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You are here: Home / Recipes / Bread / Brötchen (Traditional German Bread Rolls–Homemade)

Brötchen (Traditional German Bread Rolls–Homemade)

May 19, 2018 by eeturner 5 Comments

Brötchen, literally translated means “little bread.” These delicious traditional German bread rolls take me back to Germany every time I make them. 

I’ll never forget my first trip to Germany. We arrived at the airport and I was so excited. I was getting to see my husband’s homeland for the first time. When we arrived, the first thing we ate was a Bratwurst and from there, the delicious food never ceased.

I am so blessed because my Schwiegermutter (German for mother-in law, but we prefer mother-in-love) and my husband’s Oma (German for grandma) are such amazing cooks! I never leave Germany with an empty stomach and we always take some delicious edible goodies with us.

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It is natural that I love Brötchen simply because I love good bread; and Brötchen are very good! Breakfast always includes at least one. So, since we don’t live in Germany, it was only natural for me to make my own Brötchen at home. I always enjoy making them and it is such a special experience for me. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Here’s the recipe:

Homemade Brötchen (Traditional German Bread Rolls

For the dough:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 package of yeast
  • 1 T honey
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3/4 c – 1 c warm water

For the egg wash:

  • 1 egg
  • 1 T water

Toppings:

  • sunflower seeds
  • sesame seeds
  • rolled oats

Preparation:

In a measuring cook, stir together the water, honey and yeast. Let set for 5-10 minutes.

Place the flour in a large bowl. Sprinkle the salt on top and stir.

Pour over the yeast mixture and stir well with a wooden spoon until well combined.

Then pour the dough onto a clean, floured workspace.

Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Roll into a ball and place the dough into a bowl or place it on the floured surface and cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.

Knead the dough again for a couple of minutes and then divide the dough into equal size portions.

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Shape the dough into small ovals (for the traditional bread rolls) and small circles for the “modern style” bread rolls with the toppings.

Place the bread rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper dusted with flour.

Cover the bread rolls with a kitchen towel and place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.

Pre-heat the oven for 200C/ 392F.

With a sharp knife, cut the baking slits in the top of each bread roll.

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To make the egg wash: whisk together the egg and water.

Brush the top of each bread roll with the egg wash.

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For the round bread rolls, top with the toppings of your choice.

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Bake in the oven* for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

*Wink Hint: When you pop the bread rolls in the oven, take a spritzer spray bottle and spray a little water at the bottom of the oven (then close it immediately) to create a little steam-action. This helps the bread rolls achieve their nice and crispy crust.

Serve & Enjoy!

Guten Appetit!

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Filed Under: Bread, German Recipes, Recipes Tagged With: baking, bread dough, Bread recipes, Brötchen, culinary adventures, foodies, German bread rolls, German cooking, German Recipes, homemade, How to cook like a German, traditional, travel foodie, What's Cooking

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. mistimaan

    May 20, 2018 at 7:52 pm

    Nice recipe

    Reply
    • eewinkler

      May 21, 2018 at 11:18 am

      @mistimaan Thank you!

      Reply
  2. julie

    May 23, 2018 at 4:50 am

    Oh, yum! How have I never made these?

    Reply
  3. michaelcoiner

    September 25, 2018 at 11:43 pm

    Thanks for the recipe, I was looking for one that uses less than 4 C Flour. I was working in Dresden for 6 months in 2009 and was always amazed with the bakeries and the various types of bread. I can’t wait until I can make these rolls and taste their Crunch!
    I was flipping through YouTube, saw your video on Brotchen and click on the Link provided.
    Take Care, Michael

    Reply
    • eewinkler

      September 26, 2018 at 5:54 pm

      @michaelcoiner My pleasure! Oh cool! I love Dresden! It is a beautiful city! I hope you enjoy this recipe! Glad to hear that you found my YouTube and the link to my website! If you are looking for more German recipes I have many more on my YouTube and also here on my website, plus a new one every week! Thanks for your kind comments! 🙂

      Reply

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Hello, I'm Erica! I am a professionally trained cook, on-air host, recipe writer with over 20 years of experience working in the food industry. I started cooking at the age of 5 and I specialize in Southern, German, Turkish and Middle Eastern cooking. I work full time as a Recipe Developer for a well known culinary media company and I started this food blog to as a place to further develop my skills and teach others. I attended culinary school in Gaziantep, Turkey and studied German cooking first hand in Germany. Read More…

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