Exploring the diversity of German Breads: A guide to professional bakers
Bread (brot) in Germany is not only a part of German cuisine as a staple food, but also embedded in the legendary cultural heritage over decades and has a symbolic significance as a sign of good luck, wealth & health or as a sense of bonding. The German bread culture is so diverse and rich that the German Art of Bread Baking is officially known to be an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
The diversity of German breads is widely seen in their shapes & sizes, the composition of cereals, preparation & baking methods, and types of natural ingredients used. When the selection of broths in Germany are described to be diverse, it extends over an array of 300 types of dark & light bread varieties and 1200 different mini breads and German baked products.
The types of German breads are undoubtedly extensive; however, each bread comes with its own distinctive feature or standout characteristics which makes it highly special & unique on its own! Here are some of the most popular breads from Germany:
Pretzels: (aka Brezel) are a popular snack item with a hard-crunchy exterior & soft-chewy interior complemented well with salt or sesame seeds coating for the intertwined knot-shaped sweet dough. It pairs with an array of dips like cheese sauce, caramel, whipped cream, cream cheese & honey mustard.
Pumpernickel: is the famous version of dark rye bread with an extensive fermentation & baking process for a rich & intense flavour; it has a dense crumb with a sweet-acidic taste; aged cheeses & strongly-flavour fillings are usually used as well as slices of pumpernickels are served with warm soups or curries.
Brötchens: are small bread rolls sold across every bakery & grocery store in Germany. They have a crusty texture and are served plain or garnished with poppy or sesame seeds; usually considered to be breakfast bread.
Früchtebrot: is a sweet fruit bread; it has a firm, dense and moist texture with visible fruits & nuts.
Hörnchen: or the German crescent roll is the German equivalent of a French Croissant. It has a rich buttery taste with a flaky crumb. It is either served as a sweet or savoury variant with fruit jams, cheese, ham, chocolate & a variety of other fillings.
Roggenbrot: is a traditional German rye bread which can be either light, mild or dark depending on the ratios of rye flour and the degree of sourdough fermentation; It is commonly consumed as a sandwich bread or served with meals.
German Stollen: is a legendary sweet festive bread that is widely consumed during the festive season in Germany! It consists of candied/dried fruits, nuts, spices and a generous coating of icing sugar; it is usually tender, voluminous and flavourful.
Vollkornbrot: is the whole grain bread to be found in every German bakery as there is a Government mandate to bake & sell breads with minimum 90% wholegrain flour as a part of a healthy diet amongst the German
From the salty pretzels to the sweet früchtebrots, from the healthy roggen broths & pumpernickel to the versatile brötchens & festive stollens− the assortment of German breads is undoubtedly the largest bread diversity across the globe!
Although being largely consumed in Germanic regions, German breads are widely in demand across the world due to their high nutrient levels and unique eating qualities that differentiate them from other breads across the world. The key to making authentic German breads outside of Germany is having access to the right quality and type of ingredients along with a deep understanding of the traditional recipe and baking techniques.
SwissBake® offers a range of different German bread mixes in a convenient dry mix format which makes it easier for professional chefs and bakers to replicate the authentic taste and flavour profile of German breads without access to speciality ingredients or recipe and techniques. These mixes have been formulated by Swiss experts based on traditional recipes for ease and convenience in a professional set up and they are widely appreciated for their original taste, texture and richness of the bread made using them. For more information on SwissBake® products, kindly refer to the website by clicking this link.
