Vegan Franzbrötchen
One thing's for sure, we won't be running out of recipe ideas anytime soon. Especially since we receive all sorts of recipe requests from the community every day... From A for casserole to Z for cinnamon roll, we get it all.
- For the yeast dough:
- 1 cube (42 g) fresh yeast
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 375 ml warm water
- 40 g Coconut beer
- 600 g wheat flour type 405
- 1 tsp salt
- 250 g cold vegan butter
- For the filling:
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
- 100-150 g brown sugar
- 5 EL vegane Butter
- For the yeast dough, crumble the yeast into a bowl, mix it with the brown sugar and lukewarm water. The water should not be too hot (only lukewarm!). Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. The yeast should swell and rise to the surface of the water.
- Heat the coconut oil until it becomes liquid. It shouldn't be too hot, though. Add it, along with the salt. Now gradually knead in 400g of flour. The dough should still be very sticky.
- Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place for one hour. After one hour, the dough should have risen well and many bubbles should be visible on its surface.
- Now add another 200g of flour and knead it in. You should now be able to form a ball. Let it rise for another hour.
- Roll out the chilled vegan butter between two sheets of baking paper to a 20 x 25 cm rectangle.
- Roll out the prepared yeast dough to a 30 x 25 cm rectangle. Place the rolled-out butter on the dough so that the 25 cm edges align. Fold the rolled-out dough like a letter. To do this, fold the unbuttered third from the short side towards the center. Then fold the third from the other short side over it, so that there are now three layers of dough. Roll the folded dough out to a 30 x 50 cm rectangle, fold it again like a letter, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the vegan butter for the filling.
- Roll out the dough to 60 x 40 cm, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar.
- Then roll up the dough along the long side and cut it into pieces about 4-5 cm wide using a sharp knife.
- Gently press the dough balls in the middle with the handle of a wooden spoon and let them rise again for 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C (convection). After the rising time, flatten the dough balls with a spatula.
- Bake the Franzbrötchen for approximately 20-25 minutes, leaving sufficient space between them. Stored in an airtight container, the Franzbrötchen will keep for about three days.
Franzbrötchen are a Hamburg classic, and numerous theories surround their origin. While some claim they are Hamburg's attempt at a croissant, others suspect they were invented by "Franz's" baker, a once legendary bakery in Altona (source). Or are they perhaps the German answer to the cinnamon roll? Either way, the Franzbrötchen has become a true classic and is a must-try on any trip to Hamburg. So that you never have to miss out on this delicious treat again, we'll show you a simple, vegan version today.
The most difficult part of making Franzbrötchen (cinnamon rolls) is probably the lamination process. This involves repeatedly folding and rolling the dough, incorporating many layers of fat, which give it its characteristic flaky texture after baking. But don't worry, it sounds more complicated than it is. For lamination, it's best to use cold vegan butter; margarine is often very soft and more difficult to work with. Once you've successfully mastered the lamination, it's time for the filling of sugar, cinnamon, and vegan butter. Simply spread the softened butter on the dough and then generously sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. The amount is up to you; those with a sweet tooth should aim for about 100-150g of sugar. After rolling and dividing your dough, we just need to shape the rolls. Of course, there are various ways to shape Franzbrötchen. For my rolls, I used the so-called "spoon trick." This involves pressing a small indentation in the center of each dough piece with a wooden spoon and then flattening it. Whatever you choose, they'll taste delicious either way. Have fun baking!
