Breakfast Rolls German Style

Have you ever wanted to make those delicious breakfast rolls, called Brötchen in German, yourself? Maybe you have tried them on your European vacation? Now you can make breakfast rolls German style at home! All you need is a little bit of time and my recipe.

First you have to think about flour. And now you are thinking “oh no”, but don’t worry. It really depends on the type of rolls you would like to make. The easiest is to use the normal white wheat flower, all-purpose-flouror pastry flour (flour type 550 or 405). If you like the rolls a bit heartier and more filling, it is best to use durum wheat (semola). This flour is a tiny bit grainier and more yellow, but it makes the best bread, or in this case rolls. I also like to add rye and more to the mix for the extra health option. But you can also use just one type of flour.

Make the pre-dough the night before. Just mix all the ingredients together in a tupperware container, close it and put it in the fridge over night. It will rise despite the cold, but best not to put it in the coldest area. The veggie drawer is perfect for that.

I like to use just a spoon to make the dough, but you can use a food processor or your hands as well. Make sure though that your food processor can handle bread dough as it is much tougher than cake dough!

You can see right away that the dough is ready to use when you pull it out of the fridge. It almost fills my tupperware entirely.

The main-dough is made the next day. Plan in 1 1/2 hrs of rising time altogether. Now you mix all the ingredients together. I usually dissolve the yeast in the water first (with the sugar) and pour it over the flour. Then knead the dough and add the pre-dough. Also add a handful of seeds if you like. I use sunflower and pumpkin seeds here. You can also add the seeds as a topping before baking the rolls. It looks very nice, but takes a little extra time. Because of that I often just add the seeds to the dough.

The mixing will take a little bit of time depending on how you choose to mix it. Again I use a spoonand my hands. When you are done cover the mixing bowl with a towel and let it sit in a warm spot for about 1hr. The dough should double in size.

Now it is time to make the actual rolls. Knead the dough and cut it in half. Take the first half and cut it in half again. Then cut the two pieces into 3 parts each. Do the same with the second piece (makes 12 altogether). Form the rolls and put them on a baking tray. Make sure to use baking paper first. Slice each roll on top and cover with a kitchen towel. Let them rise for about 1/2hr. I know it is a lot of rising time, but you won’t regret it. It does make the rolls lighter and somewhat fluffier in the end. While the rolls are rising, heat your oven to 220°C/430°F.

When the rolls have risen comes the time where you can add the seeds as topping. Very slightly brush some warm water on top of the rolls so the seeds will stick. Try not to push down on the rolls so they don’t flatten so much, but you do have to press the seeds onto the rolls a little bit. As I mentioned before, this takes some time to do. For an easier way just add the seeds to the dough when kneading it.

Now the rolls are ready to be baked for 20min.
Important! When you put the tray into the oven make sure to splash about 80ml of water onto the bottom of the oven and close the door quickly. The developing steam makes the rolls rise and the consistancy is better.

Now enjoy your homemade breakfast rolls or Brötchen as they are called in Germany. They are of course best when they are warm with a little bit of butter. I also love to put french or italian cheese on them.
The rolls can be kept in a bag in the fridge or be frozen.

Print Recipe

Breakfast Rolls / Brötchen

Make German breakfast rolls yourself

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Resting Time3 hours hrs

Total Time3 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Servings: 12 pieces

Ingredients

Pre-Dough

• 3 + 3/8 cup flour white or durum
• 1 cup water slightly less than a cup (220ml)
• 1/4 pck fresh yeast

Main Dough

• 1 + 3/4 cup flour durum
• 3/4 + 1/8 cup rye flour 100g
• 3/4 + 1/8 cup white flour 100g
• 1/4 pck fresh yeast
• 1 cup water luke wam
• 11/2 tsp sugar brown or white
• 2 tsp salt
• seeds as disired sunflower, pumpkin, chia, etc

Instructions

Making the pre-dough

• Make the pre-dough the night before. Just mix all the ingredients together in a tupperware container, close it and put it in the fridge over night. It will rise despite the cold, but best not to put it in the coldest area. The veggie drawer is perfect for that. You can also make it the same day. Just use slightly warm water and let it rise for 1hr.

Making the main dough

• The main-dough is made the next day. Plan in 1 1/2 hrs of rising time altogether. Now you mix all the ingredients together including the 1st dough. Also add a handful of seeds if you like. Afterwards cover the mixing bowl with a towel and let it sit in a warm spot for about 1hr. The dough should double in size.
• Now it is time to make the actual rolls. Knead the dough and cut it in half. Take the first half and cut it in half again. Then cut the two pieces into 3 parts each, do the same with the second piece (makes 12 altogether). Form the rolls and put them on a baking tray. Make sure to use baking paper first. Slice each roll on top and cover with a kitchen towel. Let them rise for about 1/2hr.
• While the rolls are rising, heat your oven to 220°C/430°F. After they have risen, brush some warm water on them and sprinkle them with seeds. The water makes them stick better, but you can lightly press them onto the rolls. Now they are ready to be baked for 20min.
• Important! When you put the tray into the oven make sure to splash about 80ml of water onto the bottom of the oven and close the door quickly. The developing steam makes the rolls rise and the consistancy better.

Notes

Now enjoy your homemade breakfast rolls or Brötchen as they are called in Germany. They are of course best when they are warm with a little bit of butter. I also love to put french or italian cheese on them.
The rolls can be kept in a bag in the fridge or be frozen.