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Famous Copy Cat Rochester Salty Bread

  • rosalielochner
  • Aug 5
  • 6 min read
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This bread is a Rochester staple. It's so addictive that people here call it "Crack Bread." It's kinda like focaccia, except maybe a tiny bit like a savory fried dough, except, not really like either of those. It has a crust that shatters when you bite into it, giant air bubbles and a the softest pillowy texture. It's perfect as a base for your favorite dips, a side for burrata-caprase salad, or just tearing off warm salty hunks as you stand in the kitchen waiting for the rest of dinner to be ready.


When we first moved to Rochester all I knew about the local food scene was that there was Rieslings, lots of beautiful small farms, and garbage plates. I now know about Hot Whites and Chicken French, which are both delicious, but my favorite local delicacy has to be the Salty Bread.


Rochester Salty bread is sold at some of the best Rochester area bakeries under different names and comes with a more than a little drama. As a result, you cannot find the recipe for Salty bread, Salt Bread, Salty Bianca Loaf, Crack bread, or whatever you want to call it, anywhere! I've done some deep Reddit digging and the recipe is no where. There were rumors that the original bread might be a super hydrated bread (over 100%). Some thought that maayyyybe Salty Bread was ciabatta bread, but I had a different idea. (Ciabatta isn't as hydrated as I think Salty Bread has to be to get that ultra soft texture).



I'll tell you what I did, I based my Copy Cat Salty Roc bread on King Arthur Flour's recipe for Pan de Cristal . Pan de Cristal is a spanish bread that is equal parts water and bread flour. I then treated the pan de cristal almost like a focaccia, and I have to tell you, the results were dancing in the kitchen good. If this is not how Rochester Salty bread is made, maybe the professionals should switch their recipe. You have to make this bread. You have to. It's going to change your life.


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NOTE ABOUT FLOURS: I used King Arthur bread flour for this recipe. I do not know how well this recipe will work with all purpose flour, but given the high hydration ratio, I would not risk it.


NOTE ABOUT KEEPING TRACK OF RISES: With 5 different kneads or "folds" it can be tricky to remember where you are in this recipe. I have found that the best thing to do is get an old envelope and make a little "cheat she

et" like the one in the photo. Just make a little check list and mark off each time you handle the dough.

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NOTE ABOUT BAKING TIMES AND TEMPS: I do not have a pizza stone. Or i do.... but it's a long story. I used an upside-down cast iron pan as my pizza stone. I did notice a difference when I used the pan vs just putting the bread on the oven rack. I think a pizza stone would work as well, if not better than an upside down cast iron pan. Please pay attention to how brown your bread gets. It should be a dark golden color. That's really the best way to evaluate donness.


NOTE ABOUT SALT: You must use a flake salt to finish this bread. You can use between 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of flaked sea salt per loaf. 1/2 teaspoon will make a loaf that closely resembles the standard Rochester Salty Bread.

Salty ROC Bread

Takes 5-6 hours: 1.5 hours active time. Equipment: mixing bowl, 8x8 or 9x9 square pan, two sheet pans, parchment paper. OPTIONAL but recommended cast iron pan or pizza stone, scale. Time 5-10 hours. bake time 18-25 minutes. This makes two smaller loaves. enough to serve 6-8 people. It doubles easily. I always double it and give some away.


Ingredients

250g bread flour (2 cups plus 1 tablespoon)

250g water (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon)

1/4 heaped teaspoon instant yeast

1 and 1/2 teaspoons Diamond brand kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon table salt)

about 1/2 cup olive oil

2-3 tablespoons semolina flour, optional

1/2-3/4 teaspoon flaked sea salt (I use Maldon)


STEP ONE

Get a scrap of paper and write out your version of the time table (see photo above).

Oil a 9x9 or similar sized pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine water, flour, yeast and kosher or table salt. Use a stiff spatula to mix until evenly combined. Pour dough into your oiled pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and set to rest for 20 minutes.

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STEP TWO

Pour a few teaspoons of olive oil over your fingers and then fold your dough like you're folding the sides of a tart up towards the center of your dough ball (like a "gordito crunch wrap."). You're going to do about 10 folds. The dough may seem too goopy to work with for the first few folds, but you should actually feel it tightening up/resisting a bit as you reach 10 folds. Re-cover the dough with the plastic wrap. Allow dough to rest for 20 minutes.


STEP THREE

Uncover your dough and rub a few teaspoons of olive oil on your hands. Don't remove your dough from the pan. Do 4-6 half folds: Fold dough in half, rotate your dish 90 degrees, fold in half, rotate, etcetera. You should feel your dough taking on shape and stiffening up. It's like you're folding a piece of paper and it gets harder to fold it with each consecutive fold. Cover and let rest 20 minutes.


STEP FOUR

Uncover your dough rub olive oil on your hands, fold dough in the pan, again. You're going to do 4-6 half folds just like you did last time. And, again, you'll feel the dough taking on shape and stiffening up. Cover and let rest 20 minutes.


STEP FIVE

Oil hands and repeat the process again, folding dough in the pan 2-4 times. This time you should really notice it resisting and tightening. Cover and let rest 80-90 minutes. After 80-90 minutes, dough will be bubbly looking and should fill your pan.


STEP SIX

Cut 2 pieces of parchment paper and spread them out on your counter. Use olive oil to lightly oil each parchment paper and then, optional: dust one with about 1-2 tablespoon of semonlina flour. Set the one with the flour and oil onto a baking sheet and set aside. Gently pour the dough out of your square pan and onto the first piece of oiled parchment paper. Then, use a lightly oiled bench scraper or large knife to cut your dough into two equal length pieces. Gently lift each slab of dough onto each of the parchment lined baking sheet. Allow dough to rise, uncovered for about 2 hours. (In the photo below I was making a double recipe).


STEP SEVEN

After dough has risen for about 1.5 hours put your pizza stone, or clean, upside down cast iron skillet on a rack in the middle of your oven (see note above). Preheat oven to 440 degrees or 420 convection. The goal is to allow your stone or cast iron skillet to heat through.



STEP EIGHT

When your oven and stone/skillet are preheated, measure out about 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil and using a silicone brush or pastry brush gently brush olive oil over top of your loaves of dough. You don't want to dough your bread or the extra oil will just run down the sides of your loaf and burn. Sprinkle 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of flaked sea salt over top of each loaf and slide bake on top of your pizza stone/cast iron pan for 17-20 minutes. After about 12 minutes rotate your pan and check to make sure the oil is smoking (if it is, turn the oven down 20 degrees). Continue baking until the loaves are deep golden brown. Remove them from the oven and, with a clean brush, immediately dab each loaf with another tablespoon of olive oil. You don't want to displace the salt, but you want to boost the olive oil flavor.


Allow loaves to cool before eating. We love to use it for appetizers, as a table bread, for sandwiches, or just rip hunks off and eat it on the go. Store wrapped in parchment paper, or an unsealed plastic bag so that the salt doesn't make the bread wet. Salty ROC Bread is best the day of, but reheats well in the oven at about 400 degrees and fantastic reheated on the grill.

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