Kaisersemmel (Hand-Folded Imperial Roll)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Stand mixer with dough hook (optional, can knead by hand)
• •Kitchen scale
• •Two baking trays
• •Parchment paper
• •Metal roasting tin (for oven moisture)
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the dough

   Dissolve the malt syrup in the lukewarm water and stir until combined. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and yeast. Keep the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl before mixing, because direct contact kills yeast. Add the softened butter and the malt water. Stir everything together with a wooden spoon until a shaggy mass forms and no dry flour remains. The malt does two things: it feeds the yeast for a better rise, and it gives the crust that deep golden color you see on every Kaisersemmel in every Viennese bakery window.

   If you can find Austrian Type 700 flour, use it. It has a slightly lower protein content than most bread flours, which gives you a tender crumb instead of a chewy one. If you only have regular bread flour, it still works. The rolls will just be a little more robust.
2. 2

   Knead until smooth

   Turn the dough out onto a clean, unfloured surface. Knead for ten to twelve minutes by hand, or seven minutes in a stand mixer with a dough hook on medium speed. The dough should become smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky. Press a finger into it: if it springs back slowly and leaves a shallow dent, it's ready. If it snaps back immediately, keep going. You're developing the gluten network that will trap the gas from the yeast and give you that open, airy crumb. No shortcuts here.

   Resist the urge to add flour while kneading. A slightly tacky dough is what you want. Too much flour makes dense rolls. If the dough sticks to your hands, wet them lightly with water instead.
3. 3

   First rise

   Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel or cling film. Let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about one hour. The timing depends on your kitchen. A warm room speeds things up, a cool one slows them down. Don't watch the clock. Watch the dough. It's ready when it has clearly doubled, feels puffy and light, and a floured finger poked into the surface leaves an indentation that fills back halfway.

4. 4

   Divide and pre-shape

   Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface. Press it gently into a rectangle to release the large gas bubbles. Divide into ten equal pieces, about 80g each. A kitchen scale is your friend here. Equal pieces mean even baking. Shape each piece into a tight, smooth ball by pulling the surface taut and pinching the seam closed at the bottom. Cover the balls loosely with a tea towel and let them rest for ten minutes. This rest relaxes the gluten so the dough cooperates when you fold it instead of fighting you.

5. 5

   Shape the Kaisersemmel star

   This is the heart of the whole recipe. Take one dough ball, seam side up, and flatten it into a disc about 10 centimeters across. Now imagine a clock face. Fold the edge at 12 o'clock down to the center, pressing firmly with the heel of your hand to seal. Turn the disc slightly and fold the next section down to the center, overlapping the first fold. Repeat until you've made five folds going around the disc, each one overlapping the last, creating a pinwheel pattern. After the fifth fold, tuck the loose end under the first fold to close the rosette. Flip the roll over so the smooth side faces up. The folds are now on the bottom. Press down gently with your palm to flatten slightly. The five-petaled star should be visible through the top surface. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

   Your first two or three will look rough. By the fifth one you'll have the rhythm. The key is pressing each fold firmly enough that it stays sealed during baking. If the folds open too much, the star pattern disappears. If they're too tight, the petals won't separate. Practice teaches you the pressure faster than any description can.
6. 6

   Second rise

   Place the shaped rolls fold-side down on baking trays lined with parchment, spaced well apart because they will spread. If you want seeds, brush the tops lightly with water and press them gently into poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Cover loosely and let them proof for forty to fifty minutes. They should look visibly puffed and the star pattern will become more pronounced as the folds push apart. Don't rush this proof. Underproofed Kaisersemmel are dense and chewy instead of light and shattering.

7. 7

   Prepare the oven

   Set your oven to 230°C (450°F) at least twenty minutes before baking. Place an empty metal roasting tin on the bottom rack. You'll need it for creating the burst of moisture that gives Kaisersemmel their crackling crust. The oven must be properly hot. If you put rolls into a lukewarm oven, the yeast keeps working too long and the structure collapses before the crust sets.

8. 8

   Bake with moisture

   Slide the trays into the oven. Immediately pour about 150ml of hot water into the roasting tin on the bottom rack and close the door fast. That initial burst of moisture keeps the crust flexible for the first few minutes, letting the rolls expand fully before the surface hardens. Bake for sixteen to eighteen minutes. The rolls are done when they're a deep golden brown all over, including the sides and bottom. They should feel hollow and light when you tap the base. If you pull them out too early because the tops look done, you'll have pale, soft sides and a soggy bottom. Don't do that.

   Open the oven door a crack for the last three minutes of baking. This lets the remaining moisture escape and dries the crust to a proper shatter. Austrian bakeries vent their ovens at the end for exactly this reason.
9. 9

   Cool and serve

   Transfer the rolls to a wire rack immediately. Don't leave them on the tray or the bottoms will go soggy from trapped condensation. Let them cool for at least ten minutes. The crust will crackle and tick as it cools, contracting around the soft interior. A fresh Kaisersemmel torn open at the breakfast table, with good butter and Marillenmarmelade, is one of the finest simple pleasures Austrian cooking has to offer. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •Gretel always said the sign of a good Semmel is that you can hear it before you eat it. When you tap the bottom, it should sound hollow like a little drum. If it thuds, it needed more time in the oven.
• •The dough temperature matters more than people think. If your water is too warm, the yeast overferments and the rolls taste sour and yeasty instead of clean and wheaty. Keep the water around 24°C. Lukewarm means barely warm, not hot.
• •Kaisersemmel are at their absolute best within two hours of baking. After that, the crust softens. If you're making them for breakfast, shape them the night before, refrigerate overnight, and bake them first thing in the morning. Cold fermentation actually improves the flavor.
• •If the star pattern isn't opening during baking, your folds weren't firm enough. Press harder with the heel of your hand when you seal each fold. The tension between the sealed fold and the expanding dough is what creates the petals.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be mixed and given its first rise, then refrigerated overnight. Cold dough is actually easier to shape because it's less sticky. Pull it out thirty minutes before shaping to take the chill off.
• •Shaped rolls can be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to twelve hours before their final proof. Remove from the fridge and let them proof at room temperature for about an hour before baking. This overnight method gives a deeper, more complex flavor.
• •Baked Kaisersemmel freeze well for up to one month. Reheat from frozen in a 200°C oven for five to seven minutes. They won't be quite as good as fresh, but they'll still be better than anything from a supermarket bag.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 75g)