Franzbrötchen

Each slice is pressed in the middle with a spoon handle so the filling squeezes out at the sides.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (butter), dairy (milk).

Ingredients

• 500 g plain flour
• 7 g dried yeast
• 60 g sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 250 ml milk, warm
• 80 g butter, softened, for the dough
• 200 g cold butter, for the layers
• 120 g sugar, for the filling
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons water

Method

1. EACH SLICE IS PRESSED IN THE MIDDLE WITH A SPOON HANDLE SO THE FILLING SQUEEZES OUT AT THE SIDES. The article gives that step exactly: the roll is CUT INTO SLICES, EACH ABOUT FOUR CENTIMETRES THICK, and AFTERWARDS, THE PIECES ARE PRESSED TOGETHER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CUT FACES WITH THE HANDLE OF A WOODEN SPOON, WHICH CAUSES THE FILLING TO OOZE OUT SIDEWAYS.
2. SO THE SHAPE IS A SQUASHED CINNAMON ROLL AND THE SQUASH IS THE POINT. The pinched middle holds while the two cut faces bloom open, and the sugar that has been forced out sits on the outside where it can caramelise. A roll left round keeps its sugar inside and stays pale.
3. WHICH IS WHY THE SPOON HANDLE AND NOT A FINGER. It has to be a narrow blunt line pressed almost to the tray, and a finger makes a dent rather than a crease.
4. THE DOUGH IS LAMINATED, WHICH THE ARTICLE IS CLEAR ABOUT: SEVERAL TIMES IN SUCCESSION, THE DOUGH IS FOLDED AND ROLLED OUT THINLY, AND COATED WITH BUTTER, until it is SUFFICIENTLY OUTSTRETCHED TO A FILMY LAYER.
5. AND THE SURFACE IS WETTED BEFORE THE SUGAR GOES ON -- it is MOISTENED WITH A LITTLE WATER, SPRINKLED WITH A MELANGE OF SUGAR AND CINNAMON AND FINALLY ROLLED UP. The water is what makes the sugar stick to butter rather than slide off it.
6. KEEP THE BUTTER COLD AND THE DOUGH COLDER BETWEEN FOLDS. Three folds with half an hour in the fridge between each. Warm butter merges into the dough and there are no layers to open.
7. ROLL THE FILLED LOG TIGHT AND CHILL IT BEFORE CUTTING, or the slices distort as the knife goes through.
8. SET THEM CUT FACE UP WITH ROOM TO SPREAD, press each middle, and prove them for forty minutes.
9. TWO HUNDRED DEGREES FOR TWENTY MINUTES. The article describes what should happen: ON BAKING, THE YEAST DOUGH RISES AND THE MELANGE OF SUGAR AND CINNAMON IS SLIGHTLY CARAMELIZED ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE LAYERS, which is why the finished thing is OFTEN A LITTLE STICKY.
10. AND THE NAME MEANS FRENCH-ROLL FOR A REASON WORTH KNOWING. Under the French occupation of 1810 to 1814, Napoleonic troops WANTED LOCAL BAKERS TO MAKE CROISSANTS; the article's likelier explanation is that Hamburg bakers PRETENDED TO MISUNDERSTAND THE FRENCH REQUEST and, AS A GESTURE OF PACIFISTIC REBELLION, SUPPLIED GERMAN-STYLE CROISSANTS to enemy soldiers, WITH THE ADDITION OF CINNAMON.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Germany · All recipes