ursula wrote:Does it spread easily?
Ursula

Not really. I suppose if you added more fat it would be easier to spread. It does have a soft texture but it's not really spreadable.

Bob,

I'm happy that my recipe was acceptable. Hate to say it, but yours looks better than mine.

Good job!!!!

Bob, Wow, thanks so much for going to all the trouble to list the weights of ingredients. I will most definitely make these once the weather cools off a bit. I suspect the great hard rolls were produced in ovens that had steam injectors, which is very difficult for the home cook to duplicate. I've t...

Joe,

Thank you for your detailed instructions. I didn't realize how easy this sounds to make. I will be putting this on my "to do" list. Thanks again!

I second Ross's recommendation to use baker's percentage. I never use measuring cups anymore since they are never repeatable; weight measurements are the way to go.

Bob,

Since I'm a Jerseyite, I would love to see your recipe for these. I really miss those hard rolls from back East that were hard on the outside and soft and airy on the inside. I've yet to duplicate these in a home oven.

Yours look delicious!

Gulyás, Your finished pickles look great. So it only took 5 days total to produce these? When you say you added toasted bread with yeast, did you add yeast or did you mean you used bread made with yeast that was toasted? I would like to try your recipe but want to check with you before proceeding. A...

CW,

Thanks for the heads up. I just ordered a copy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Home-Canning-Meat ... roduct_top

Fred,

Jeff is right. Never subject collagen casings to water. They will swell up and lose their bond from the meat paste. The shrinkage is quite normal and the amount of shrinkage depends on how much moisture was in the mixture and the type of binder used.

Ross,

That's a beautiful cutter. Did you steal it from the Smithsonian museum?

Ray, If I recall, the burger press you have has an adjustable thickness. The one I use (I posted a link so you can see what it looks like) is the kind that just squishes the dough down. I would say if you set your thickness to about 1/2" you should be good. If the dough is not evenly spread out to y...

1/8" or 3mm plate is my favorite size for snack sticks. You won't go wrong using that size plate.

Thanks for all the positive replies. I appreciate them.

Ursula, I think Chuckwagon (or others) could probably recommend good substitutions for the ingredients you mentioned. I personally don't like the "beany" taste of soy protein concentrate.

Ross, I truly did not use an existing recipe. I've been experimenting with hot dog recipes for some 20 years. Did I get inspired by other recipes? Sure. Marianski has a good recipe but it was very bland. Rytek also has a recipe but again I was not impressed. Therefore, I cannot quote the origin and ...

Redzed, Just an addendum: I did not plagiarize someone else's recipe. This is my own. I realize there are lots of wiener recipes out there that use some or all of the ingredients I listed but none that have the percentages or other ingredients I used. Is it "original old fashioned", obviously not. T...