Fluffed Up Kaiser Rolls

Speckled with Sesame Seeds and Poppy Seeds, these Fluffed Up Kaiser Rolls are the perfect base for all your deli sandwich dreams at home.  

Like a multitude of people, I enjoy the dependability of routine, of having an outline of scheduled events throughout the day.  This may stem from some of my own tendencies towards OCD in attempting to overly control aspects  of my everyday in counterpart to the unpredictability of normal happenstance that life brings to us.  Little daily rituals, such as that cathartic first sip of coffee to the daily meowling my cat Parmie sings each morning as she asks for the master bathroom sink faucet to be turned on so she can have running water, are daily instances that ground me and prepare myself for the day. This way, when the shocking news that So and So’s silver Unicorn randomly fizzled and melted like the Wicked Witch of the West because the Wolf accidentally squashed all of the baked goods while trying to charm Little Red, you’re steady enough to handle all the craziness that can come with such absurd or unsettling curveballs.

In my forays into bread baking, I have found a few very dependable recipes that I have made my own.  One of these is this Classic French Bread, which I use quite often as it comes together and to your mouth in just about an hour.  Another one is this Italian Herbed Artisan Bread, which is unbelievably easy to put together and forget about it until the next day when you bake it.  Really, it is an amazing return on investment for such little effort put in in terms of crusty, yeasty deliciousness.  But one of my fail safe, deliciously light and chewy, reminds you of the old school delis, bread creations are these Fluffed Up Kaiser Rolls.  

Kaiser Rolls are just a slight bit different from something called a Bulky Roll.  I casually asked my husband to “Pass me a Bulky Roll” once when I made these, and he had no idea what I was referring to.  So, being the inquisitive mind that he is, he looked up the term Bulky Roll in part because he did not quite believe me it was a real thing, and in part because he thought it was a funny word.  What we found, is that the two rolls are very similar but still distinct from once another.  While they both use the same ingredients and most often are topped with Sesame or Poppy seeds, and both have that distinctive clover shape, the ratios of sweetness are different.  Think of it this way, Kaiser Rolls are fancy faced and have a bit of extra sweetness to the dough, while Bulky Rolls are more neutral flavored

First these Fluffed up Kaiser Rolls  rise, then you shape them, then they rise again to shine like the little superstars they are!

Slightly sweet, pillowy light insides, and topped with the crunch and crackle of Sesame and Poppy seeds, these little rolls are one of my go-to’s for a perfect sandwich.  I think it is pretty imperative to make them with bread flour, as it helps keep the insides nice and chewy and light longer - when I tested them with straight All Purpose Flour the rolls ended up being a bit denser than what you would find in a bakery. These Fluffed Up Kaiser Rolls take about three hours to complete from start to finish, but the majority of the time is spent waiting for the dough to rise.  Not too shabby to start the dough percolating then moving onto other tasks before coming back to it.  

These rolls are a staple of my carb-loving soul, and make the perfect base for anything that you can imagine.  Salmon burgers, turkey sandwiches, pulled BBQ chicken sandwiches, and breakfast sandwiches have all been tipped over the edge into the world of spectacular with these rolls, but I have also been known to melt some butter in a skillet and just toast them, cut side down, them top with cream cheese and tomatoes.  The bread holds up well for a few days, and I have utilized them immensely in packing my husband’s lunches throughout the week.

Kaiser Rolls have that distinctive clover shape.

Just a quick note - I have this recipe serving size set for 6 total rolls as the amount of dough made creates the big, oversize rolls that you see in the bakeries and grocery stores.  I have, however, divided the dough into 8 equal pieces and they are the perfect size for a light lunch with a side.  I recommend storing these in a Ziplock bag up to 4 days on the counter, but if you are a slow Kaiser roll eater then it’s perfectly fine to freeze them in a freezer safe bag.  Just pull out a couple hours before you use them.

