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Home Bread & More

Schwäbische Seelen aka. »Swabian Souls«

by baketotheroots
January 11, 2017
in Bread & More, German Recipes
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Some of you might know that I am originally from the South of Germany. I was not born in Berlin, just ended up here some years ago. The South of Germany is often mistaken for Bavaria, but I am from an area called Baden. The most beautiful place on earth and home to something called Schwäbische Seelen aka. »Swabian Souls«. A typical bake everyone loves down there…

Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots
Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots

People that live in other places than »home« typically miss things they are used to from their time back home. In my case I could say that about pretzel rolls and Seelen aka. Souls!

Don’t worry, I did not join a cult or something like that. In the area I am coming from we have bread rolls called »Seelen« which would translate as »souls«. The origin of the name is not really clear but some say it’s coming from the Christian holiday »All Souls’ Day« where bread was given to people in need. To poor souls, you could say. I have no idea if that is all true, but sounds like it could be true, right?

Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots
Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots

Here in Berlin it is a bit difficult to find those bread rolls. I mean good ones. There are several bakeries that make them, but those are not really good. That’s why I thought making them myself would be a good idea.

Preparing these bread rolls is not too difficult, you just need some patience and time. That’s all. No witchcraft involved. »Seelen« are really delicious. Crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. You can make sandwiches with them, with cheese, salami or ham, but I like them plain with some butter. They are so good!

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If you can’t eat them all on the same day – don’t worry. You can reheat/bake them the next day. Just brush them with some water and bake them once more at 180°C for about 8-10 minutes sprinkle with some water, bake again for 8-10 minutes – they turn out almost as good as freshly baked.

INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN

  • English
  • Deutsch

(5-6 bread rolls)

0.75 oz. (21g) fresh baker’s yeast
2 cups (480ml) cold water
19.4 oz. (550g) spelt flour*
5.3 oz. (150g) all-purpose flour*
2 tsp. salt

some caraway seeds*
some coarse salt*
saltwater (1/2 tsp. salt for 1/4 cup water)

(5-6 Seelen)

21g frische Hefe
480ml kaltes Wasser
550g Dinkelmehl (Type 630)*
150g Mehl (Type 405)*
2 TL Salz

einige Kümmelsamen (ganz)*
etwas grobes Salz*
Salzwasser (1/2 TL Salz auf 60ml Wasser)

Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots
Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots

DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG

  • English
  • Deutsch

1. Crumble the fresh yeast into a tall bowl and mix with the water until dissolved completely. Sift the flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor (with dough hooks), add the yeast water and let the dough knead for about 20 minutes.

2. Transfer the dough to a large bowl/container that fits into your fridge. Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight for a minimum of 12 hours.

3. Preheat the oven including a baking sheet to a temperature of 250°C (480°F). Place a large piece of baking parchment on your work surface and dust it with a bit of flour. Cut the dough into 5-6 pieces. Work with floured hands and shape each dough piece into a log with a length of about 24cm. Place those logs with some space in between on the prepared baking parchment. Sprinkle the dough logs with salt and/or caraway seeds to your liking.

4. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and pull the baking parchment with the dough pieces onto the baking sheet. Try not to burn yourself! Bake the bread rolls for about 16-18 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Take them out of the oven and brush them immediately with some saltwater. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool down completely.

1. Die Hefe in ein Gefäß bröckeln und mit dem Wasser verrühren, bis sie sich aufgelöst hat. Die beiden Mehlsorten zusammen mit dem Salz in die Schüssel einer Küchenmaschine (mit Knethaken) sieben und dann das Hefewasser dazuschütten und alles für etwa 20 Minuten durchkneten lassen.

2. Den Teig in eine große Schüssel geben und dann mit Klarsichtfolie locker abdecken und dann über Nacht für mindestens 12 Stunden in den Kühlschrank stellen, damit der Teig langsam aufgehen kann.

3. Den Ofen samt Backblech auf 250°C (480°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Ein großes Stück Backpapier auf die Arbeitsfläche legen und mit ein wenig Mehl bestauben. Mithilfe eines Teigschabers und bemehlten Händen den Teig in 5-6 Portionen aufteilen und daraus etwa 24cm lange Teiglinge ziehen. Mit etwas Abstand zueinander auf das vorbeireitete Backpapier setzen. Die Teigstücke nach Belieben mit Salz und/oder Kümmel bestreuen.

