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Franzbrötchen are delightful German pastry that are a sort of cross between croissant and cinnamon roll, a mix of flaky, chewy, crisp, and rich at the same time. I’d never heard of them until recently and now I’m making up for lost time by trying to make them myself!
French laminated dough used for croissants, Danish dough is richer and yields a chewier product from the addition of eggs, versus croissants which are meant to be light and airy. The Plunderteig dough is also has fewer turns, where you fold the dough (detrempé) over a block of butter several times to create layers and layers of pastry and butter that puff up deliciously when you bake it. However, fewer layers doesn’t make this dough any less delicious.
What are Franzbrötchen?
Franzbrötchen means “Franz rolls” and they are specialty of Hamburg, Germany. They look very similar to cinnamon rolls, but instead of the simpler yeasted dough used in American style cinnamon rolls, they are made with a laminated dough, where you fold a dough (detrempé) over a block of butter and roll it out several times to create layers and layers of pastry and butter that puff up deliciously when you bake it.
The traditional dough for Franzbrötchen is called Plunderteig, which is very similar to Danish dough as it has eggs and it has fewer turns than puff pastry or croisssant dough. Compared to croissant dough, Danish dough is richer and yields a chewier product from the addition of eggs, versus croissants which are meant to be light and airy. It’s also a bit quicker to make since there aren’t as many turns. If you plan out your baking, you can definitely start making the dough for Franzbrötchen in the morning and have finished rolls by evening. Or, you can make the dough in the afternoon/evening, let it chill in the refrigerator overnight, and then shape and bake them the next morning.
Shaping the Franzbrötchen
The history for Franzbrötchen and the recipe below are based off of information from Classic German Baking and New European Baking, two excellent resources for European pastries. Making the Plunderteig was straightforward if you’ve ever made any Danish or croissant dough. Once it’s finished, you roll it out into a rectangle, sprinkle a cinnamon sugar mixture over it, and roll it up into a long tube. If you want to add more richness to the rolls, you can brush the dough with melted butter before sprinkling the cinnamon sugar over the top. Once the dough is it rolled up, you slice it into individual rolls. Some recipes suggest to slice them in alternating angles, so the rolls are shaped more like a trapezoid than a rectangle, to let the rolls fan out more easily.
The signature technique for Franzbrötchen is to squash the cut rolls down lengthwise, causing the layers to fan out like a butterfly. I’ve read different theories about how this shape came about, but regardless it makes the Franzbrötchen very distinctive visually. You also get the contrast between the flaky outer edges, and more cinnamon-roll like texture inside. I used a chopstick to press down gently on the cut rolls and push most (but not all the way) down, which should make the outer edges turn up and show off the layers of dough and cinnamon sugar.
Other ways to make Franzbrötchen
I’ve seen recipes for Franzbrötchen made with simplified doughs, more like an American cinnamon roll dough, or with a “blitz” version of Danish dough where cold butter is grated or shredded over the dough and folded in, to approximate the layering of the butter block. These are perfectly fine shortcuts for home baking when you’re pressed for time or just don’t want to go through the process of doing turns and rolling out the dough. I actually tried a blitz Danish dough while testing out the recipe, and the buns came out completely delicious. However, they did not have the distinct layering as you can see in the photo above and below when using a laminated dough. I would say it’s hard to go wrong with any kind of cinnamon roll-type recipe, but if you have the time, it’s definitely worth it to go through all the steps of making the Plunderteig and using it for these rolls!
Tips for making Franzbrötchen
Making laminated doughs can always be intimidating. Here are some tips from my Franzbrötchen-making in the kitchen:
- Keep your butter cold. It’s important for the butter to remain solid. One, so it can layer properly with the dough, and two, if the butter starts melting it will lead to heavy, greasy pastries.
- Keep the dough cold. Similarly, when you have enclosed the butter in the dough and are rolling it out, it’s critical to keep the layers of dough and butter separate from each other. If the dough becomes warm, the butter may start melting into the dough, and then you will lose those beautiful separate flaky layers.
