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Crunchy from the outside but soft on the inside: a standard at any German weekend breakfast.

One of my friends has sent me a German blog, filled with recipes for German breads and bread rolls. And much to my delight, I found the recipe for “Knüsperbrötchen” on that blog. Anyone who has even been in Germany, Austria or Switzerland has more than likely had breakfast with white breakfast rolls at least once, with their signature cut in the crispy crust, and their lovely, fluffy and moist inside. They are yummy.

A special ingredient: lard

This (simplified) recipe calls for two special ingredients. First of all, “Schmalz” or lard. You can find this at specialized butchers, or in your well-stocked supermarket. You can replace it with shortening or butter, but if you have the chance and you are not vegetarian, use lard. This gives a better inside and a smoother taste.

Second is diastatic malt powder. Diastatic malt powder is powdered malted grain. Usually barley is used, but you can also find wheat and rice. The diastatic enzymes are created as the grain sprouts. In the dough, these convert starches to maltose, or sugars, which is eaten by the yeast. You can replace the malt powder with honey. Malted grain however, will make the insides even more fluffy.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1

Servings Per Container 12

Amount Per Serving

Calories 167 Calories from Fat 22.5

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 2.5g 4%

Saturated Fat 0.3g 2%

Trans Fat g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 310mg 13%

Total Carbohydrate 30g 10%

Dietary Fiber 1.3g 5%

Sugars 1.8g

Protein 6g 12%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

German bread rolls

Learn how to make the staple German breadrolls in this easy recipe.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine German

Keyword Bakery, Bread Roll, Roll

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Proofing time 2

Total Time 2 45

Servings 12 rolls

Calories 167kcal

Author The Orange Baker

Ingredients

500 grams All-purpose flour
350 milliliter Water
15 grams Malted barley, grain or honey
10 grams Salt
10 grams Yeast (Instant)
Vegetable oil to grease the bowl
Coarse corn meal

Instructions

Utensils

Large bowl (3 liters)
Measuring cup, scale, small bowls
Dough scraper, dough cutter
Cling film or lid cover for bowl
Baking sheet
Baking parchment paper

Preparation

Put 400 grams of the flour and all of the water in a large bowl and mix until you have a coarse dough. You don’t have to knead at this point. Cover the bowl with a lid or kitchen towel and leave for at least 15-20 minutes. This is the autolyse period: the flour will soak up the water, and enzymes will start to break off the starch and proteins.

Kneading

Add the rest of the flour, and add the yeast on one end of the bowl and the salt on the other. Add the lard and the malt powder or honey. Start mixing in the bowl, and as soon as all the dry ingredients have been incorporated, flick over the bowl on your counter top and knead for about 7-10 minutes. Towards the end of the kneading cycle, the dough will transform consistency: it will become less sticky and will start to feel silky-soft. If you feel the dough is really tough, wet your hands and continue mixing. This water will be absorbed by the dough. By only wetting your hands, you incorporate only small amounts of water, leaving you with control over the moistness of the dough.
The dough will be ready when you pinch an edge of the dough and pull it: you should be able to form a small ‘window’, that lets the light through, and does not tear. If it rips easily, continue kneading.

First proofing

Grease up a bowl with vegetable oil and form a bowl of the dough. Place the bowl in a warm place, without exposing it to direct heat or direct sunlight. After 30 minutes, fold the dough.
Fold the dough by grabbing one side, stretching it without tearing it, and folding it over itself. Repeat for the other three sides, cover the bowl and allow to rest and further rise.
The dough is ready when it has roughly doubled in size. This takes –depending on the temperature of the water and your kitchen- between 60 and 90 minutes. Pour a thin layer of the corn meal on your kitchen counter top. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Shaping and second proofing

On a clean part of the counter top, pour the dough, and use a dough cutter and a scale to weigh out 12 pieces of 70 grams. Cupping the individual ball in your hand, make round movements, rolling the ball over the counter top. This will create nice round rolls with a clean surface. Do not overdo it, to prevent the dough from being over-processed.
Flatten the rolls, and push both sides in the corn meal to cover the rolls. Place the rolls on the sheet, allowing room between the individual rolls. Repeat for all 12 rolls. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let them proof for 45-60 minutes. Proofing is done when you prod a roll with your finger, and the indent slowly fills up again. If it pops back right away, allow for a bit longer proofing. Pre-heat the oven to 210°C/425°F.

Baking

When the rolls have proofed, take a sharp knife and slice the top of each roll. Place in the oven and bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes in the middle of the oven.
They are ready when the crust is golden-brown and crunchy. Immediately place them on a cooling rack. Allow to cool before you eat them.