Franzbrötchen (Northern German Cinnamon Buns)
These delicious pastries are like cinnamon buns but much better. They are sweet, moist, fluffy, gooey, crispy, and an incredible effective comfort food.
Zutaten
- 300 ml soy or other plant milk (1 1/4 cups)
- 20 g fresh yeast ( or 8 grams, 2 teaspoons active dry yeast)
- 50 g margarine, melted (3 Tbsp + 2 tsp)
- 500 g all-purpose flour (or German type 550) (4 cups + 2 Tbsp)
- 50 g sugar (¼ cup)
- ½ tsp salt
Filling
- 150 g cold margarine (⅔ cup)
- 150 g turbinado sugar (or regular sugar) (¾ cup)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 150 g finely chopped dark chocolate (5¼ oz)
Anleitungen
- To make the dough, place the plant milk in a small saucepan and heat until lukewarm.
- Remove from heat and crumble fresh yeast into the milk. If using active dry, sprinkle it over the milk and stir.
- Place flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and pour milk mixture over the flour. Let sit for 10 minutes until the milk mixture looks bubbly.
- Place margarine in the saucepan you used for the milk and gently heat until melted.
- Remove from heat and pour over the plant milk mixture.
- Knead the dough until combined, for about 1 minute.
- Place a damp kitchen towel over the bowl and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Knead again until the dough is bouncy and smooth. This should take about 1-2 minutes.
- Cover the dough again and let the dough rest at room temperature (20°C) for about two hours, or until approximately doubled in size.
- Take the dough out of the bowl, punch it down, knead it briefly and shape into a ball.
- Place on a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle. (Approx. 50 x 35 cm)
- Cut cold margarine into very thin strips and place on top of the dough.
- Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the dough.
- Also sprinkle dark chocolate on top.
- Tightly roll the dough up, starting with the 50 cm side. Place on surface seam side down making sure to seal the edges of the dough.
- Cut into 12 pieces. Use a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon to press a deep dent into the middle of the rolls.
- Place on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper and cover with kitchen towels. Let rise for 30 minutes.
- Place a deep dish baking sheet on the bottom of your oven and preheat to 250°C.
- Right before you place the first sheet with buns in the oven, boil about a cup of water and carefully pour it into the baking dish.
- Place one baking sheet at a time in the oven and immediately reduce temperature to 200°C.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- After about 10 minutes the margarine should have melted and oozed out of the rolls. Open the oven door and brush the tops with the melted margarine. Then resume baking.
- Repeat with the remaining rolls.
- Let cool to room temperature before serving.