- Allow the dough to rest. Resting the dough allows the gluten to relax. If you find the dough is difficult to roll out and keeps shrinking back, resist the urge to keep fighting it and return it to the refrigerator to rest for 10-15 minutes.
Some final thoughts from making Franzbrötchen: The recipe in New European Baking suggested brushing the tops of the rolls with a hot sugar syrup when they are done, and then returning to the oven for a minute to let it set. I really liked this as it added an extra bit of sugary crunch to the pastry. I also found they kept very well in the refrigerator for about a week; just warm them up in a 350 degree F oven for about 5-10 minutes. However, they are definitely best fresh the day they are made.
It’s a while since I’ve worked with laminated doughs, but making these Franzbrötchen showed me that it’s not as difficult as I started imagining it would be. A morning’s worth of work yielded some very delightful results that was well worth the effort.
Franzbrotchen
German Cinnamon Sugar Rolls
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup (155 g) whole milk
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 1/4 cups (400 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter , preferably European style (83% butterfat)
- 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 egg for egg wash
Instructions
For the dough:
Heat milk to just warm in a small saucepan- not above 105 degrees F or you'll kill the yeast.
Sprinkle the yeast and one tablespoon of the sugar over the milk and let bloom for about 10 minutes until the mixture starts to look frothy.
Whisk together the yeast mixture, the remainder of the sugar, eggs, and salt together in a large bowl.
Add the flour and stir to combine until the dough starts to come together. Continue kneading until it comes together into a smooth ball, about 5 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, add a little bit of flour at a time.
Cover the dough in the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and place in a warm spot in the kitchen. Let rise for about 1-2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.
For the butter block:
Place the butter on a piece of parchment paper and cover with another piece of parchment paper. Beat a few times with a rolling pin to soften if necessary. Roll into a roughly 6 inch square. Avoid touching the butter too much with your hands or overworking it to avoid melting. Place the butter, still between the pieces of parchment, in the refrigerator to chill while you roll out the dough.
To make the laminated dough:
Take the risen dough out of the bowl and placed on a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times and then form into an 8 in square.
Take the butter block out of the refrigerator and place it diagonally on the dough square so the corners are touching the center of the dough edges.
Fold the dough corners over towards the center like an envelope, so they cover the butter block completely. Press down on the dough edges to seal the butter in.
Roll out the dough (with the butter inside) to about 8 inches by 12 inches. Fold the rectangle in thirds like a letter.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for about 20 minutes. This is to give the dough time to relax and to prevent the butter from softening too much and melting.
Remove dough from the refrigerator. Turn 90 degrees so you are rolling it out the opposite of how you rolled it the first time. Roll out to an 8 inch by 12 inch rectangle and fold the rectangle in thirds like last time.
Wrap in dough in plastic and chill in refrigerator again for about 20 minutes. Remove dough and roll out and fold again for a third time. Wrap and chill for a final 20 minutes. If during any of these laminations you find it difficult to roll out the dough, let it sit for a few minutes to rest and then try again.
After the final chilling you are ready to shape the dough.
To form and bake the franzbrotchen:
Roll out the dough to about 3/16" thick. If it is difficult to roll out and keeps shrinking back, let it rest for a few minutes before trying again.
Trim the edges off the dough to form an even rectangle.
Combine the 3/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over the dough, leaving a small 3/4 in border at the edge.
Roll the dough up tightly into a log. Slice it into 2 inch wide pieces – you should get about eight pieces.
Place the pieces upright (like a wheel), seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or silicone baking mat, about 2 inches apart. Using the handle of a wooden spoon or a chopstick, press down into the middle of the roll to squash the roll down and make the sides fan out. Do not press all the way down and split the roll.
Brush the tops of the rolls with egg wash and let them proof on the tray for about 2 hours, until the rolls have doubled in size and look puffy and light.
While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Brush another layer of egg wash over the rolls and bake for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown.
