Laugenbrötchen is a German word for lye bread rolls. In this recipe, however, we opted for the easier and safer version which uses bicarbonate of soda instead of the traditional lye. (You can of course make them with a lye solution, but for these rolls the bicarbonate of soda works great!)

They look so pretty and different from typical bread rolls—and they’re absolutely delicious. Soft and spongy inside, with a thin brown crust. They’re easy to make, and will be ready in just a couple of hours.

If you haven’t baked them before, we urge you to try them!

Ingredients

MAKES 8 ROLLS

Dough

• 500g strong white bread flour

• 200g water, cold

• 65g full fat milk, cold

• 10g fresh yeast

• 15g caster sugar

• 10g salt

• 65g unsalted butter, room temperature

Bicarbonate of soda bath

• 1.5L of water

• 40g bicarbonate of soda

• 2g salt

Steps

1. Combine all ingredients and knead for about 5 minutes, until you get a smooth dough.

2. Cover and leave to rest for 1 hour. The dough should double in size.

3. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 230°C.

4. Prepare the bicarbonate of soda bath: Boil 1.5L of water, then add the salt and bicarbonate of soda.

5. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions.

6. Shape each portion into a ball.

7. Transfer the rolls, one by one, into the solution (using a slotted spatula) and boil for 60 seconds (30 seconds on each side). Then take them out and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

8. Score (slash) the middle of each roll and sprinkle with some salt flakes.

9. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the tray around and bake for another 5-7 minutes until golden brown.

Tips

• In this recipe, we use milk as it produces a softer texture while at the same time adding a nice buttery flavour to the rolls. However, traditional Laugenbrötchen recipes use just water instead. Feel free to try the recipe with either water or milk.

• When a recipe requires yeast, we tend to use fresh yeast rather than active dry yeast. You can use either. (Fresh yeast gives a nicer, sweeter flavour to the bake, but it may not be easily available in your area.)

• Boiling the rolls in a bicarbonate of soda solution prior to the baking will give them a beautiful crust and colour. So, for best results, don’t skip this step.

• You can use your topping of choice—coarse sea salt, poppy seeds and sesame seeds are all good options.