4. Das heiße Blech aus dem Ofen nehmen und die Teiglinge mit dem Backpapier auf das Blech ziehen, dann zurück in den Ofen schieben und für etwa 16-18 Minuten backen. Die Seelen sollten eine schöne goldbraune Farbe bekommen haben. Aus dem Ofen nehmen, umgehend mit etwas Salzwasser bestreichen und dann auf einem Gitter auskühlen lassen.

Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots
Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots

Craving more? Keep in touch on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for new post updates and more. You can also contact me with any questions or inquiries!

Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.

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Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots

Schwäbische Seelen aka. “Souls”

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  • Author: Bake to the roots
  • Prep Time: 00:35
  • Cook Time: 00:18
  • Total Time: 13:00
  • Yield: 5 1x
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: -
  • Cuisine: Germany
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

A quintessential bake from the south of Germany: Swabian *Seelen* are long bread rolls made with spelt flour and are perfect for breakfast.


Ingredients

Scale

0.75 oz. (21g) fresh baker’s yeast
2 cups (480ml) cold water
19.4 oz. (550g) spelt flour*
5.3 oz. (150g) all-purpose flour*
2 tsp. salt

some caraway seeds*
some coarse salt*
saltwater (1/2 tsp. salt for 1/4 cup water)


Instructions

1. Crumble the fresh yeast into a tall bowl and mix with the water until dissolved completely. Sift the flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor (with dough hooks), add the yeast water and let the dough knead for about 20 minutes.

2. Transfer the dough to a large bowl/container that fits into your fridge. Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight for a minimum of 12 hours.

3. Preheat the oven including a baking sheet to a temperature of 250°C (480°F). Place a large piece of baking parchment on your work surface and dust it with a bit of flour. Cut the dough into 5-6 pieces. Work with floured hands and shape each dough piece into a log with a length of about 24cm. Place those logs with some space in between on the prepared baking parchment. Sprinkle the dough logs with salt and/or caraway seeds to your liking.

4. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and pull the baking parchment with the dough pieces onto the baking sheet. Try not to burn yourself! Bake the bread rolls for about 16-18 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Take them out of the oven and brush them immediately with some saltwater. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool down completely.


Notes

Enjoy baking!

Did you make this recipe?

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The recipe received a small update and new photos in 2026. Here is what the whole thing looked like ten years earlier…

Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots
Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots

Links marked with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links (advertising/Werbung) to Amazon Germany. If you click on one of those links and buy something via this link, I will get a commission for that sale. The price of whatever you buy is not affected in any way by this.

Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots
Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots
Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots
Schwäbische Seelen | Bake to the roots
Tags: Bread

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Comments 7

  1. Sabine Korpan says:
    9 years ago

    Lieber Marc,
    Ich habe am Samstag Dein Seelenrezept ausprobiert und muss Dir ein Kompliment aussprechen.
    Sie schmecken echt lecker und kommen an die ran, die ich immer in Oberschwaben kaufe, wenn ich dort bin.
    So frisch aus dem Backofen sind sie natürlich noch besser.
    Herzliche Grüße,
    Sabine

    Reply
  2. pierre barriere says:
    6 years ago

    Great recipe and looking forward to create them but one question… no proofing between shaping and baking?

    Reply
    • baketotheroots says:
      6 years ago

      Not needed for this recipe ;)

      Reply
  3. Alvin Buechele says:
    5 years ago

    Hi Marc
    I purchased my spelt at Mother Nature. The flour looked just like hole wheat flour it was not white.The taste of the Steele was very good.
    I shopped in several big stores and i could not fine Spelt flour.
    Any recommendations as where I could find white Spelt Flour.
    Thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • baketotheroots says:
      5 years ago

      Sorry – I get spelt flour in the supermarket around the corner.
      I don’t know where you live so I can’t help you here ;)

      Cheers
      Marc

      Reply
  4. Jamie says:
    1 year ago

    Do you use white spelt, whole spelt, or some combination of these flours in your recipe? They look beautiful and delicious. Thank you!

    Reply
    • baketotheroots says:
      1 year ago

      It’s “regular” spelt flour. In Germany, it’s called Dinkelmehl (Type 630).

      I hope that helps.

      Cheers,
      Marc

      Reply

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About me


Hi, my name is Marc. I’m a graphic designer.
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