Baking German Bread Rolls

Bread & rolls are mainly made from flour, water & a leavening (for example yeast). In Germany there are countless bread variations, which also differ regionally.

Today I’ll show you how easy it is to bake delicious bread rolls with a wheat poolish. Have fun baking!




Cooked/Baked today: Homemade German Bread Rolls
Difficulty: Medium
Preparation Time: 24 hours (incl. poolish)
Category: Baking Recipes, Bread Recipes
Our Recipe rating:

Homemade German Bread Rolls

Homemade German Bread Rolls

Ingredients for 8 bread rolls:

…for the poolish:

• 200 grams flour
• 150 milliliters water
• 5 grams fresh yeast

…for the bread roll dough:

• 300 grams flour
• 150 milliliters water
• 5 grams fresh yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Additional flour for the countertop

Required kitchen gadgets, helper & preparations:

• High container or mixing bowl for the poolish
• Cling film
• High container for the yeast-water mixture
• Whisk
• Mixing bowl
• Mixer/Kitchen machine
• Kitchen towel
• Baking sheet + parchment paper
• Brush
• Cup with a bit water for the bottom of the oven

Instructions:




…for the poolish:

In a high container or mixing bowl whisk together 5 grams fresh yeast with 150 milliliters water, next add 200 grams flour & stir together until smooth. Cover the poolish with a lid or cling film & allow to rest over night in the fridge.

…for the bread roll dough:

Crumble another 5 grams fresh yeast into a high container, add 1 teaspoon sugar & 150 milliliters lukewarm water & stir together with a whisk or fork until yeast & sugar have completely dissolved.

Preparing Dough

Next, in a mixing bowl combine yeast-water mixture along with the poolish, 300 grams flour & a teaspoon salt & knead with a kitchen machine or mixer with dough hook for about 4 – 5 minutes until a smooth but still slightly sticky dough.




Then give the dough a ball shape with your hands, lay it back to the mixing bowl & allow to rest covered with a kitchen towel for about 1 hour in a warm place.

…for the bread rolls:

After 1 hour thoroughly knead the dough again on a slightly floured countertop, shape into a ball & then use a knife to cut the dough into 8 equal sized pieces. Round each dough piece with circular movements under your palms until you got small balls or bread rolls & and then place them with a little distance to each other on a lined baking tray.

Baking Bread Rolls

Cover the rolls again with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for another 30 – 45 minutes in a warm place until the volume of the rolls has increased significantly. Preheat the oven to 220°C (top/bottom heat) in time.

Brush the rolls after about 45 minutes with a little water, then cut them for the typical bread roll shape with a sharp knife about 0.5 inches deep. Afterwards pour some water on the bottom of the oven (to make steam inside the oven) & bake the rolls for 20 minutes in a preheated oven.




After 15 minutes of baking time, open the oven door (to release the steam) & bake the rolls for the remaining 5 minutes with the oven door slightly open (clamp a kitchen towel or pot holder between the door) until golden brown. Remove the buns from the oven after 20 minutes & brush them still hot with a little water for a shiny crust.

Let the rolls cool down completely on a grid and serve afterwards. I wish you lots of fun baking!

Video Tutorial:

Watch the video tutorial to see the recipe and the preparation method precisely (German Audio only, English Subtitles available):