After popular demand, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë Francois, the authors of Artisan Bread in 5 Mins a Day, created a variation on their white flour dough recipe to make German rolls, Brötchen. You can find their master recipe and their variation for Brötchen on their website.

I thought I'd try their Brötchen recipe to see how well it matched up to the delicious rolls I enjoyed for breakfast *almost* everyday in Germany. (I'll admit my staple was Müsli with soy milk). They came pretty close to the white rolls we had at the Zum ewigen Rath pension we stayed at in Mühlhausen, but King Arthur's Flour is not made with the same wheat flour as used by German bakers. 

Hertzberg and Francois' variation on their dough recipe for Brötchen includes keeping the liquid ratio the same when mixing the dough, but adding three egg whites to the warm water. I placed three egg whites into my measuring cup and added water until the level rose to 3 cups, and followed the rest of the dough recipe. The best part: there's no kneading required and everything is mixed in the same bowl.  I let it rise in the covered bowl on the kitchen table while I watched a movie and after, I placed the bowl in the refrigerator. This morning I cut off what I needed from the refrigerated dough, and shaped 6 rolls. Shaping took less than 5 minutes, and as the rolls rested for about a half hour on my prepared baking sheet, I preheated the oven to 425degrees. I brushed the rolls with egg white and made a small cut in the top of the roll with a serrated knife.  I filled a small Pyrex baking dish with hot water and set it on the bottom shelf before I set my baking sheet in the oven. As you've probably read from other bakers, you need steam to make a nice crust.  The rolls were baked for about 25 minutes. I rotated them halfway through.  

I had nice, warm crusty rolls before Matt was ready to run out the door this morning.  I have left over dough in the refrigerator and if I continue to work through the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day book we'll be enjoying freshly baked bread all week. 

Their recipe for German style rolls can be found here. I followed it as directed.

Since coming back from Germany, Matt and I have gone through two packs of sunflower seed bread, an entire jar of creamy, white, clover honey, Jacob's Kaffee, and two containers of Quark as part of our daily breakfast to remind us of our stay in Germany.

In Berlin and Görlitz, we stayed with friends, and in other cities, we stayed in Hostels and Pensions.  No matter where we stayed each morning we enjoyed fresh dense rolls (called Brötchen), butter, jams, spreads, fruit, cheese, müsli, and different types of dried meats. The array of meats to place on top of the roll could include liverwurst, sausage, and dried ham. Occasionally Quark would be placed on the table as well. It is a cross between sour cream and creme fraiche, sometimes mixed with herbs or left plain.   

At the Beneke home, Thekla provided us with many different options for breakfast before she would go into work. Plums are in season, and she made Pflaumenmus (plum butter), a thick spread made with plums, cinnamon and sugar.  It is boiled down and cooked for a few hours in a very similar fashion as our Pennsylvania German Apple Butter. I heartily spread it on top of my Brötchen, and I even put it on top of my Müsli with fruit salad.

At the Kempgen home, they provided us with a large bread basket full of thin rye breads, and seed breads. There was a large selection of homemade and brand jellies, including strawberry, elderberry and raspberry jam.  Jacob's instant coffee was served along side with at least three kinds of fruit nectar and juice. I would take a thin piece of the sunflower seed bread and spread the thick white creamy Raps Klee Honig on top. It is common to take a half of roll, spread butter or quark on top and place a fruit spread or honey on top of the cream. The Raps Klee Honig, the canola clover honey from Canada was crystallized, white and had a sweet taste and slightly raw, rough texture. It was delicious. I packed a jar in my return baggage and opened it upon my arrival back in the states, now after two weeks it is almost gone.

Where to find:
I have been unable to find the exact same white honey that I enjoyed in Görlitz, but I have been able to find various raw crystallized honeys. The Brötchen rolls I'll have to try to make myself. The folks at Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day have a recipe that you can adjust to make a similar dense roll. The 1/4inch thin, dense, seed loafs that I enjoyed with honey on top can be found at the German Deli website or in the International Foods Section at Wegmans. Quark is made at the Vermont Farm and Cheese Company, I've been able to buy small containers at Wegmans. Due to dairy regulations Quark is unable to be imported from Germany to the United States. 

This morning I started my day with a thin piece of Seitenbacher's Farmer's Sourdough Bread with a spread of the creamy honey. When the honey runs out, I'll be back to my everyday whole wheat and flaxseed cereal with soymilk or porridge.