Soft, fluffy and a simple bread to prepare at home today.
There are truly a plethora of different types of German breads. If you have the opportunity to visit Germany, do yourself a favor and don’t pay for a hotel breakfast. Instead, do what the locals are doing and head to a Bäckeri (German for bakery).
Inside the bakery you’ll find plenty of bread rolls, loaves and sweet pastries for an affordable price. Even in big cities like Köln and Berlin, you can buy 4 or 5 Brötchen for only 1 Euro! Amazing!
However, the hörnchen is a little bit more expensive, but definitely worth giving a try, because it’s not that much more expensive. The texture is quite soft and fluffy. The taste is buttery with a hint of sweetness. With a bit of honey, marmalade, or nutella — it is a wonderful treat!
Not in Germany? No problem! This recipe is quite simple to prepare just about anywhere in the world. In fact, you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry now. So what are you waiting for, let’s make some hörnchen!
Hörnchen (German Crescent Rolls)
Ingredients
- 2 ½ tsp dry yeast
- ? cup whole milk warmed
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- ¼ tsp table salt
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1½-2 cups all purpose flour
Egg Wash
- 1 egg large
- 1 tbsp whole milk
Instructions
- Preparation:In a large bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, warm milk, salt and melted butter. Stir well.Continue to stir and gradually add in the flour, little by little. Keep stirring until the dough no longer sticks to sides of the bowl.
- Then turn the dough over onto a floured surface and knead the dough for 7-10 minutes, only adding flour if the dough is sticky.Shape the dough into a ball and using a mezzaluna or a knife, cut the dough (like a pizza) into 8 equal portions.
- One by one, roll out each portion into a long triangle, about 6 to 7 inches (15-17cm) long.Then starting with the widest end of the triangle, roll the dough up until you meet the smallest end.Then fold the dough to create the horn-shape or the shape of the letter "U."
- Continue until all of the hörnchen are shaped (grab some little helping hands if you have them).Then place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover them with a dish towel and allow them to rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until they have doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 375F/190C.Once the hörnchen have risen, remove the towel and prepare the egg wash by mixing the egg and milk in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush each of the hörnchen generously with the egg wash.
- Then place them into the oven to bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.Serve and enjoy while they are still warm or save some for later.
Video
Guten Appetit!
P.S. Hörnchen literally translates to mean “little horns.” This of course is in reference to their size and shape.
P.P.S If you google Hörnchen from an English speaking country, Google might show you a picture of a squirrel. It’s because the word actually has more than one meaning. Go figure, lol! But not to worry, no squirrels were harmed in the production of these bread rolls.
Sending you lots of love for reading this far 🙂 You’re amazing!?
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