Kaiser rolls. Kajzerki.

June 16, 2018

From Vienna to the World. A wonderful piece of culinary art in shape of a round roll with five folds on top. Come on in to learn the best recipe I could find.

Od Wiednia dla Świata. Wspaniały przykład sztuki kulinarnej pod postacią okrągłej bułki z pięcioma fałdami na wierzchu. Zapoznaj się z najlepszym przepisem, jaki udało mi się znaleźć.

I got this recipe(sources) from Dietmar Kappl, an Austrian baker running http://www.homebaking.at. I have translated it for your convenience, but I do recommend visiting the original blog for wonderful recipes. Translation services make it quite readable.

The greatest difficulty is shaping the rolls properly. Many bakeries use a stamp to make them faster, but I find the traditional method mesmerizing. It’s not very easy, but rewarding when you get it right.

Shaped Kaiser roll

The trick is to shape the dough in a flat round disc, then to put a thumb in the middle and gradually fold and push the dough four times. The thumb makes a small hole into which the last, fifth fold is pushed. It looks incredibly simple on the video:

But I can’t get it right. I managed once or twice maybe. Right now I think it’s about the flour I’m currently using. Next time I’ll either reduce amount of water or add a bit of gluten. If it helps me make a proper shape, I’ll order a different one next time.

The most important thing is that it doesn’t really matter. You can simply shape the rolls round and skip the folding bit. They will be insanely delicious anyway.

Kaiser rolls

Planning

Prepare pate fermentee (12-36 hours), knead the dough and wait (30 minutes), round the rolls and wait (45 minutes), fold the pattern and wait (6-8 hours in the fridge), bake (15 minutes). I usually prepare the levain in the morning, shape in the evening, proof overnight and bake in the morning the following day.

You’ll need space in the fridge, a baking tray, or even two, two clean kitchen towels for proofing.

Kaiser rolls

Ingredients

Makes 15 rolls

Levain

200 g white strong wheat flour
130 g water
3 g salt
2 g fresh yeast

Complete dough

The levain
460 g white strong wheat flour
12 g fresh yeast
13 g salt
14 g barley malt syrup (you can replace it with honey)
260 g cold water (the coldest you can get, the author says 8 C degrees)
a bit of light rye flour for dusting when shaping
Kaiser roll

Preparation

Mix the levain and leave to ripen. I leave it for 12 to 16 hours. The author leaves it for 36 hours
After the levain is ready, in a bowl put water, malt, yeast and salt. Mix them well, then knead till the dough is smooth. I recommend using a mixer with a dough hook
Leave it covered for 30 minutes. It shouldn’t raise by much as the dough is rather cold
Divide the dough into portions of about 72 grams and make them round
Cover the dough portions and leave them for 45 minutes
Shaping Kaiser rolls
Do the shaping: first dust the portions of dough and flatten them, then put a thumb in the middle, fold and press with a side of your hand, then again, again, again (you’re after four folds now). Take the remaining bit of dough and fold it and press it into the hole left by your thumb
Shaping Kaiser rolls
Put all rolls on a cloth, upside down, cover them and put into your fridge for eight hours
In the morning set your oven to 240-250 C without fan or 210-220 C with a fan. Take the rolls out of the fridge, put them with the pattern facing up and spray some water on them to help them open up during baking. Know your oven. Remember to add steam to your oven before baking
Bake for about 13-15 minutes, until golden brown
They will be ready for eating about 20-30 minutes after baking
Kaiser rolls

They are delicious and good for at least three days (they have never survived more), but taste best on the first day. Even though they sound like a lot of work, it’s not that bad. I recommend having some fun with them, especially with shaping, to experience how it works. The recipe, once you try it, will be your favourite.