I have a couple more recipes for bread that are my typical staples, but since I very rarely buy store bought bread anymore I wanted to share some of my keepers.  I am slowly building more confidence in my baking skills, but yeasted breads are something that have become less and less terrifying as I become more familiar with coaxing the best qualities out of the simple ingredients.  These bread recipes are ones that I have baked again and again, figuring out what does and does not work, so it should be good to go in your own kitchen.  Please comment or contact me if you have a question and I will try and troubleshoot for you the best I can. 

Fill these Fluffed Up Kaiser Rolls with whatever your fancy of the day is - the combinations and possibilities are endless for what makes a perfect sandwich for you!

Fluffed Up Kaiser Rolls

Author:  Iris Anna Gohn

Servings: 6 large or 8 medium sized rolls

These little Kaiser Rolls are the perfect base for an amazing Deli-Style sandwich, from the comfort in your own home.  It is roughly a 3 hour process, so I recommend starting these when you have a bunch of other things to do at home like laundry, other food prep, etc that you can do simultaneously when the dough is rising.  

It is a MUST to use bread flour.  It has a higher protein content which encourages the gluten to form, which ultimately produces a much fluffier, lighter texture to the bread but still have a wonderful chew.  I've tried this out with varying levels of AP flour and Bread flour, and AP flour produces a much denser finished product.

The rolling out and creating the classic clover shape took me a few tries to get correct.  If you want to simply save time, shape the rolls into little round balls, let them rise, then do the toppings.  You can slash an “X” in the center of the roll to help it rise while baking, and there is the added bonus of making a pretty design for the finished product.

*Lastly, as it is with all homemade bread, the shelf life is not super long with these rolls as they do not have any chemical preservatives to lengthen the life.  You can store leftovers in a Ziplock bag for up to 3, possibly 4 days, but what I do is either use them in a baked sandwich by that point or I melt a little butter in a pan and then toast the bread that way before eating to rejuvenate it.  You can freeze these easily, just pull out of the freezer a few hours before intending to use them.

Ingredients

For the Kaiser Rolls:

• 3/4 Cup Warm Water
• 1 1/2 Tsp Active Dry Yeast
• 1 Tsp Honey
• 2 Tbsp Butter, melted then cooled
• 1 Egg, room temp and whisked
• 1 1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
• 3 Cups BREAD flour

For the Topping:

• 1 egg 
• 2 Tbsp Milk
• Sesame Seeds
• Poppy Seeds

Directions

1. In a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, add water, yeast, and honey.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes to let yeast activate and foam.  If it does not become frothy the yeast may be bad or the water too hot.  
2. Once yeast mixture has activated and foamed, add in the melted butter and egg.  Turn mixer on to speed 2.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the salt and the flour.  Slowly add to the mixer. I usually do it a couple tablespoons at a time, until all the flour is completely added.  
4. Continue to knead the dough for 7-10 minutes.  You will not need to scrape the flour down to try and incorporate it, it will happen naturally during this time.  By the 7-10 minute mark a ball of dough will have formed and will be smooth and elastic to the touch.  It will pull away easily from the sides of the bowl.
5. Turn the stand mixer off and smooth the ball of dough into a nice round ball with no seams anywhere.  Place in a large glass bowl that has been oiled and cover with Saran Wrap.  Let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.  At this time you can preheat the oven to 425 F.  Line a large baking sheet with Parchment Paper and sprinkle with cornmeal.
6. Tip dough into a clean work surface and divide into 6 equal pieces.  To create the classic Kaiser roll clover shape, roll a section of the dough into a long rope roughly 14" long.  Tie a loose knot in the center of the rope but leave room to be able to thread each loose end of dough through the knothole twice more and pinch the ends together underneath to seal.  Repeat 5 more times.
7. Space the shaped rolls evenly on the prepared baking pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap.  Let rise for another 30-40 minutes, until doubled in size.  I usually let mine rise on the preheating oven just for the extra warm environment.
8. Make an egg wash by whisking together egg and milk.  Brush onto the risen rolls gently with pastry brush or fingers.  Sprinkle Sesame or Poppy Seeds liberally on top.
9. Bake on center rack for 15 minutes.  Let cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling rack to finish cooling.  Leftovers can be stored in a Ziplock bag or airtight container for up to 4 days.*