Bread for Philly Cheesesteak?

One of my projects for this summer is to recreate the Italian bread used in Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. One problem to surmount is that I haven't ever actually eaten one!

So I've got a number of recipes but baking bread is much more than blindly combining ingredients. I need to know what kind of crumb and crust I'm aiming for. Any descriptions of the final product in terms of texture, appearance, flavor, etc. are greatly appreciated.

Bill/SFNM

Philly cheesesteaks are generally made with Amoroso rolls (or Sarcone's). To the best of my recollection, it's a fairly soft and dense roll. The density helps absorb the oil from the frying of the steak and keeps the sandwich in one piece. The crust is not crispy, but rather slightly chewy and a light golden brown in color. Aim for 6 or 12 inches per roll. Like I said, the roll itself should be fairly dense, but also a bit moist and spongy, for lack of better expression.

I have not been able to find anything quite like an Amoroso roll outside of Philly. They all end up being either too airy, or too dry and heavy. It's between a French baguette and those really light Italian rolls you find at the grocery. Remember, it has to be able to hold a large load of meat without coming apart.

Oh, and even though you didn't ask for it, for the meat, I think ribeye is the best choice (and what they serve at Pat's) with top round (Jim's cut of choice) in second, along with flank.

Thanks, Binko. That's exactly the kind of info I need. I think I know now what procedure I'm going to try first, based on your input.

For now I am planning to use NR flank steaks since I have a bunch of them in the freezer. For a 12" roll, how much steak is a "large load"? Thanks!

Bill/SFNM

Here's more details on how to make your own.

http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/recipe.htm

garnish with hot or fried sweet peppers, mushrooms, ketchup

Ketchup???



Really?

Bill/SFNM

Bill/SFNM wrote:

garnish with hot or fried sweet peppers, mushrooms, ketchup

Ketchup???



Really?

Bill/SFNM

Huh. Interesting. I'd say that's nuts, but coming from Pat's own website, I guess maybe some people do do it like that out there. Personally, I've always liked only Whiz & onions or Provolone & onions on mine.

As for "large load," I can't tell you weight wise. It should look like this.

First attempt was just OK - still a lot of work to do. I definitely scaled the rolls way too big (300g raw per roll). Will try 200g next time. Another mistake was to brush the rolls with milk before baking. Since I like very crusty breads and rolls, I think I overcompensated in an attempt to create a very thin tender crust. The color was way too pale. Next time I'll bake them with no glaze. I'll also raise the hydration level a little bit to make them less dense.

Here is a photo of the finished product:



Interestingly, the Mexican contingent at the table ran to open a can of pickled Jalapenos to put on the sandwiches.

Bill/SFNM