Easy Homemade Kaiser Rolls

 These Easy Homemade Kaiser Rolls are so simple to make and are perfect for grilling season and sandwiches throughout the year. They have a wonderful crust and pillowy soft center. 

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We are aching for warmer weather here in Ontario Canada, dreaming of BBQ burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, grilled peameal bacon. Winter seems to last longer and longer every year, making us crave summer and cookouts.  I have made Burger Buns at least a dozen times last summer, but sometimes I like to try something new. Since we are now in 2nd winter here in Ontario, I took advantage of the latest snow storm and baked up some yummy rolls to go with our peameal bacon. Peameal is a cured pork loin, which is crusted in corn meal. That is what us Canadians call, Canadian bacon. We love eating our peameal in sandwiches, so I decided to look for a Kaiser recipe that I could make at home.

I found this recipe over at Fleichman's Yeast's Bread World. I liked that this recipe was so simple and gave you an alternative way to form the rolls, if you didn't have a Kaiser stamp. I went with the alternative method, since I didn't even know Kaiser stamps existed, LOL. I made my dough in the bread machine, so it was ready to go when I returned home from picking the kids up at school. The dough was so supple, soft and easy to work with. Once it baked up, it had a gorgeous crispy crust, pillowy soft  inside and was perfect for sandwiches. This will totally be making an appearance several times, this grilling season.

What is a Kaiser Roll?

Kaiser Rolls are a yeast roll with a crispy crust, and soft fluffy center. They are traditionally stamped with a 5-point pinwheel design on top, meant to represent a crown. It is sometimes also called a Vienna roll or a hard roll.

What is a Kaiser Roll Stamp?

A Kaiser Roll stamp is basically a circular cookie cutter with spokes on top. It is gently pressed into the dough to make a perfectly uniformed looking swirl on top, making the Kaiser Roll look like it has been folded.

Shaping Kaiser Rolls without a Kaiser Roll Stamp

1. Tie dough ropes into a knot
2. Wrap the top end, under the roll and poke it through the center
3. Bring the remaining tail end over the roll and poke it through the center

PIN IT!!

Equipment needed for this recipe

• stand mixer with dough hook
• measuring cups for both wet and dry measures
• measuring spoons
• baking sheet
• parchment paper

Homemade Kaiser Rolls
adapted from BreadWorld.com

1-1/4 C warm water (100° to 110°F)
2 1/4 tsp Quick Rise Yeast 
2 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs butter, softened
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3 1/2- 3 3/4 C flour. divided

In your mixer bowl, combine the warm water, sugar and Quick Rise Yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes, to let the yeast activate and start foaming. 

Add in the flour, butter, egg and salt and place on the mixer stand, fitted with a dough hook. As dough begins to knead, check if dough is too wet. If so, add an additional 1/4 C flour. You want the dough to be soft, but not sticky.

Knead the dough in the mixer for 10 minutes. Oil the bowl and cover with a damp towel and place in a draft free area of your kitchen. Let the dough rise until doubled in size; about 45 minutes.      

Once dough had doubled in size, punch down dough and turn out to a lightly floured surface. 

Cut the dough into 8 fairly equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 12-inch rope. Tie each rope into a loose knot; you will be left with a tail on either end of the knot. Wrap the tail on the top of the roll under, and tuck the end through the hole, in the center. Bring the lower tail over the roll and tuck it into the same hole, in the center. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.

Place shaped dough on a parchment lined baking sheet, and place in a warm, draft free place. Let rise until doubled in size; about 20 minutes. 

While dough is rising, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake raised rolls in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes; until done through and beautifully browned on top. 

Remove to a wire rack to cool, before using.