Already into typical Hamburg food

So the other day I was craving for something sweet. It was in the afternoon after uni and all I could think about was something sweet. So I went to a bakery and found those little things called "Franzbrötchen" (mostly because the guy in front of me bought some). Now, I have never even heard about those sweet somethings. No wonder, they are typical for Hamburg and I believe sold only here . Anyway, the one I bought was very very delicious and I kept thinking about Franzbrötchen ever since. So you are wondering what this is. Well, it's a small pastry with butter, sugar and cinnamon. And very tasty.

But since I am student and can't really afford to eat out every day, I thought, why not try to make them by myself. So here it goes: They were actually pretty easy to make. You only have to be patient with the dough, because the yeast in it has to grow before you can put them into the oven. 

Recipe Franzbrötchen

What you need:

250g flour, plus extra for rolling out dough

20g yeast

35g sugar

125ml lukewarm milk

35g butter

pinch of salt

For the filling:

100g butter

100g sugar

1 Tsp cinnamon

Method:

1.Put the flour in a bowl but leave the middle empty and there break up the yeast. Add sugar, salt and the milk. It is important that the milk is lukewarm for the yeast to dissolve. Add the melted butter. You can use your hands or a dough hook from a mixer to make a even dough. Cover the bowl loosely with a cloth and let rest in a warm place for up to 40 minutes or until doubled in size.

2. After the rest you should knead the dough again. The dough should be slightly shiny but not sticky.

3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and roll the pastry. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to a rectangle about 80x40 cm in size.

4. Next steps differ in some recipes. I went with the easiest way. But you can find another version here.

I added butter to it as well, but slightly melted. Add the cinnamon/sugar mix on top of the butter and start to roll the dough. Start with the long edge.

5. Cut the rolled dough into 4 cm wide pieces.

6. Press the floured handle of a wooden spoon firmly into the top of each piece, all the way down to the counter, so that the spiralled sides come out on either side of the handle. Put them onto a baking sheet and let them rest for another 10 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 200°C and bake them in the middle of the oven, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until well-browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool thoroughly.

So really not hard to do! Hope you try them too and if you are even more interested in Franzbrötchen you should check out Franzbrötchen (it's only in German, so use the other link at #4 for more English information).