Every self-respecting baker in Hamburg has so-called Franzbrötchen in its range. And while the name suggests otherwise, it's more like a cinnamon snail or cinnamon roll. The origin of Franzbrötchen is unclear. One theory is that during the French occupation in the 19th century, the bakers of Hamburg started baking French baguettes, and one of the bakers got the idea of baking the bread in a pan with cinnamon and sugar, which led to the invention of Franzbrötchen. According to another theory, Hamburg bakers tried to make French croissants, which resulted in Franzbrötchen instead.
Another suspicion, on the other hand, is that the cult cake is of Scandinavian origin. In any case, there is a story that Franzbrötchen was invented by a baker named Franz'scher, who was based in the Altona district, which then belonged to Denmark. Still others suggest that Hamburg's bakers were simply inspired by Scandinavian cinnamon rolls. However Franzbrötchen was born, one thing is certain:it tastes heavenly! Try it yourself with this recipe….
Ingredients for approx. 12 pieces
Yeast dough:
50 g yeast
2.5 dl milk
70 g butter
1 egg
70 g sugar
1 tbsp salt
500 g flour
Cinnamon filling:
100 g softened butter
100 g sugar (you can also use brown sugar)
3 tablespoons cinnamon
Method:
Yeast dough: Heat the butter until it has just melted and heat the milk until it is finger-warm. Crumble the yeast in a bowl and dissolve in the lukewarm milk together with some salt and a little sugar. Then add the rest of the sugar, the melted butter and the egg. Stir in the mixture until smooth, then add the flour. Knead the dough until it is pliable. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
The filling: While the dough is rising, stir the filling together with an electric mixer until smooth.
When the dough has finished rising, roll it out into a 70×25cm square. Divide the filling over the dough and roll it into a roll. The roll is cut into 12 trapezoidal pieces. Then take a saucepan and flatten the pieces in the middle. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake them in the middle of the oven at 160 degrees (convection) for 15-20 minutes.
Tip: After a few days in the lunch box, Franzbrötchen can be heated in the microwave in 10-15 seconds – then they are baked as if they were freshly baked!
