How to make German/Austrian Kaiser Rolls (2024)

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Kaiser Rolls are known for their signature spiral on top, and are found in Austria and Germany. Whenever we travel there, it’s the first bread I grab at breakfast. This is my quest to learn how to make them at home. They are fluffy and tender, and make great sandwich rolls.

Craig and I spent two glorious weeks in Bavaria, Austria and Italy– just four months ago. If you followed my Instagram, I shared pictures as we went on our adventure to my Mutti’s roots in Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria. Breakfast in Europe is something that brings back childhood memories– freshly baked rolls, unsalted butter, cold cuts, cheeses, and even some salads. That might seem odd by American standards, I know. It’s the rolls that I appreciate the most. There’s something really special about how much more enjoyable the breads are in Europe. I think it’s a combination of the flour, farm fresh eggs and the butter. Of course, generations of baker techniques has a lot to do with it.

Baking my own Kaiser Rolls has been on my baking bucket list for ages. King Arthur Flour is one of my most trusted recipe (and ingredient) sources. Our annual Oktoberfest, at home, was just this last weekend. My husband always requests Bretzen (soft pretzels) and my Mutti’s Potato salad (with bacon). This year, I was going to include Kaiser Rolls on the menu. Kaiser Rolls have a history that begins in Austria. They have a crunchy exterior with a chewier interior. They are perfect with butter and jam (my favorite) and a cup of coffee.

Bread baking is one of my favorite things to do. Even though I use my handy dandy stand mixer to knead the dough, I love playing with bread dough by shaping it! My favorite yeast that I buy is SAF Instant Yeast. I keep mine in the freezer for a longer shelf life.

When baking, I only use King Arthur Unbleached Flour. All of the dry ingredients are added…

In my stand mixer, I add a farm fresh egg (thanks to my neighbor), unsalted butter and water. I let my machine do all the manual work until the dough comes together. We want the yeast to do it’s work, and warmth (along with sugar) helps to get the gas bubbles to start and make the dough rise. My little trick that works beautifully for me is to turn my oven on to WARM for less than one minute– then immediately turn it off.

I’ve sprayed my bowl with olive oil spray and set the dough inside, and covered it with a shower cap (another great tip– clean and unused in the shower, obviously!)

An hour later, the dough has doubled!

This is adult play dough! I gently deflated the dough, and using a bench scraper (an invaluable kitchen tool), I broke the dough into six pieces.

Roll, roll, roll the dough and shape into round balls. Now, here’s where the rubber meets the road. Kaiser Rolls are known for the beautiful spiral shape on top. One can roll these by hand like this, or a kitchen gadget addict like me can use this tool:

This is my first time using this stampand I’m curious to see if it works.

Kaiser Rolls

Kaiser Rolls have original roots from Austria. I used a Kaiser Roll stamp to give that spiral design on top (so easy to do). The interior texture of these rolls is very tender. Though, the crust isn't quite as crisp as we had in Austria, I found the dough easy to make and to work with.

Prep Time4 hours hrs

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Austrian, German

Keyword: Bread, Rolls

Servings: 6 rolls

Ingredients

3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 large egg room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
3/4 cup lukewarm water

Topping

1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons poppy or sesame seeds

Instructions

Mix, then knead together all of the dough ingredients — by hand, stand mixer, or in the bucket of a bread machine programmed for the dough cycle — to make a smooth, supple dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise until noticeably puffy, about 1 hour.
Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface. Divide the dough into six equal pieces. Shape the pieces into round balls, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
Center your kaiser stamp over one ball of dough. Press down firmly, cutting nearly to the bottom but not all the way through. Repeat with the remaining rolls.
Place the rolls cut-side down (this helps them retain their shape) onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover the rolls, and allow them to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they've almost doubled in volume. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.
Turn the rolls cut-side up. Dip their tops in milk, and coat with poppy or sesame seeds, if desired. (I brushed the milk on.)
Bake the rolls for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they're golden brown and feel light to the touch. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.
Serve rolls warm, or at room temperature. Store leftover rolls, well wrapped, at room temperature for a couple of days; freeze for longer storage.

Notes

If you don't cut the unbaked rolls deeply enough, the shape disappears as they bake; if you cut too deeply (all the way through), the rolls will form "petals" as they rise and look like a daisy, not a kaiser roll. Note that the simplest way to give these rolls their traditional shape is with a kaiser roll stamp. If you don't have a stamp, check out our blog post on how to shape kaiser rolls.

Recipe Source: King Arthur Flour