approximation at least to me. The Philly rolls tend to be tougher and ready to handy the sheer amount of grease that pours off the sandwich. Stick to provolone and caramelized onions as the only default toppings. Ketchup and such should be added by the eater, and realistically only if it's a bad steak.
bcbrown 4y ago
I'm not from Philly, but my mom is, and every time I went back east I ate plenty of cheese steaks. To me, the essense of the bread is a chewyness, a toothiness. The crumb is substantial, the crust is minimal. If you bake bread in Vietnam than you must have a good understanding of a french-style baguette, right? That's a bread where the crust is shattering-crisp and the internal crumb is light and pillowy, yeah? The roll for a cheese steak is the opposite. My grandmom's theory was that it was the water from the Schuylkill that made the rolls inimitable. I wish I had a recipe I could share with you, but instead I can only wish you luck.
lchengify 4y ago
Ah man, despite baking a lot, I've never tried to make the bread myself. You're going to want a hoagie roll [1][2]. They are shaped like a baguette and have the same ingredients, but way softer, chewy-er and denser. It's a process with multiple rises, then it's baked in steam to keep it soft. This [3] seems to get the details right, but I haven't tried it. Conshohocken is a suburb outside of Philly known for microbreweries and baking so it's legit if that's the source. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoagie_roll https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoagie_roll [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR8oA5ACqPg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR8oA5ACqPg [3] https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/21448/real-italian-hoagie-rolls https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/21448/real-italian-hoagie-...
- throwaway2037 4y ago
  It sounds like Italian ciabatta might work. It is a great cold sandwich bread with many of the same properties that you describe. I've seen smaller ciabatta rolls in a wide variety of sizes. It should be possible to create the "hoagie" shape. Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciabatta https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciabatta
  - red-iron-pine 4y ago
    Traditional ciabatta is a very wet, kinda shapeless dough; hydration level is high enough that it can't really hold a shape outside of flat blob. High hydration makes it easier for the yeast to eat the carbs, and allows the loaf to absorb more air. Hogie rolls are long and soft, closer to baguette but with softer (less protein) flour and some light steam during the bake. You could probably hack it with a baguette recipe subbing some AP flour, and baking at a slightly lower temp with a pan of water under the baking sheet. edit: I also had some success in the past with a naan recipe that I didn't have time to cook w/ a flat-top, and rolled into vaguely hogie shapes. It had yougurt and a small amount of canola oil, which kept it soft -- that might be an option.
  - sulam 4y ago
    Ciabatta is great but it has nothing to do with a Philly cheesesteak roll. Like so far away as to be from another dimension. A Subway roll would be closer. You want a soft roll, not actually dense, despite GP’s statement but not airy like sourdough. In texture it’s closer to a hamburger or hotdog bun. In size and shape it’s like a sub or a hero.
ModernMech 4y ago
The quintessential Philly cheesesteak bread is the Amarosso roll. There’s even a place in SF that imports them as well as tasty kakes for the PA “expats” in California. https://www.amorosobaking.com/ https://www.amorosobaking.com/
- weberer 4y ago
  >Amoroso’s bakery products can be flash-frozen and shipped worldwide Cool, I didn't know that.
- PopAlongKid 4y ago
  >a place in SF Maybe you are referring to The Cheesesteak Shop (est. 1982) which has 20 or so locations in the SF Bay Area. Incidentally, I find the default cheese when you order in person (white American cheese) is better than provolone.
  - ModernMech 4y ago
    That's the one! My favorite memory of SF was getting cheesesteaks and kandykakes from there and eating them on ocean beach while watching the whales breach at sunset with my wife. Perfect day.
  - listenallyall 4y ago
    +1 white American melts better than Provolone, and definitely works better in a cheesesteak. Both are preferable to "wiz" which is honestly pretty gross.
    - ModernMech 4y ago
      I think we can all agree amoroso roll + white American is where it's at. But what about the rest? For me, it's mayo + fried onions (white or red) + green peppers + mushrooms. Hold the lettuce and tomato. And for the love of god no red sauce -- if I wanted sauce I'd eat spaghetti!

sbuccini 4y ago

Drop a link to your bakery, I'd like to come visit!

esperent 4y ago
Thom's Sourdough Bakery by the beach just outside Hoi An. Come say hi if you're in town. https://maps.app.goo.gl/J6zaGxcYAh3RJm788 https://maps.app.goo.gl/J6zaGxcYAh3RJm788

throw7 4y ago

this guy (charlie anderson) is currently trying to replicate the philly roll (for a philly cheesesteak, his prior take was ny style pizza): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvgurFUheY8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvgurFUheY8

