Whenever I return to Germany, I always stop by the local bakery. There’s something comforting about walking into a Bäckerei in the morning. The scent of fresh bread and the bustle of regulars picking up their seeded German Rolls (Körnerbrötchen).
These rolls are made with a five point folding method, baked with a high quality whole wheat or/and bread flour that gives them a soft, moist crumb and a longer shelf life. The seeds on top add texture and flavor, making each bite a little celebration of German baking tradition.
These rolls are hearty and nutty, topped with Sesame, Sunflower, Pepita, Poppy Seeds or “Everything but the Bagel with Sesame” seasoning blend”. They’re nourishing and satisfying, perfect with butter and jam or a savory spread.
Back home in the southeastern United States, I often find myself craving those bakery rolls. So I began baking them myself — not just to recreate the flavor, but to bring a little piece of my Bavarian heritage into my kitchen.
Here’s my Step-by-Step Guide to baking these rolls at home. They take time, but the process is deeply rewarding — and the result is a tray of golden, crisp rolls that taste just like the ones from your favorite Bäckerei.
The result is a soft, tender crumb that contrasts beautifully with the crisp crust and crunchy seeds on top. If you’ve ever wondered why German rolls taste so good even the next day — this is one of the secrets.
🥖 Ingredients
Main Dough
• 450 g bread flour or whole wheat (≈ 3¾ cups)
1 tsp Diastatic Malt Powder (optional)
• 50 g whole milk (room temperature) (3.5 tbsp)
• 10 g butter (room temperature) (≈ 2 tsp)
• 13 g granulated sugar (≈ 1 tbsp)
• 10 g salt (≈ 1¾ tsp)
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
For Topping
• Sesame seeds
• Poppy seeds
• Flax seeds
or “Everything but the Bagel with Sesame” seasoning blend
Diastatic Malt Powder, is ideal for adding a natural malt flavor to bread, rolls, crackers, and sweet doughs.
The Powder is formulated to provide a combination of enzymatic activity and sweetness, resulting in fluffy baked goods and golden colored crusts.
1 tsp per 3 cups of flour will do the magic
👩🍳 Instructions
Mix the Dough
Place all dry ingredients into a stand mixer. Knead on low speed for at least 6 minutes until a smooth dough forms. Transfer the dough to an oiled container and cover with plastic foil, and let it rest at room about 3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator for 10–12 hours.
Stretch and Fold
After 30 minutes, perform the first stretch and fold:
• Gently lift one side of the dough and fold it over to the opposite edge of the bowl.
• Repeat from all four sides.
• Cover and continue resting.
Shaping
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface (or silicon baking mat). Divide into portions of 80–100 g each.
Place the dough balls seam-side up on a baking tray, leaving space between each. Let rise for about 1 hour at room temperature.
Shape each piece gently into a smooth ball. Brush with water or eggwash and roll in your choice of seeds.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 F or 230°C (top/bottom heat).
Baking
Place the rolls seam-side down on a lightly greased baking tray. Slide the tray onto the middle rack of the preheated oven.
Steam the oven (throw ice cubes on hot tray in oven) and bake for 15–18 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
📝 Notes
- These finished rolls freeze beautifully (remove from oven 3 min. early and cool, freeze). Bake frozen rolls in hot oven for 10 min. oven to restore their crisp crust.
- You can mix and match seeds or add sunflower seeds to the dough for extra texture.
- Serve with butter, cheese, or your favorite jam — they’re versatile and delicious any time of day.
German Seeded Rolls (Körnerbrötchen)
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole wheat or bread flour
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon cold water (250 ml)
- 3½ tablespoons cold whole milk (50 ml)
- 1 tsp Diastatic malt (on Amazon)
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened (10 g)
- 1¾ teaspoons salt (10 g)
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Mix on low speed for 5 minutes until the ingredients are combined.
- Increase to medium speed and knead for 6 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Cover the bowl with platic wrap, let the dough rise at room temperature for 3 hours.
- Perform one stretch and fold:
- After one hour gently pull one side of the dough up and fold it over the center.
- Rotate the bowl and repeat on all four sides.
- Divide the dough into 10 or 12 equal pieces.
- Shape each piece into smooth round balls.
- Let the shaped dough balls rest for 10 minutes.
- Shape them into rolls by folding the traditional five-point pattern by hand.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover lightly, and let rise for 45–60 minutes, until puffy.
- 4. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Place in small bowl Sesame. Sunflower, Pepita, Poppy seeds (Everything but the Bagel seeds).
- Brush with eggwash and dunk rolls inside the bowl with seeds (wet fingers).
- Before placing rolls into the oven add ice cubes to a hot small baking pan to create steam.
- Bake for 15–18 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack
Notes
Instead of sesame seeds, poppy seeds and flax seeds you can use the “Everything but the Bagel Sesame seasoning”
