Ingredients
Scale
For the dough
- 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 oz. (30g) fresh yeast
- 4 1/4 cups (550g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1/3 cup (75g) butter
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (230g) cold butter
For the filling
- 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/c cup (100g) sugar
- water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 120˚F (50°C) an then turn it off again – this is for the dough to rise.
- In a small bowl mix the lukewarm milk with the sugar and the yeast until completely dissolved. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt, the butter in small pieces, sugar, eggs and the yeast-milk mixture. Knead until you get a nice smooth dough (with a food processor), then knead some minutes with your hands on a floured surface and form a ball – place in the bowl again and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the oven and let rise for about 45-60 minutes – the size should almost double.
- Wile the dough is rising in the oven, take the cold butter and wrap loosely in plastic wrap. Take a rolling pin and hit it several times so it softens, then roll out to a 0.4 inch (1cm) thick square. It works best if you loosen the plastic wrap in between so it does not tear apart. When you’re done, place the butter square (wrapped in plastic wrap again) in the fridge to cool. The butter has to be cool, so you get layers at the end.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a square (it should be bigger than your butter square). Unwrap your butter, place it on the dough and fold the dough like an envelope over the butter. Make sure the butter is sealed in completely, then turn around and roll out to a long rectangle. Fold the ends towards the middle, one over the other to get three layers – flatten a bit. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Take the dough out of the fridge go for another rolling/folding round – this time fold both sides to the middle and then one over the other to get 4 layers – flatten a bit and wrap in plastic wrap. Place once more in the fridge for 20 minutes. Mix cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 390˚F (200°C). Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll out to a large rectangle. Brush the dough with some water and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture – press a bit onto the dough. Roll up to a log from the long side and cut into 2 inch (5cm) thick slices. Flatten them a bit and use the back of a wooden spoon to make a “notch” into the roll – dough and sugar filling should ooze out a bit on the left and right – that gives the “franzbröchen” their typical shape. Place on the baking sheets with space in between (they get bigger) and bake for 15-20 minutes. They should get a nice color but not too dark. Take out of the oven and let cool down on a wire rack completely.
Notes
- Enjoy baking!