Kaiser Rolls with Poppy Seeds and a Crispy Crust

After two weeks of absence, I'm back! I had absolutely no time to bake, something which doesn't happen too often. But take an essay, a master's thesis and moving to a different city and your time will be very, very limited. I haven't finished the essay, but at least I got a start on it, plus I have started reading for my thesis. For those who are curious, it's going to have something to do with medieval manuscripts, those who read my "About me" shouldn't be too surprised about that.

I moved on friday, and I have been adjusting to my new apartment (small studio, sublet) and the surroundings ever since. I haven't got a really decent night of sleep yet as there a churchbells ringing every half hour! Even during the night! It's a bit ridiculous really. I also got a small oven because the kitchen wasn't equipped with one. I decided to take the weekend to bake something, went to the local mill and got some flour to get me started. I ended up baking kaiser rolls, lovely for a sunday breakfast or brunch. They have a crispy crust and a fluffy inside. The recipe is fo seven rolls, but don't let that stop you from doubling, tripling or quadrupling it - it's easily done. The recipe for light egg-salad which you'll see in the picture can be found on The Iron You - I added some raw onion to the salad for some extra flavor.

Kaiser Rolls with Poppy Seeds

These rolls have a crunchy crust and a fluffy inside. A great dinner roll!

Servings: makes 7 rolls

Prep time: 1 and a half hour (the majority of which inactive)
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Total time: 1h50m

Tools: large bowl, wooden spoon

Ingredients

225gr strong white bread flour
1 sachet (7g)instant yeast
4gr salt
15gr butter
125ml luke-warm water
50gr poppy seeds (you could also use sesame seeds)

Directions

1. Measure the flour in a large bowl. Add salt on one side of the bowl, yeast on the other side. Make sure they don't touch. Then mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

2. Add the water. Using a wooden spoon, beat until the dough comes together.

3. Add the butter, beat with a wooden spoon until somewhat distributed, then turn out onto a working surface. Knead by hand for about 15 minutes, or until the dough is dry and elastic . Resist the urge to add more flour, the stickiness will subside as you knead. You can also use a free-standing mixer with dough attachment. You should then reduce the kneading time to 8-10 minutes, mixing on low-medium speed.

4. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover the bowl with a damp kitchen cloth or clingfilm and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Once rested, beat the dough back and fold it. Place it back in the bowl, cover the bowl as before and rest for another 15 minutes.

5. Once the dough has risen for the second time, beat it back and divide into 50gr pieces with a dough cutter or a (clean) creditcard. Shape each piece into a ball by making one hand into a cupped shape, placing it on top of the ball of dough and making large circles with your hand.

6. Place the rolls on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and cover with clingfilm, or insert the sheet into a large plastic bag. Leave to proof for 45 mins.

7. In the meanwhile, preheat the oven to 240C/460F.

8. Once risen, cut into the rolls four times on the sides with a scissor to create the distinctive kaiser roll pattern. Spray some water on the buns with a spray bottle before baking the buns in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. The water will create steam which guarantees the crispy crust. Alternatively, you could use the steam function on your oven, should your oven have such a function.

9. Leave the rolls to cool on a wire rack before serving. 

Source: Bakboek de Klassiekers