Käsebrötchen - Cheese topped Roll

One of the good memories I have of living in Germany is the smell of fresh käsebrötchen as my sister and I descended towards the bus-stop every morning to get to school.

After about a week of being in the UK, I managed to track down cheese topped roll, but my excitement was short-lived because it tasted nothing like I was used to. It wasn't fresh and a few seconds in the microwave did nothing to help. The only thing cheesy was actually the dried top. Needless to say I never tried it again.

I started thinking about it again recently after reading an article about different types of bread in Germany. Although I don't have a recipe, I've made brötchen a few times and thought the idea in my head should work.

Well ladies and gentlemen, besides the fact that I can no longer eat cheese for health reasons, I think I nailed it! No, I didn't say that, my tasters did.

With this recipe, I used a mix of Edam and Cheddar but I recommend using just Edam or at least a cheese without a strong taste. I think a combination of Edam and mozzarella will be great.

500g Strong bread flour

250g Edam

150g Cheddar

2 Tablespoon yeast

1 Tablespoon sugar

200ml milk

100ml luke warm water

2 teaspoon salt

1 Egg

1. Add yeast and sugar to the luke warm water and leave it to proof for about 5-7 minutes – a brownish foam will form over the yeast

2. In a large bowl, add the flour. Making a whole inside, add all the liquids

3. Mix into a dough and knead gently for about 7 mins. The dough might be a bit sticky but don’t worry it’s fine

4.Oil a bowl, place the dough inside. Cover and leave to rise for 2 hrs. After about an hr into the rising, go and knock it back and cover for another hour. The dough is ready when you poke a finger in and it leaves a mark

5.While waiting, grate the cheddar and 50g of Edam. Then cube the rest of the Edam.

Pre-heat oven to 200°C

6.Divide the dough into equal parts – It should make 16 medium size rolls

7. Stretch each dough piece a little and place cubed cheese in the centre. Then mould into a ball, forming the dough around the cheese

8. Place rolls on a tray lined with baking paper. Cover for about 10mins

9. Egg wash and top with cheese. Bake for 15-20mins at 200°C