MivLives 4y ago

I'm originally from Philly, and I've had a cheesesteak on banh mi roll a few times. It makes a very good approximation at least to me. The Philly rolls tend to be tougher and ready to handy the sheer amount of grease that pours off the sandwich. Stick to provolone and caramelized onions as the only default toppings. Ketchup and such should be added by the eater, and realistically only if it's a bad steak.

bcbrown 4y ago

I'm not from Philly, but my mom is, and every time I went back east I ate plenty of cheese steaks. To me, the essense of the bread is a chewyness, a toothiness. The crumb is substantial, the crust is minimal. If you bake bread in Vietnam than you must have a good understanding of a french-style baguette, right? That's a bread where the crust is shattering-crisp and the internal crumb is light and pillowy, yeah? The roll for a cheese steak is the opposite. My grandmom's theory was that it was the water from the Schuylkill that made the rolls inimitable. I wish I had a recipe I could share with you, but instead I can only wish you luck.

lchengify 4y ago

Ah man, despite baking a lot, I've never tried to make the bread myself. You're going to want a hoagie roll [1][2]. They are shaped like a baguette and have the same ingredients, but way softer, chewy-er and denser. It's a process with multiple rises, then it's baked in steam to keep it soft. This [3] seems to get the details right, but I haven't tried it. Conshohocken is a suburb outside of Philly known for microbreweries and baking so it's legit if that's the source. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoagie_roll https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoagie_roll [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR8oA5ACqPg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR8oA5ACqPg [3] https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/21448/real-italian-hoagie-rolls https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/21448/real-italian-hoagie-...

throwaway2037 4y ago
It sounds like Italian ciabatta might work. It is a great cold sandwich bread with many of the same properties that you describe. I've seen smaller ciabatta rolls in a wide variety of sizes. It should be possible to create the "hoagie" shape. Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciabatta https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciabatta
- red-iron-pine 4y ago
  Traditional ciabatta is a very wet, kinda shapeless dough; hydration level is high enough that it can't really hold a shape outside of flat blob. High hydration makes it easier for the yeast to eat the carbs, and allows the loaf to absorb more air. Hogie rolls are long and soft, closer to baguette but with softer (less protein) flour and some light steam during the bake. You could probably hack it with a baguette recipe subbing some AP flour, and baking at a slightly lower temp with a pan of water under the baking sheet. edit: I also had some success in the past with a naan recipe that I didn't have time to cook w/ a flat-top, and rolled into vaguely hogie shapes. It had yougurt and a small amount of canola oil, which kept it soft -- that might be an option.
- sulam 4y ago
  Ciabatta is great but it has nothing to do with a Philly cheesesteak roll. Like so far away as to be from another dimension. A Subway roll would be closer. You want a soft roll, not actually dense, despite GP’s statement but not airy like sourdough. In texture it’s closer to a hamburger or hotdog bun. In size and shape it’s like a sub or a hero.

ModernMech 4y ago

The quintessential Philly cheesesteak bread is the Amarosso roll. There’s even a place in SF that imports them as well as tasty kakes for the PA “expats” in California. https://www.amorosobaking.com/ https://www.amorosobaking.com/

weberer 4y ago
>Amoroso’s bakery products can be flash-frozen and shipped worldwide Cool, I didn't know that.
PopAlongKid 4y ago
>a place in SF Maybe you are referring to The Cheesesteak Shop (est. 1982) which has 20 or so locations in the SF Bay Area. Incidentally, I find the default cheese when you order in person (white American cheese) is better than provolone.
- ModernMech 4y ago
  That's the one! My favorite memory of SF was getting cheesesteaks and kandykakes from there and eating them on ocean beach while watching the whales breach at sunset with my wife. Perfect day.
- listenallyall 4y ago
  +1 white American melts better than Provolone, and definitely works better in a cheesesteak. Both are preferable to "wiz" which is honestly pretty gross.
  - ModernMech 4y ago
    I think we can all agree amoroso roll + white American is where it's at. But what about the rest? For me, it's mayo + fried onions (white or red) + green peppers + mushrooms. Hold the lettuce and tomato. And for the love of god no red sauce -- if I wanted sauce I'd eat spaghetti!