Kaiser Rolls (2024)

Kaiser Rolls, or Kaisersemmeln are a German Bread roll with a thin, crunchy crust and a light and fluffy inside, perfect for any type of sandwich!

What are Kaiser Rolls?

Kaisersemmeln are traditionally from Austria but they have long been a common item in Germany. They are a type of bread roll but unlike most American bread rolls, they have more of a crust with a soft and fluffy inside and are often used to make sandwiches or for brotzeit. One of the key distinguishing factors of Kaisersemmeln is the shape. The fan/pinwheel shape is often made with a traditional cutter but you can also fold them to create the shape.

Yeast vs. Sourdough Starter?

There are recipes using yeast or starter; however, for ease this recipe is made with yeast and I find it to be a very close in taste to what you find at the bäkerei in Germany.

Can these be made in advance?

Ideally these are best eaten the day they are baked. However, they can be baked and then wrapped in a cloth or a bag. To refresh them, preheat the oven to 350 F and bake directly on the rack for 5 minutes.

Tips for making Kaisersemmeln

• Be sure all ingredients are warm or at room temperature, this will create the optimal environment for the yeast to grow and work.
• Do not skip making the pre-dough. This gives the yeast a chance to activate and develop more flavor as well as confirms whether or not your yeast is active prior to adding in the remaining ingredients.
• This dough will likely stick slightly to the bowl if you stop kneading it because of the higher moisture content. However, you should be able to stretch the dough without it immediately snapping and poke it briefly without it all sticking to your finger.
• Once you have shaped the semmeln into balls and let them rest, if you go to shape them into the semmel shape but the dough keeps shrinking back, leave them to rest for 5 more minutes, covered with a towel.
• Creating steam in the oven is very important to getting the optimal crust so do not skip the instructions for that in the recipe!

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour: Any all purpose flour should work for these! It could be fun to play around with adding whole wheat flour or using bread flour instead but note that the hydration for those will likely be different so you may need to adjust the amount of milk and water added.
• Yeast: Either instant or active dry yeast can be used in this recipe. Be sure that your yeast has not expired.
• Milk & Water: The semmeln use milk and water as the liquid in the dough.
• Butter: The butter adds flavor to the semmeln and adds to the overall interior texture.
• Honey: Honey is a key ingredient in these semmeln, it doesn’t make them sweet but it gives them their traditional flavor.
• Salt: Salt also adds to the flavor but be careful to not add too much because it can easily overpower the recipe.

How to make Kaiser Rolls at Home?

Make the dough

• Start by warming the water for the pre-dough until it is just warm to the touch.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the flour, yeast, and warm water. Stir together with a spoon, cover the bowl with towel, and set aside for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, the pre dough should be puffy and bubbly.
• Add in the rest of the flour, milk, water, honey, salt, and butter, and use the dough hook to kneed the dough on low speed for about 15-20 minutes. To speed up the process I often turn the mixer to a higher speed very briefly at the beginning until a shaggy dough has formed but then turn down the speed as to not damage the mixer.
• Once kneaded, the dough should be soft, smooth and stretchy. Remove the dough and lightly grease the bowl of the mixer or a different large bowl. Place the dough back in and cover the bowl with a lid to prevent the dough from drying out.
• Place somewhere warm to rise for 30-40 minutes until it has doubled in size.

How to shape Semmeln?

• After the dough has grown, divide it into 10 equal portions.
• Once divided, shape each portion into a ball. First flatten it slightly into a disk and then tuck all the edges of the disk under. Shape your hand into a claw over the ball of dough with the smooth side face up. Roll the ball around in your hand on a clean work surface to create tension on the dough and seal the seem on the bottom of the ball.
• Generously flour an area on your counter or on a baking sheet. Place each roll seam side down into the flour and cover with a towel *use a barely damp towel if you live in a dry climate.
• Leave the rolls to rest for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 F with one rack in the center of the oven and a second rack one or two rungs below.

Creating the classic Kaiser Semmel shape by hand

• After resting, it’s time to do the final semmel shaping.
• Flatten out one ball of dough with the palm and heel of your hand, to about 4.5″ in diameter.
• Place the thumb of your left hand on the dough. It should be coming up onto the dough at about the 7:00 position and the tip of your thumb should be just to the left of the center. Don’t move your thumb until the very last step.
• Use your right hand to bring the dough that is to the left of your thumb, up and over your thumb. Gently press the edge into the center of the circle.
• Use the outside edge of your right hand to create a crease in the dough. It should go from the center where the dough was just pressed to, to the 10:00 position. This will create the first pinwheel portion.
• Repeat this 3 more times, working your way around the disk until you reach your thumb.
• Remove your thumb from the dough, you should now be left with a small hole/tunnel and a little bit of flat dough. Tuck the remaining flat dough into the tunnel created by your thumb. This will create the final pinwheel portion.
• Slightly pinch the edge of the open pocket of dough onto the side of the semmel so that it is sealed down and taught.
• Place 5 semmeln onto each baking sheet and cover with a towel or damp towel. Leave to rest for 30 minutes. Because one sheet of semmeln is baked at a time, place the one of the sheets into the fridge with a sheet of plastic wrap for 15 minutes to slightly slow down the rise.

Bake the semmeln

• To create steam in the oven, place a baking sheet on the lower rack 10 minutes before baking the semmeln. Immediately after placing the baking sheet of semmeln onto the rack above, pour half a cup of water onto the baking sheet and immediately close the oven. This creates a burst of steam, allowing the semmeln to form a crust.
• After 5 minutes, reduce the heat to 375 F and rotate the sheet of semmeln in the oven. Use a spray bottle with water to lightly mist the semmeln and give them a little extra steam.
• Bake for 15 more minutes or until golden brown.
• Once baked, reheat the oven to 450 and repeat for the second sheet of semmeln.
• Slide the baked semmeln onto a wire cooling rack to that they cool and don’t form a soft bottom.

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