In Germany, bread is an integral part of special cuisines. For many people, bread and butter are favorite breakfast and evening snacks. The Germans use different ingredients and follow a specific method of baking to prepare a bread. Unlike the usual bread made from wheat flour and yeast, German bread is based on the use of rye. A traditional way of baking this bread is to allow the rye dough to settle for about a week. The dough then, turns slightly sour in taste due to the bacterial action. Besides this, there are many other varieties of this kind of bread, which can be prepared by adding different flavors of your choice.
German Rye Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups, all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup, unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 packages, active dry yeast
- 2 cups, water
- ⅓ cup, molasses
- 2 tablespoons, butter
- 1 tablespoon, sugar
- Salt as per taste
- Cooking oil
- 3½ cups, rye flour
Procedure
First of all, combine the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Warm 2 cups water in a saucepan and add molasses, butter, sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons oil. Gently add this mixture to the dry mixture and beat in an electric mixer for about 5 minutes. Remove the mixture, add rye flour and knead well to make a smooth dough. Cover and allow the dough to stand for about 25-30 minutes.
You can divide the dough into two parts and make round loaves. Transfer the loaves on greased baking sheets and brush lightly with cooking oil. Then, cover and leave for about an hour. Finally, bake them at 400 ºF for about 25-30 minutes. Remove the baked bread loaves from the oven, cool down and serve.
German Beer Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups, self rising flour
- 12 ounces, beer
- ½ cup, butter
- 2 tablespoons, sugar
- 1½ teaspoons, cheese
- 1 pinch salt
Procedure
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, beer, sugar, cheese, and salt. Pour the mixture into the electric mixer and beat for about 5 minutes. Transfer it into a greased, medium-sized, loaf pan and bake at 375 ºF for about 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, add butter to the top and bake for another 10 minutes. You can remove it when the bread turns brown. Serve it warm.
German Potato Bread
Ingredients
- 400 gram potato (peeled and grated finely)
- 400 gram all-purpose flour
- 1 packet dry, active yeast
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon, salt
Procedure
In a saucepan, boil the grated potato. Combine together flour with yeast powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Once potato is soften, add it to the flour mixture. Stir in the egg and knead the mixture thoroughly. Cover the bowl and keep for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250 ºF. Prepare a round loaf of potato flour dough with a uniform thickness. Transfer it on the baking sheet. Brush the loaf lightly with cooking oil for better cooking. Then, bake the potato loaf for about 25-30 minutes. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 200 ºF and bake the dough for another 30 minutes. Check whether the bread is baked well or not. Remove the potato bread from the oven and serve warm.
