I remember having these Czech bread rolls for breakfast as a child when my dad used to get fresh ones each Saturday morning. They came from a bakery in the town nearby and were famous for their crispness on the outside, and softness and airiness on the inside. Poppy seeds and big chunks of salt on top. They are best with homemade jam from the garden and a cup of tea. We were always searching for those pieces with the most poppy seeds on them and enjoyed them so much! Now, my parents still often have them when we are staying over, and each time I’m looking forward to the breakfast. It brings out nostalgia about these Saturday childhood mornings.
I never liked any other type of these Czech bread rolls widely available in the country that were without any sprinkles but these I can even make several times a year here in Belgium, so much I love them! Indeed, during the past 14 years, since I have been living in Belgium, I started to miss them and then when covid started and we could not go back home often, I started to make them at home, for the sake of feeling close to my roots, childhood, my first home. And my Belgian Dutch other half also loves them now, as well as the little one. Easily, half of them are gone the first day, but they can keep up to the day after, not longer. If you won’t finish them within, you may freeze them which I also sometimes do when I know we won’t be home the other day.
Sometimes, the long time preparing them, may demotivate you to prepare these for breakfast the same day, but it is worth it! What I do to make that happen is that I get up earlier, prepare the dough and while it raises, I do excercise or read a book – it is like one hour for myself before the little one gets awake. Does that sound more motivating now (in case you have small children around)? 😉
Here below is the recipe, I hope you will enjoy them as we do, let me know via the below comments!
Ingredients
500 g all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
11 g dry yeast
1 tsp. granulated sugar
260 g water, temperature 25-35°C
60 g melted butter, cooled
1 egg with a tbsp. of milk to smear, coarse salt, and poppy seed or cumin seeds for sprinkle
Instructions
Combine the flour with salt in the bowl of your stand mixer, make a pit in the middle, and pour in the yeast mixed with sugar and water. Add the melted and cooled butter and knead an elastic dough. It will take about 10 minutes in the stand mixer. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a room temperature warm place, for approximately 1 hour.
Cut the risen dough into 12 pieces and roll it into a triangle shape. Roll from the bottom to the top corner to shape croissant-like bread rolls and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for 25-30 minutes.
Smear the bread rolls with egg and milk mixture and sprinkle with coarse salt and poppy seeds, alternatively cumin seeds.
Bake the rolls in the oven at 200°C for 20-25 minutes and remember they are best shortly after cooling down.
