RoundAbout San Diego

Last year when we were in Germany, we often had these lovely, fresh, crunchy, bread rolls for breakfast with cheese and/or jam. Alex and I loved them so yesterday I attempted to make my own. They cooked to a beautiful golden brown color with a nice crusty crust. The inside texture was very good too. But the one thing that was really disappointing to us was the size. They were very small even though the dough rose to twice its volume when it was supposed to. I thought they would puff up in the oven but they didn't. The recipe below instructs you to make 12 rolls but I think the next time I do this I will make 10. The recipe calls for salt but doesn't tell you when to include it so I mixed it with the yeast, sugar, and water. If any of you think this was the wrong thing to do, let me know.

Broetchen



2 1/2 to 3 cups of flour
1 package of active instant yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oil
1 cup warm water

Pour 2 1/2 cups flour into a large bowl and form a well in the center.

In a separate container, mix yeast, sugar, and 2 tsp. of water (water comes from the 1 cup listed from above). Pour mixer into well but do not mix with the flour at this time. Cover the bowl with a cloth and set in a warm place for 15 minutes. Add remaining water and oil and beat until mixed.

Turn dough out onto the counter top and need until smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour as needed. Put dough in bowl, cover, and let it rise until double in size. Punch down and divide the dough into 12 parts. Shape in oval rolls and place 3" apart on a greased and floured cookie sheet. Cover and let rise until double in size. Beat egg white and 1 tsp. of water with fork until frothy and brush on the rolls.

Bake in preheated oven at 450F for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown